Mushrooms better than Modi’s ‘Taiwanese ones’: Because you’re worth it

A mushroom (for representational purposes). | Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images

If Modi was using mushrooms to get fairer skin, he would be applying them on his face and not eating them.

OBC leader and Congress candidate Alpesh Thakor claimed in an election rally in Gujarat, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent Rs 4 lakh a day on imported Taiwanese mushrooms to make his skin fairer. But while there is no such mushroom that matches Thakor’s claims, there are other imported varieties available that are rare and very expensive.

The European white truffle is the world’s most expensive mushroom, with a price tag that can exceed 2,200 euros per pound (Rs 1,66,896). In 2010, two white truffles, weighing 900 and 400 grams, sold for $330,000 at an auction in Macau. While these fungi are not known to lighten skin tones, they are high in proteins and certain vitamins.

White truffle, world’s most expensive fungi. Wikipedia photo

South Asia also has its share of highly sought-after expensive mushrooms. The ‘Guchchi’ mushroom, which grows in the foothills of Himalayas, is priced anywhere between Rs 10,000 and Rs 30,000 a kg.

Its price tag is a reflection of its extreme rarity, as it is impossible to cultivate commercially. Farmers in regions like the Kangra Valley, Manali and other parts of Himachal Pradesh as well as Jammu and Kashmir often face an arduous task of locating them in the wild after snowfall.

Morchella Esculenta mushroom, locally known as Guchchi. Wikipedia photo

However, Thakor’s claims that mushrooms can make your skin lighter may have been unintentionally accurate. Kojic acid from certain species of Japanese mushrooms, like the Shiitake, brightens skin by slowing the production of the enzyme responsible for melanin and dark spots. The songyi mushroom (also known as matsutake) has been used for skin lightening in Japan, Korea and China for centuries.

These, however, are priced at Rs 1,200/kg (shiitake) and Rs 1,000/bag (mastutake), according to Indiamart.com.

Though species like shiitake and matsutake contain the skin lightening agent, this is generally extracted and added in cosmetic products to be used topically. Kojic acid has been approved for use in cosmetic products in concentrations of 1 per cent or less.

Clockwise: Dr.Weil Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief, Mckaley Yana Instant Whitening Body Lotion with Kojic Acid, Kojic Cream, and Shea Butter Hydrating Mud Mask with Songyi Mushroom. | Product photos.