Auricularia auricula-judae, commonly known as wood ear or jelly ear, is an edible mushroom that grows on wood worldwide. It contains various nutrients and bioactive polysaccharides, particularly beta-glucan, which have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and immune-modulating effects. While Auricularia auricula has many potential health benefits, its anticoagulant properties could interact with blood thinners, so those on medication should consult their healthcare provider before consuming it.

1. FOOD AS MEDICINE:
BLACK CHINESE MUSHROOM
AURICULARIA AURICULA-JUDAE
By
Kevin KF Ng, MD, PhD
Former Associate Professor of Medicine
Division of Clinical Pharmacology
University of Miami, FL, USA
Email: kevinng68@gmail.com
A slide presentation for HealthCare Providers August 2018 https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/auricularia-auricula-judae.php

2. Outline of lecture
▪ Classification of black Chinese mushroom
▪ Anatomy and life cycle
▪ Nutrient and bioactive composition
▪ Polysaccharide and Beta-glucan
▪ Solubility and absorption of beta-glucan
▪ Pharmacological actions of beta-glucans
▪ Health benefits of Auricularia auricula
▪ Experimental and clinical studies
▪ Varieties of commercial products
▪ Side effects
▪ Summary

3. Scientific classification of Black Chinese Mushroom:
Auricularia auricula-judae

4. Common names of Auricularia auricula-judae
http://www.stuartxchange.org/Taingan-daga.html

5. Habitat and distribution of Auricularia auricula-judae
▪ It is widespread throughout temperate and sub-
tropical zones worldwide, and can be found across
Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa and Americas.
▪ Auricularia auricula-judae grows upon the wood of
deciduous trees and shrubs.
▪ It is found all year, but is most common in the fall
or autumn.

6. Anatomy of Auricularia Auricula-judae
Auricularia auricula-judae, the Jelly Ear Fungus Spore 16-18 x 6-8µm.

7. Life cycle of a Mushroom
https://www.mushbox.co/The-Mushroom-Life-Cycle_b_2.html

8. Nutritional and chemical composition of Auricularia auricula-judae
(g/100g dry material)
Adapted from http://pubs.sciepub.com/jfnr/3/8/1/

9. Nutrients and POLYSACCHARIDES content from
Tremella fuciformis AND Auricularia auricula
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6ff5/da6381408d976bcc981cdae2158660040991.pdf (2012)Nutrients from A. auricula

10. What is a polysaccharide?
▪ A long chain carbohydrate consisting of a number of sugar
molecules bonded together, e.g. starch, cellulose or glycogen.
▪ The bioactive polysaccharide from Auriculare auriccula-judae
is called beta-glucan.
starch
10

11. Classification of Polysaccharides
Polymers of a single
monosaccharide
Polymers of more than one
type of monosaccharide
Polysaccharides

12. What is a beta-glucan?
▪ Beta (Ᏸ) refers to the orientation of the linkage bond.
▪ Glucan molecule is a polysaccharide of D-glucose monomers, linked by glycosidic
bonds.
https://www.nutramunity.com/what-is-nutramunity/compare-beta-glucans/
12

13. What is Beta-1, 3 and Beta-1,6 Glucan?
▪ Beta refers to the structural configuration of
the molecule.
▪ Glucan refers to a polysaccharide of D-glucose
monomers, linked by glycosidic bonds
▪ The number 1 and 3 refers to the glycosidic
linkage and bonding of the glucose molecule
13

14. Location of beta-glucan on cell membrane
https://www.action-inter.net/beta-1316-glucan.html
14
Golgi apparatus

15. Schematic presentation of the cell-wall structure of
a typical mushroom.
http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/4/8/1417/htm

16. Branching Structure and Chain Conformation of Water-Soluble
Glucan Extracted from Auricularia auricula-judae (2012)
A water-soluble neutral polysaccharide (AF1) was identified as a β-(1→3)-
d-glucan with two β-(1→6)-d-glucosyl residues for every three main chain
glucose residues, showing a comb-branched structure
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf300423z?journalCode=jafcau

17. Molecular weights of five polysaccharides of
Auricularia auricula-judae
Polysaccharide Molecular weight g/mol
1. D-glucan A 117 x 10
4
2. D-glucan C 144 x 10
4
3. D-glucan E 200 x 104
4. Acidic heteropolysaccharide D 30 x 10
4
5. Acidic heteropolysaccharide B 50 x 10
4
▪ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0008621594000084

18. Total 1,3-1,6- β-D-glucan content in the analyzed mushrooms

19. Solubility of Ᏸ-glucans from different sources
Adapted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta-glucan
Mushroom

20. Pharmacokinetis of water soluble (1→3)-Ᏸ-D-Glucan phosphate
following a single oral dose in rats (2010)
Adapted from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7767734
Bioavailability 0.5%
Fungal Diversity (2011) 46:29–42

21. Absorption of Ᏸ-glucans in the intestine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peyer%27s_patch https://www.pinterest.com/pin/354165958170035412/https://vet.uga.edu/ivcvm/courses/vpat5215/
digestive/week04/diarrhea/diarr4.htm

22. Beta 1,3/1,6 Glucan and the immune system
https://www.action-inter.net/beta-1316-glucan-and-the-immune-system.html

23. The Effects of Orally Administered water insoluble Beta-Glucan on
Innate Immune Responses in Humans,
a Randomized Open-Label Intervention Pilot-Study (2014)
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0108794

24. The Effects of Orally Administered water insoluble Beta-Glucan from
Ganoderma lucidium on
Innate Immune Responses in Humans (2014)
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0108794

25. The Effects of Orally Administered water insoluble Beta-Glucan from
Ganoderma lucidium on
Innate Immune Responses in Humans (2014)
•β-glucan was barely detectable in serum of volunteers at all time-points.
•neither cytokine production nor microbicidal activity of leukocytes were affected.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0108794

