In contrast to the cultivated mushroom (Agaricus bisporus (J. Lange) Imbach) which was first cultivated in the early 18th century in France, the famous Shii-take mushroom (Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler) was cultivated in China centuries earlier, before being developed in Japan and extensively exported throughout the world. Other common names include the Oakwood mushroom, Japanese forest mushroom, Black mushroom, and Pasania. It is a mushroom long valued for both a unique flavour and as a medicinal tonic, for even in the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644 CE) it was claimed to be a general stimulant, curing colds, increasing blood circulation and lowering blood pressure.