Yes indeed, the gross, slimy, and science fiction looking fungus serves great benefit. For a long time mushrooms have been associated with magic, spiritual power and mystical powers. Mushrooms have been used as foods, medicine, poisons, artifacts, and of course, hallucinogens. Some people lump mushrooms in the vegetable part of the food pyramid, but they don't really fit in just like their odd characteristics. The trait that interests me the most regarding mushrooms are that they are made of chitin, which is a polysaccharide forming the principal component of arthropod exoskeletons, bug or crab skeleton, to the non-science people.
Some mushrooms, like Shiitake, contains valuable sterols, glycosides, amino acids, enzymes, polysaccharides, vitamins, and other minerals. Research shows that mushrooms help fight breast cancer cells, skin cancer cells, and have some promise in AIDS therapy. The compounds appear to increase the immune response by the increasing macrophages, killer T-cells, T lymphocytes, and natural killer cells. Specifically, Maitake mushrooms can also combat against high blood pressure, and to neutralize blood sugar levels.
You can eat them from fried to dried, and from fresh to cooked, just remember next time you get a pizza say, "mushrooms please, just not the poisonous ones!"
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