Auricularia auricula-judae

Auricularia auricula-judae, often known as Jew's Ear, Judas' Ear, wood ear, or  黑木耳,  is a species of wood-feeding fungus found throughout the world. The species has light brown to matte black colored fruiting bodies, and prefers the deadwood of elder trees (Sambucus sp.), though, it has been observed attacking numerous other kinds of deciduous trees (and even objects made of its hosts’ wood). The fungus generally restricts its growth to dead or dying branches on its host, though, it has been observed attacking live portions of its host if the whole tree is in poor or failing health. It feeds by digesting the lignin in wood, leaving the cellulose behind, thus, making wood ear an agent of white wood rot. A. auricular-judae is commonly confused and substituted with its almost identical sibling-species, A. polytricha, which differs in its slightly lighter coloration, and the presence of a hairy covering.

The fungus gets most of its various common names from the way the wrinkled disk-shape of the fruiting body resembles a human ear. The common names of “Judah’s Ear” and “Jew’s Ear” refer to a Christian legend of how, after Judas Iscariot hung himself in an elder tree, the tree grew ears to commemorate the event. The Japanese name, キクラゲ (kikurage), literally translates as “wood jellyfish,” referring to how the firm, yet chewy texture of the fruiting body is very similar to that of jellyfish.

In Western Cuisine, the wood ear has not been held in high regard as a food until recently (primarily with some Haute cuisines that rely on strong Chinese influences). This low regard can be blamed directly on its bland taste, rubbery texture, and often lengthy cooking time. The wood ear has been utilized by European herbalists as a panacea for diseases of the throat, and as a poultice for inflammation. In particular, several important English herbalists, including John Gerad, and John Parkinson, specifically prescribed various broths made by steeping wood ears in milk, beer, vinegar or boiling water: the resulting liquid would then be drunk, gargled or sipped by the patient to cure sore throats or mouth sores.

Because the wood ear is found in forests throughout the world, it is often eaten as a food by indigenous peoples who recognize its edibility. It is collected and eaten throughout forested Subsaharan Africa, Poland, Indonesia, and Nepal.

The wood ear has been collected and eaten in China as both a food and as a medicine for thousands of years. Written descriptions suggest that the Chinese developed methods to deliberately cultivate wood ears on cut logs by the Tang Dynasty over a thousand years ago. (People in Ghana recently independently developed their own method of cultivating wood ears by inoculating bags of moist sawdust during the 20th century.) In Asian cuisines, the wood ear is appreciated for its texture, not for its bland taste. To make the fungus more palatable and easier to work with, the fruiting bodies of the wood ear are dried soon after picking: up to 90 percent of the mass and weight of the fresh fruiting body may be water. The dried fungus is then reconstituted by soaking, usually in water. Once rehydrated, it is boiled, then shredded into thin pieces, and added to soups, or more rarely, tossed into salads. In some dishes, the dried mushroom may be ground into a powder before being added to broth as a thickener.

In Chinese Medicine, the wood ear is used to stop all manner of bleeding, including internal bleeding and bloody discharge from various orifices, such as dysentery with blood, or menses with abnormally heavy bleeding. When cooked with wine, and eaten with snail meat, wood ear can help resolve hemorrhoids. As in Western Herbalism, Chinese Medicine makes frequent use of wood ear as a palliative for throat health, as well as coughs caused by lung dryness, or lung qi or yin deficiency.

Several studies have been done examining the anti-cancer properties of wood ears where rats have been either fed or injected extracts to see how the wood ear’s phytochemicals inhibit the growth. Wood ear also has mild contraceptive properties.