Wood ear mushrooms (or black fungus) are small to medium in size, averaging 3-8 centimeters in diameter, and are curved and wavy with an ear-like or cup-like shape. The fruiting bodies are brown to dark brown with a slippery or gelatinous texture and can be made up of smooth, wavy edges or many folds and wrinkles with some veining. With age, the gill-less and stemless fungus darkens, and the spores range in color from yellow, cream, to white. When cooked, Wood Ear mushrooms are firm, crunchy, and toothsome with a mild, musty flavor.
Wood ear mushrooms are a great source of many important vitamins and minerals.
Here are more reasons to add this mushroom in your everyday diet: * Packed with disease-fighting antioxidants, promising preliminary research suggests that dried wood ear mushroom extract could help fight the growth of cancer cells.
* Wood ear fungus could have powerful hypolipidemic properties, which can help keep cholesterol levels in check and protect against heart disease.
* Wood ear mushrooms are jam-packed with antioxidants and polyphenols. That can have a huge impact on overall health. Antioxidants play a central role in health and disease, with research indicating that they could aid in the prevention of chronic conditions like cancer, heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
* Wood ear mushrooms also possess potent antimicrobial properties that can help ward off certain strains of bacteria.
* Each serving of wood ear mushrooms packs quite a punch when it comes to nutrition. These small but powerful mushrooms are an especially good source of copper, a micronutrient that is essential to several aspects of health. Copper is important for iron metabolism, and it’s also needed for heart health, lung function and more.