Mo Gu
StarAgaricus campestris L.
Synonyms: Pratella campestris (L.) Gray, Psalliota campestris (L.) Fr.
Also known as: Mo Ku · Wade–Giles
Easily confused with
- Mo Yu — pinyin one letter apart. Mo Gu: tonifying, neutral; Mo Yu: transforming phlegm, cold.
Safety at a glance
No rule in our tables for this herb: pregnancy, breastfeeding, incompatible pairs (十八反 / 十九畏), herb–drug, dose ceiling. This is not a safety clearance.
Not graded — No toxicity grade is recorded. Most herbs in the catalogue carry none.
Traditionally used for
- Dizziness
- Digestion
- Blood pressure
- Energy & fatigue
☯ TCM Properties
Strengthens the Spleen, tonifies Qi and stimulates the appetite; Calms the Liver
Traditional Chinese Uses
Mo Gu is a general Chinese term for edible cultivated mushrooms of the genus Agaricus (the record specifies Agaricus campestris, the field mushroom). Sweet and neutral, entering the Spleen, Stomach and Liver channels, it is used chiefly as a gentle food-grade tonic. It strengthens the Spleen, tonifies Qi and stimulates the appetite, so it is taken for poor appetite, indigestion, fatigue and general weakness, and traditionally to promote lactation (hypogalactia).
It also calms the Liver and is used to help settle Liver-Yang patterns such as dizziness and hypertension. Mostly consumed as food or decocted in fairly large fresh amounts, it is a mild dietary-therapy substance rather than a strong single medicinal, and is generally combined with other Spleen-strengthening or Qi-tonifying foods and herbs.
Click a node for details · double-click to expand it · Ctrl/⌘ + scroll or two fingers to zoom and pan.
Botanical Description
Mo Gu is the fruiting body of the field mushroom, Agaricus campestris (Agaricaceae), gathered fresh or dried for use. The basidiocarp has a fleshy white cap, first hemispherical then convex to flat, 3-10 cm across, dry and smooth to faintly silky-scaly, bruising slightly and often with an inrolled margin when young. The gills are free from the stipe, crowded, bright pink in youth and darkening through chocolate-brown to blackish as the dark spores mature. The short white cylindrical stipe bears a thin, fragile ring that soon disappears; the flesh is white and does not yellow strongly. It grows saprotrophically in meadows, pastures and grassy fields, fruiting in flushes after rain, especially in late summer and autumn. The whole cap is used medicinally.
Saprotrophic in nutrient-rich grasslands, pastures, meadows and lawns; fruiting after rain in late summer and autumn.
Active Constituents
Agaritine
Aromatic hydrazine derivative, N2-(gamma-L-glutamyl)-4-hydroxymethylphenylhydrazineConcentration: About 270 mg per kg fresh weight in a sampled collection of this species, within a genus-wide range spanning under 100 to about 10,000 mg per kg across 53 wild Agaricus species; cultivated A. bisporus commonly holds 200-500 mg per kg
A natural constituent of Agaricus mushrooms and a precursor of a suspected rodent carcinogen. It is unstable, and storage and household cooking substantially lower the content. Levels in this species are in the same range as the cultivated button mushroom rather than elevated.
Ergosterol
Fungal sterol (provitamin D2)The major sterol of the fruiting body and the precursor converted to vitamin D2 on UV exposure. In a comparative survey of cultivated and wild Agaricus species, ergosterol content was highest in A. silvaticus and this species.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Insulin and oral hypoglycaemic agents (e.g. sulfonylureas, metformin)
An aqueous extract of this mushroom stimulated glucose transport, glucose oxidation and glycogen incorporation in mouse abdominal muscle, and in acute 20-minute tests evoked a 3.5 to 4.6-fold stimulation of insulin secretion from pancreatic B-cells; given in the diet and drinking water it countered hyperglycaemia in streptozotocin-diabetic mice. There is no human study, no dose-response in people, and no reason to think ordinary dietary quantities matter. This entry exists because the mushroom is sometimes sold as a concentrated antidiabetic extract on the strength of that 1998 paper.
Clinical note: Eating the mushroom as food needs no precaution. If a patient on glucose-lowering medication is taking a concentrated mushroom extract marketed for diabetes, ask them to monitor blood glucose, since the supporting evidence is entirely rodent-level and the extract strength is unstandardised.
Dosage Calculator
⚖ Dosage Calculator
A weight-based mathematical estimate for Mo Gu. Not a prescription.
Evidence Tier
1 study on recordRecorded studies by study design, strongest design at the top. This is a study-design tier only, not a GRADE rating: it does not weigh risk of bias, consistency or precision.
Systematic review / meta-analysis
0
Randomized controlled trial
0
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
1
1 verified · 0 unverified
Other / unclassified
0
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
Insulin-releasing and insulin-like activity of Agaricus campestris (mushroom)
Given in the diet and drinking water, the mushroom countered hyperglycaemia in streptozotocin-diabetic mice. An aqueous extract stimulated glucose transport, glucose oxidation and incorporation of glucose into glycogen in mouse abdominal muscle, and in acute 20-minute tests produced a 3.5 to 4.6-fold stimulation of insulin secretion from pancreatic B-cells. The activity was heat stable and acetone soluble, sat mainly in polar fractions, and dialysis reduced it by 40 percent. No human trial has followed.
Historical Texts
Ben Cao Gang Mu, vegetable section, entry mo gu xun
Ming dynastyReferences
- Schulzová V.; Hajslova J.; Peroutka R.; Hlavasek J.; Gry J.; Andersson H.C.. Agaritine content of 53 Agaricus species collected from nature . Food Additives and Contaminants: Part A (2009) [DOI]
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
📝 Notes
Public notes from the community and your own private notes on Mo Gu.
No notes yet.