26. Pharmacological actions of Auricularia spp.
▪ Anti-inflammatory
▪ Antioxidant
▪ Anti-tumor
▪ Anticoagulant
▪ Anti-microbial
▪ Immunomodulatory
▪ Hypolipidemic
▪ Hypoglycemic
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282093341_Auricularia_spp_-
_mushrooms_as_Novel_Food_and_therapeutic_agents_-_a_review (2018)

27. Comparison of different beta-glucan
sources, structures and functions
https://www.nutramunity.com/what-is-nutramunity/compare-beta-glucans/

28. How Does Mushroom Ᏸ-Glucan stimulate
immune function?
http://www.superbetaglucan.com/science-research/beta-glucan

29. Health Benefits of Auricularia auricula
Adapted from various sources

30. In vitro antitumor activity of Auricularia Auricula-judae
Cytotoxic effects of water extract (AAW) and 70% ethanol extract
(AAE) from Auricularia auricula-judae on:
•Phellinus gilvus (PGE)
•Ganoderma lucidum (GLE) extracts (1 mg/mL) and
•doxorubicin (1 µg/mL) on P388D1 macrophage tumor cells.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236062577

31. The in vitro inhibition ratio to the proliferation of ACC tumor cells by
wAF fractions
A water soluble acidic heteropolysaccharide named wAF was isolated from Auricularia auricula-judae
http://www.rroij.com/open-access/antitumor-activity-of-an-acidic-heteropolysaccharide-isolatedfrom-auricularia-auriculajudae.php?aid=63599
Antitumor activity of the wAF fractions against Sarcoma 180 solid tumor grown
in BALB/c mice.
ratio

32. Hypoglycemic Effect of Water-soluble Polysaccharide from Auricularia auricula-judae Quel. on
Genetically Diabetic KK-Ay Mice
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1271/bbb.62.1898?needAccess=true
FBG GTT

33. The nontoxic mushroom Auricularia auricula contains a
polysaccharide with anticoagulant activity mediated by antithrombin
(2003)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0049384803005504

34. Anti-inflammatory Activity of Dichloromethane Extract of
Auricularia auricula-judae in RAW264.7 Cells (2011)
Inhibition of nitric oxide production Inhibition of IL-1β production
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Anti-inflammatory-Activity-of-Dichloromethane-of-in-Damte-
Reza/4220961ca55931cd013052e809cea4f2c02c831d

35. Effect of Auricularia auricular-judae polysaccharide (AAP) on the (A) tumor necrosis factor-α
(TNF-α) and (B) interleukin (IL)-6 levels in the blood of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced rats.
*P<0.05 compared with the control, △P<0.05 compared with the AAP group, #P<0.05 compared with
the LPS group. (2015)
https://www.spandidos-publications.com/br/3/4/478
Anti-inflammatory
TNF-α
IL-6

36. The effects of polysaccharides from Auricularia auricula (Huaier) in
adjuvant anti-gastrointestinal cancer therapy:
A systematic review and network meta-analysis. (2018)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29673791

37. Effect of Mushroom Polysaccharides on Obesity in Humans
(2016)
http://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/5/4/80/htm
after weight loss
weight loss
weight loss
meat
mushroom
hs-CRP, BP
(0-6 mo)
(after 1 year)

38. Purified Auricularia auricular-judae polysaccharide (AAP I-a)
prevents oxidative stress in an ageing mouse model
▪ After 35 days of AAP I-a oral administration (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg once a day) to
mice where ageing is induced by d-galactose:
▪ AAP I-a significantly
•decreased the level of malondialdehyde (MDA)
•increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and
•increased glutathione (GSH) activities
▪ The results indicated that AAP I-a possessed potent antioxidant activity.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0144861710010313

39. Oral administration of water-soluble glucan phosphate increased long-term survival of ICR/HSD
mice challenged with (A) S. aureus (p< 0.01) and (B) C. albicans (p<0.01)
Mice were gavaged with glucan phosphate (1 mg/mouse) 24 h prior to i.v.
challenge with S. aureus. or C. albicans
(A) S. aureus (B) C. Albicans
Oral gavage with glucan phosphate 1 day prior to i.v. challenge with S.
aureus and C. albicans resulted in increased long-term survival.
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics · October 2005

40. Varieties of commercial auricularia auricula-judae products
1. Raw mushroom
2. Dried mushroom
3. Mushroom powder
4. Tincture
5. Capsule
6. Recipe

41. Side effect of Auricularia auricula
▪ Auricularia auricula is an edible mushroom.
▪ It contains macronutrients, micro-nutrients, and fiber beneficial
for health.
▪ An acidic polysaccharide in auricularia auricula is an
anticoagulant.
▪ The anticoagulant prolongs the bleeding time and prevents the
platelets from aggregation.
▪ Patients on blood thinners should consult their healthcare
provider before eating auricularia auricula.

42. Summary
▪ The edible Chinese black mushroom has many common names.
▪ The scientific name for Chinese black mushroom is Auricularia Auricula-judae.
▪ The nutrient and bioactive components of Auricularia auricule are beneficial for
health.
▪ The bioactive ingredients in Aurularia auricula are known as polysaccharides.
▪ The physical, chemical and pharmacological properties of the polysaccharides are
not completely known.
▪ Multiple health benefits of Auricularia Auricula are known to-date: anti-inflammatory,
anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-coagulant, anti-microbial, hypoglycemic,
hypocholestrolemic and immunomodulatory.
▪ No severe adverse reactions are known. However, the anti-coagulant property may
potentiate the action of other anti-coagulants.

43. ANY QUESTION?
Please contact
Kevin KF Ng, MD, PhD
Email: kevinng68@gmail.com