Photo: This image was created by user Ron Pastorino (Ronpast) at Mushroom Observer, a source for mycological images.You can contact this user here., CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Snow Fungus (Silver Ear Mushroom)

Tremella fuciformis

Also known as Snow Fungus, Silver Ear, White Jelly Mushroom, Yin Er (银耳), White Wood Ear

At a glance

Family

Tremellaceae (jelly fungi)

Type

Jelly fungus (edible mushroom, not a plant)

Parts used

Fruiting body (the whole gelatinous lobed cluster)

Size

2 to 6 inches across, forming ruffled, brain-like lobes

Bloom

None, it is a fungus and produces spores rather than flowers

Habitat

Dead or dying branches of broadleaf trees in warm, humid, subtropical forests

Acquisition

Buy

Traditional remedies in HerbSense

Key benefits

✦

Traditional lung and skin tonic

Prized for radiant complexion

Gentle, nourishing immune support

Silky texture prized in cooking

Traditional uses

✦

In China, snow fungus has been simmered into sweet tonic soups for centuries, valued in traditional Chinese medicine as a nourishing food for the lungs and skin. It earned a reputation as a beauty ingredient, believed to keep the complexion supple and dewy, and was served at banquets as an elegant, affordable stand-in for costly bird's nest soup. Traditional healers also regarded it as a gentle tonic suited for the elderly, the convalescing, and anyone needing a little extra nourishment. Its slippery, translucent texture made it as beloved in the kitchen as in the apothecary.

How to grow & use it

✦

🔒

The full apothecary for Snow Fungus (Silver Ear Mushroom)

Traditional remedies and step-by-step preparations, a complete growing guide, and how to harvest, dry, and store it, all unlocked with HerbLens Unlimited.

✦Remedies & preparations
✦ Growing guide
✦Harvest & storage

Unlock every plant

From under $6 a month. Free plant identifications always included.

Pairs well with

✦Goji berry
✦Red dates (jujube)
✦Lily bulb (bai he)

Substitutes

✦White wood ear (a close culinary cousin)
✦Bird's nest (in traditional banquet-style soups)

Choose it when

“When you want a gentle tonic soup, silky and pale as fresh snow, simmered slow for the sake of your skin.”

Did you know?

Because its texture and delicate sweetness were thought to echo the far more expensive bird's nest, snow fungus soup became known in old Chinese kitchens as a gracious, everyday alternative, earning it a lasting place at both humble tables and festive banquets.

Safety

Snow fungus is a safe, widely eaten culinary mushroom, but it should be fully rehydrated and cooked before eating rather than eaten raw, and sourced from a reputable supplier since improperly dried or moldy fungus can be harmful.