Prof. Gilbert Ezengige

God abundantly blessed us with great healing food remedies.

When you start chronicling the numerous natural food condiments sold in the markets and their healing potentials, you will simply be amazed.

Our grandmother’s culinary items were largely medicinal, thanks to their natural and uninfluenced taste buds, lifestyles and dispositions.

Think about the popular soup thickener “Usu” , “Isu”, “isuo” or “Osu” (all Igbo) which is known botanically as PLEUROTUS TUBER-REGIUM.

Think about “Achi” which is scientifically classified as BRACHYSTEGIA EURYCOMA called “akalado” or “eku” in Yoruba.

Think about “Ukpo” known as MUCUNA FLAGELLIPES.

Interestingly, these three items are used as soup thickeners.

It is my wish to discuss the medicinal uses of these and more condiments on my page in the nearest future.

For today, let’s focus on the health benefits of PLEUROTUS TUBER-REGIUM (“Usu”), a fungus- mushroom used as soup thickener mostly by women of Eastern Nigeria.

PLEUROTUS TUBER-REGIUM is a tropical sclerotial mushroom. It is commonly called king tuber mushroom and is an edible gilled fungus belonging to family Pleurotaceae. By qualifying it as a SCLEROTIAL mushroom, we mean that the mushroom produces an underground tuber (SCLEROTIUM) in addition to the mushroom that grows above the soil surface. The mushroom and the underground tuber are edible. However, it is the sclerotium (the underground tuber) that is used as a soup thickener. The sclerotium which can be up to 30 cm wide reveals a dark brown colour on the outside and is white inside.

Isn’t it gratifying that what is regarded simply as a soup thickener can positively impact on our health in the following outstanding manner?

1. As an antioxidant, it counteracts the harmful effects of free radicals known to be the culprit in most chronic and degenerative diseases.

2. As an anti-inflammatory agent it helps us to sail through life with less internal and external tissue or organ inflammations.

3. Its hepatoprotective property ensures that our liver is given the much needed respite and adequate protection from harmful toxins/ chemicals in the foods we consume as well as in home and body care products that we use daily.

4. Its antipathogenic action helps to check the proliferation of harmful microorganisms that otherwise would have a field day in us.

5. The ant mutagenic action of Pleurotus tuber-regium keeps the body cells on track from sudden erratic formations which could lead to tumors and cancers.

I am particularly delighted that researchers have studied the antimutagenic action of this plant. As an avid student of medical astrology, I know that mushroom family as a whole is predominantly influenced by the planetary rays from PLUTO whose radiation in certain formations and alignments could initiate, aggravate, mitigate or reverse the growth of tumors and cancers.

Pleurotus tuber-regium grows on dead trees or wood, (here is another signature of plutonian plants): PLUTO rules the astrological 8th house, the house of death and regeneration.

6.As an effective hypolipidemic, this food condiment lowers fat level in the blood.

7.It is reputed to be effective in the treatment of headache, fever and chest pain.

8.The medicinal use of this fungus is also well known among traditional herbal medicine practitioners in Ghana. Sawyerr (1993) stated that it is used orally in the treatment of heart pains and persistent coughs.

9. In Ghana also it is a practice with traditional medicine practitioners to mix the underground tuber (sclerotium) with honey, coconut water or Xylopia aethiopica (“uda” in Igbo, “eru” in yoruba) for the treatment of heart diseases and palpitation.

10. The ground and pulverized sclerotium is applied topically sometimes with white clay on underweight and premature babies to achieve an accelerated weight gain.

11. The Urhobo’s of mid-west Nigeria also use the sclerotium for the treatment of chest pains and small pox. (Fasidi and Olurunmaiye, 1994).

12. Pleurotus tuber-regium has anti-diabetic or anti-hyperglycemic properties. It regulates blood sugar levels. Diabetic patients please take note!

13. It lowers cholesterol level in the blood.

14. This mushroom relieves stomach and digestive issues. When prepared in a certain fashion it helps to reduce hyperacidity of the stomach and can be relied on for the treatment of stomach ulcers.

15. In boosting the immune system, Pleurotus tuber-regium is very handy.

The nutritional values of this fungus plant is high. The dietary components include protein which researchers say accounts for about 64% of the total mass, carbohydrates account for 20% and dietary fibers about 3%. High minerals contents in Pleurotus tuber-regium include calcium, potassium, magnesium and sodium.

Aha! I guess, when next you sight Pleurotus tuber-regium (‘Usu’) in the market you will see in it more than just a soup thickener. And when this shift of perception occurs in you, my write-up on Pleurotus tuber-regium would not have been in vain.

Please note that herbal and nutritional supplements are best administered by trained health care providers.

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