Last reviewed: 2026-09-03 • Editorial Standards

Japanese Mushrooms Ranked by Purine Content

Evidence-based comparison — data from USDA+ODS-NIH PURINE DATABASE Release 2 (March 2025)

Lowest Purine Japanese Mushrooms & Fungi

#1mushroom, white aragekikurage, raw6.9 mg
#2White aragekikurage6.9 mg
#3Nameko (big type)9.5 mg
#4mushrooms, eringi, raw13.4 mg
#5Eringi13.4 mg
#6mushroom, hatakeshimeji, raw16.0 mg
#7Hatakeshimeji16.0 mg
#8mushrooms, nameko, raw19.1 mg
#9mushrooms, bunashimeji, raw20.8 mg
#10Bunashimeji20.8 mg

Highest Purine Japanese Mushrooms & Fungi

#20mushrooms, bunashimeji, raw20.8 mg
#19mushrooms, shiitake, raw23.1 mg
#18Yanagimatsutake26.2 mg
#17mushroom, yanagimatsutake, raw26.2 mg
#16mushroom, bunapii, raw30.7 mg
#15Bunapii30.8 mg
#14mushrooms, enoki, raw49.3 mg
#13Enokidake49.4 mg
#12Maitake98.5 mg
#11mushrooms, maitake, raw98.6 mg

Category Average: 29.8 mg/100g

The average across 20 Japanese Mushrooms & Fungi foods with lab-measured data. Foods below this average are better-than-typical choices within this category.

How to Use This Ranking

The purine ranking is sorted from lowest to highest. Rank #1 is the lowest-purine food in the category. Foods in the top half (above median) should be consumed with more awareness of portion and frequency. The difference between adjacent ranks varies: in some categories, rank #5 and #10 might be only 10 mg apart; in others, the gap can be 100+ mg. Always check the actual milligram value, not just the position. Rankings do not account for fructose or alcohol — use individual food pages for a complete risk assessment.

ACR 2020 Guideline Context

The American College of Rheumatology recommends that gout patients focus on purine awareness rather than complete food group elimination. Within any category, there is a wide purine range. The goal is to shift toward lower-purine choices within categories you already eat, rather than eliminating entire food groups. This ranking helps you identify which specific items to prioritize and which to limit.

Japanese guidelines recommend under 400 mg of total dietary purines per day. Using this ranking, you can estimate how much of budget each food uses per typical serving.

How This Comparison Is Built

Every food in this comparison has been evaluated using a three-factor risk engine that independently assesses purine content, fructose level, and alcohol presence. Purine values come from two primary references — the USDA+ODS-NIH PURINE DATABASE Release 2 (March 2025) and Kaneko et al. (Biol Pharm Bull 37(5):709-721, 2014, PMID: 24553148). Fructose data is sourced from USDA SR28 Food Composition Tables. The verdict system follows ACR 2020 guideline thresholds: Safe (purine <50 mg, fructose <2g, no alcohol), Moderate (purine 50-150 mg or fructose 2-5g), Avoid (purine >150 mg, fructose >5g, or alcohol present). Data quality is labeled T1 (lab-measured), T2 (measured + consensus), or T3 (category estimate) on each food's detail page.

This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Individual tolerance to purines and fructose varies. Consult a healthcare professional for personalized dietary guidance. Last reviewed: 2026-09-03.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are mushrooms bad for gout?
Most Japanese mushrooms are low to moderate in purines, not the high-purine food they are sometimes made out to be. Among 20 Japanese mushroom entries with measured values, white wood ear measures about 6.9 mg/100g and nameko about 6.9 mg/100g, while maitake reaches 98.6 mg/100g. Older gout advice avoided all mushrooms; the data show most fit a normal diet in usual portions.
Which Japanese mushroom is lowest in purines?
White wood ear (kikurage) measures lowest in our database at about 6.9 mg/100g, with nameko around 6.9 mg/100g and eringi (king oyster) near 9.5 mg/100g. The highest are enoki at about 98.5 mg/100g and maitake at 98.6 mg/100g. All are moderate or lower, so choosing mushrooms by taste is reasonable.
Can I eat shiitake mushrooms with gout?
in normal portions. Raw shiitake measures about 13.4 mg/100g in our database — moderate, not high. Dried shiitake concentrates purines because water is removed, so keep dried versions to small amounts and prefer fresh. Mushrooms also add flavor to soups and stir-fries that might otherwise rely on high-purine meat stocks.