Jelly Ear Fungus (Auricularia auricula-judae)

Hello dear Hive friends, as always, I hope you are all well and wish you a nice day! I sat down today and wrote a small post about a really interesting medicinal mushroom which I would like to share with you together with some pictures I took.

Maybe one or the other has heard of this mushroom before, this mushroom bears the common name Jelly Ear Fungus and scientifically Auricularia auricula-judae. Typical seasons for this mushroom are winter to spring between the months of August and May and jelly Ear Fungus is usually found on dead or old wood, preferably on elder. You can find this fungus almost worldwide and the fruit body usually has a red to brown color and in most cases reaches a width between 2-14 cm.

As already mentioned, it is a well-known medicinal mushroom, which is also often used in Chinese cuisine. The area of application is diverse and the effect is antibacterial, it can be used for example, against allergies, high blood pressure or toothache, but there are many other diseases against which this fungus can help. In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), Jelly Ear Fungus is attributed a high value and it has numerous ingredients such as potassium, zinc, magnesium and iron, but in general, the effects have not yet been fully researched.

Even if this fungus is not poisonous and a great medicinal mushroom, you should always ask a doctor if you are not sure because of possible risk of confusion or incorrect dosage!

Now I would like to go into the history of this mushroom a bit. Already in the middle ages, this fungus was appreciated for its healing properties, one of the most common areas of application of Jelly Ear Fungus in earlier times were eye diseases and a hemostatic effect. Already the ancient Celtic, Germanics and other cultures appreciated the healing power of mushrooms in general, so I think it was also the case with Jelly Ear Fungus.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you like my post! I captured the pictures with my Camera Sony Alpha 6000 and 55-210 mm lens and some with iPhone!