Most people would be familiar with mushrooms as a common delicious ingredient in cooking or are aware of the dangers of incredibly toxic varieties. But what if I was to say that some mushrooms have been used for thousands of years as potent biological medicine. In fact, the oldest human mummy more than 4,000 years old, was carrying Birch polypore in his medicine bag. In ancient China the Reishi(Ganoderma lucidum) was prized as an immortality tonic herb and the Maitake(Grifola frondosa) was named the dancing mushroom because when foraged people would dance with joy.
Evolutionarily fungi (mushrooms) are very similar to humans, actually closer to humans than the plant kingdom. They even share the same vulnerabilities to some pathogenic viruses and bacteria as we do. Over time mushrooms have developed mechanisms to defend themselves from theses pathogens for example penicillin and many more antibiotics were extracted from a fungal score. Recent research into medicinal mushrooms has seen increasing positive results in promoting health and well-being.
Key Benefits of Medicinal Mushrooms
1. Balances immunity
All mushrooms contain beta glucans which are similar to a type of dietary fibre produced by the mushroom. Theses long chain polysaccharides are partially responsible for the immunity boosting ability of the medicinal mushrooms. One particular studydemonstrated a significant increase in immune response when using Reishi, Turkey tail, Cordycepsand Maitaketo treat various cancers.
2. Nutrition
Nutritionally mushrooms are a great addition to any diet as they are fat-free, low-sodium, low-calorie, and cholesterol-free. As well as basically containing none of the nutritional naughty list, mushrooms are packed with dietary fibre, cholesterol reducing beta glucans, vitamins such as D2 and minerals. What more could you ask for? When this is added to the super powers some mushrooms contain it’s no wonder they’ve been called medicinal mushrooms.
3. High in Antioxidants
Many medicinal mushrooms contain higher amounts of antioxidants when compared to fruit and vegetables. This studyidentified a few types of mushrooms that contain high levels of the body’s strongest antioxidant Glutathione. This antioxidant is generated in every cell in the body and is essential in protecting the body against free radicals which cause cell damage and aging. Some of the heavy hitting antioxidant mushrooms include Chaga,Maitakeand Porcini to name a few.
4. Brain Health
One particularly interesting effect of some medicinal mushrooms is certainly the ability they have to protect and enhance brain performance and health. One such brain boosting powerhouse is the aptly named Lions mane mushroom which has been shown to activate an important protein in the brain known as Nerve Growth Factor (NGF).
5. Energy
Medicinal Mushrooms also help stimulate the production of energy in the body to improve endurance and athletic performance. Particularly with the use of Cordycepsit has been shown to increase oxygenated blood flow around the body while also providing extra adenosine to be converter into ATP the bodies most basic form of energy production.
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