Plant atlas Short
Straw Mushroom: Cook It, and Its Deadly Twin
Straw Mushroom · เห็ดฟาง · Volvariella volvacea
Straw Mushroom — เห็ดฟาง (het-fang) — Volvariella volvacea.
Straw mushroom — het-fahng — grows on beds of rice straw, and the edible part is the young, unopened button, always cooked. In cell-culture studies, an alpha-glucan isolated from its fruiting body activated RAW264.7 macrophages. As a food, straw mushroom is a good source of protein, copper, selenium, and riboflavin. Protein helps build and maintain muscle, repairs body tissues, and helps you feel full. Copper helps your body use iron, supports normal energy metabolism, and keeps connective tissue and nerves healthy. Selenium is part of your antioxidant defenses and supports normal thyroid and immune function. Riboflavin, or B2, supports normal energy metabolism, helps reduce tiredness and fatigue, and backs your antioxidant defenses. In the kitchen, halved straw mushrooms simmer in the sour, chili-hot broth of Tom Yum Goong with prawns, or in the coconut-milk broth of Tom Kha Gai with galangal, lemongrass, and chicken; both are served over steamed jasmine rice. To grow it, pasteurize rice straw, layer it into raised beds, and add spawn. Wild-foraged lookalikes require expert identification because a deadly death cap can look nearly identical. For the next Thai kitchen ingredient with a real safety rule, follow Longevity Biome.
Tom Yum Goong — ต้มยำกุ้ง (tom-yum-goong)
Tom Kha Gai — ต้มข่าไก่ (tom-kha-gai)
Source: Cui et al. (2020). A macromolecular α-glucan from fruiting bodies of Volvariella volvacea activates RAW264.7 macrophages through the MAPKs pathway. Carbohydr Polym. DOI:10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115674
Educational content, not medical advice! Consult your doctor before changing diet or medication.
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Food and nutrients
Rich in: protein, copper, selenium, riboflavin
Research context
Straw-mushroom glucans activated macrophages in lab studies — Carbohydrate Polymers, 2020