Agaricus blazei
Agaricus subrufescens
Mushrooms. Latin American & Amazon and Modern nutrition.
Also called Mushroom of the sun, Himematsutake, Cogumelo do sol
Spanish: Hongo del sol
Little safety dataA mushroom from Brazil sold as an immune booster and studied mostly in lab work.
Did you know? Its Portuguese name, cogumelo do sol, means 'mushroom of the sun.' It is also grown in Japan under the name himematsutake.
What it may help, and how strong the proof is
- Colds, flu & immunity. Lab and animal studies show immune effects. Good human trials are missing.Traditional proof
- Blood sugar. A few small human studies in people with diabetes report lower blood sugar. Results are weak.Traditional proof
Parts of the body
Traditional use
It has little long history in traditional medicine. Its popularity grew in Japan and the West in recent decades, based mostly on claims about immune support.
How it is classified
- Herbal actions
- Immune balancer, Antioxidant, Hypoglycemic. Energy: neutral.
How people take it
Sold mostly as capsules, powder and extracts. Amounts vary widely between products, and there is no standard dose.
Capsule, powder and tea.
Where to get it
Cultivated in Brazil, Japan, China and elsewhere on compost and wood-based growing material. Sold dried, as powder and as extract.
Be careful
Very little safety research exists. Possible stomach upset or allergy. Use caution with blood thinners, diabetes medicines and immune-suppressing drugs. Not studied in pregnancy.
Avoid if: pregnancy; breastfeeding; autoimmune disease; mushroom allergy.
Mixing with other things
- Use cautionBlood thinners (warfarin, Eliquis, Xarelto, Plavix, daily aspirin)
Limited data. May add to blood-thinning effects.
- Use cautionDiabetes medicine (metformin, insulin, glipizide, Ozempic)
May lower blood sugar. Diabetes medicines could drop levels too far.
- Use cautionImmune-suppressing medicine (transplant drugs, some arthritis drugs)
Immune-boosting effects may work against immune-suppressing drugs.
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Adds up with others that may lower blood sugar: , , , , , , , , , , , , , and 39 more.
The honest take
Agaricus blazei is marketed as a cancer and immune booster, but good human trials are missing. Most of the evidence is lab or animal work. Products vary a lot, so the claims are hard to check.