Why “Judas ear”?
The Auricularia mushroom owes its German name "Judas' Ear" to the Christian legend that Judas hanged himself from an elderberry tree—the tree species on which Auricularia grows particularly frequently and thrives. Combined with its ear-shaped fruiting bodies, this gave rise to the name "Judas' Ear."
What are Mu-Err mushrooms?
Although the Mu-Err mushroom (also called Mu-Er, Mu-Erh, or Black Fungus) is almost always equated with the mushroom Auricularia auricula-judae, which is common in Germany, strictly speaking, the Mu-Err mushroom is an East Asian species extremely similar to the Jew's Ear: Auricularia polytricha, a popular and widespread edible and medicinal mushroom throughout Asia. The medicinal mushroom from which our Auricularia medicinal mushroom products are made, however, is always the European Jew's Ear, Auricularia auricula-judae.
Origin, cultivation and use of the medicinal mushroom Judas ear
Where does the Judas ear grow wild? The Auricularia fungus (Auricularia auricula-judae) grows on deciduous trees, particularly on old elderberry wood. It is a weak parasite and feeds on the dead wood of living trees. The Judas ear is native to almost all of Europe and, due to its frost resistance, grows in the wild almost year-round.
Judas ear – cultivation and use
The Jew's Ear thrives on sawdust, which has made commercial cultivation possible. Due to its somewhat chewy texture, mild, almost neutral flavor, and high nutrient density, it is more commonly cultivated in Europe as a medicinal mushroom than as an edible mushroom.
Ingredients of the Judas ear
Like all medicinal mushrooms, the Auricularia mushroom is rich in minerals, trace elements, and vitamins. It also has a particularly high iron, potassium, and magnesium content and contains beta-D-glucans, a unique, specific Auricularia biopolymer (EBP), and various specific lectins. These have increasingly attracted scientific attention in recent years and have been the subject of various studies. This is one of the reasons why the Judas ear was chosen as the "Mushroom of the Year 2017" by the German Mycological Society.
As with all medicinal plants, the concentration of constituents in untreated mushrooms can vary considerably. Therefore, standardized processing, as ensured with Hawlik medicinal mushroom products, is recommended for the use and dosage of Auricularia mushrooms.
Judas ear: You can buy these dosage forms from Hawlik:
Auricularia powder capsules
The "classic": The whole, gently dried fruiting bodies of the Judas ear mushroom are always ground. Each capsule contains 420 mg of pure medicinal mushroom powder. Directions and dosage: Take two Auricularia powder capsules twice daily with plenty of liquid with meals.
Auricularia extract capsules
Highly concentrated dosage through extraction to 30% polysaccharides. With an extra dose of vitamin C from the addition of acerola. Each capsule contains 300 mg of medicinal mushroom extract and 40 mg of acerola extract (equivalent to 7 mg of vitamin C). Due to the extraction of the Jew's Ear mushroom, the ingredients in the extract are approximately 20 times more concentrated than in the Auricularia powder. Our Auricularia extract capsules are correspondingly effective. Directions and dosage: Take two extract capsules twice daily with plenty of liquid with meals.
Auricularia extract and powder capsules
A customer favorite that combines the benefits of extract and powder: bioavailable polysaccharides from the extract, combined with pure mushroom powder in its original form. Each vegetable capsule contains 250 mg of Auricularia extract, 150 mg of Auricularia powder, and 8.5 mg of natural vitamin C. Directions and dosage: Take two capsules twice daily with plenty of liquid, morning and noon, with meals.
Auricularia powder
Ideal for mixing with water, but also easily mixed with food, making it suitable for cases of swallowing difficulties, for example. Made from whole, gently dried, and ground fruiting bodies of the Judas ear to preserve all nutrients, vitamins, and trace elements as much as possible. Directions and dosage: Add 1 level scoop of Auricularia powder to plenty of liquid daily and drink. Alternatively, mix with food. One scoop corresponds to approximately 3 g of powder.
