What are functional mushrooms, and do they make the world go round? Although these mushrooms don’t influence the earth’s rotation or transport you to other dimensions, they do offer exceptional adaptogenic properties. It’s not secret that there is a fungi frenzy, which can make selecting mushrooms or mushroom blends quite confusing. Which mushrooms do what and how do you know which ones you need?

What Are Functional Mushrooms?

Functional mushrooms are edible mushrooms that exhibit adaptogenic properties, which extend beyond the nutritional benefits. Adaptogens are compounds that help support the way the nervous system responds to stress. Functional mushrooms help support the body’s stress response, but they don’t stop there. Different mushrooms exhibit different nutrients and phytonutrients, but all of them contain beta glucans. These complex carbohydrates exist in the cell walls of mushrooms. According to researchers, fungal beta glucans can help improve gut health, inflammatory response, immune function, heart health, and beyond. 

The quality of the mushroom, or mushroom supplement, is just as important as knowing which mushroom to choose. Some mushroom supplements, for example, may not even contain mushrooms! They use mycelium (roots) of the mushroom, but the real benefits come from the beta glucans and other compounds in the mushroom’s fruiting body (above ground parts). So if you’ve ever considered experimenting with functional mushrooms, consider the following information your guide to adaptogenic fungi. 

Turkey Tail Mushrooms

The name comes from the fact that these mushrooms look like fanned turkey tails. They almost seem like they are out of a fairy tale book, growing on fallen logs or branches. Of all the mushrooms, turkey tails are the most researched and may help support optimal inflammatory response, cell growth, respiratory health, and liver function. There’s no need to forage any further than turkey tails if you want to reap some immune-boosting properties. 

Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

Your hair will not resemble that of a majestic male lion if you eat lion’s mane mushrooms. These functional fungi do offer majestic health properties, though. According to numerous studies, lion’s mane has positive effects on cognition and nerve growth. Other studies reveal that it may help improve overall brain and neurological health, so if you want to stay mentally sharp and focused, these fungi are your friends. 

Chaga Mushrooms

Chaga mushrooms differ from other mushrooms in that their benefits are concentrated in the mycelial mass, not the fruiting body. Chagas exhibit high antioxidant activity and support immune function and overall health. When it comes to purchasing chaga mushrooms or chaga supplements, make sure that they are chosen responsibly. You want wild-crafted mushrooms that are organic, if possible.

Cordyceps

Best known for their ability to support healthy stamina and physical energy, cordyceps have a long history of use. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), cordyceps were used to support kidney and lung function. Their energy-boosting properties make them highly sought after by people, especially athletes, who want to maintain peak physical performance. You may also find that chagas help support healthy stress levels. 

Maitake Mushrooms

Historically, maitake mushrooms were used as currency in Japan. If that doesn’t say something about their value, we don’t know what does. Maitake mushrooms work to support immune function and promote cellular health, especially when combined with other mushrooms. That is why you typically find maitake and chaga mushrooms in the same mushroom blend. Sometimes, you will even see them combined with immune-supporting agents like ginger or elderberry, both of which improve the taste of the powder supplement.

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A recent survey found that the average American adult drinks coffee daily. Be it a morning cup that puts the body in motion or an afternoon pick-me-up, people have to have their java. While a cup of black coffee does exhibit health benefits, guzzling cup after cup can have adverse effects on your health. 

Coffee starts to become unhealthy the moment sugar, sweeteners, creamers, or dairy products enter the cup. Since coffee is the first thing that most people put in their bodies to start the day, why not make it healthier? In reality, people should start their day with water, but it’s not as popular as coffee. Water does give you life, though, just saying. Anyways, if you’re the type of person who enjoys a cup of joe in the morning, you can enhance that cup with a few simple tips. Sneak some extra nutrients in there!

Choose Quality Beans

People have their opinions about organic versus non-organic foods, but it’s best to purchase organic, fair trade coffee. You can taste the difference between a five-dollar bag and a 15-dollar bag of coffee! The quality of coffee will vary depending on how the beans were grown and processed. It’s a common practice for growers to spray coffee beans with synthetic chemicals, which humans should not consume. Additionally, buying fair trade means that you know the origin of the product, certifying that the farmers that grow the coffee receive a fair price. Plus, their communities benefit as well. 

Embrace Cinnamon

Some people have the same bottle of cinnamon sitting in their spice cabinet for years. It’s not a popular spice, for some reason, despite the fact that it exhibits powerful flavor and health benefits. Next time you brew your morning coffee, throw in a couple dashes of cinnamon into the cup. Cinnamon offers powerful antioxidants that help to reduce inflammation throughout the body. Some research found that cinnamon works to regulate blood sugar and insulin. You can enhance the health benefits by pairing cinnamon with complementary spices like nutmeg, cloves, or ginger.

Don’t Overload With Sugar

A cup of black coffee has health benefits, but people quickly tip the scales into the unhealthy realm with the addition of sugar, creamers, and artificial sweeteners. Artificial creamers, especially low-fat creamers, contain a lot of sugar and processed ingredients. Some nutritionists claim that they contain questionable ingredients that humans should not consume. Additionally, plant-based creamers are not always as healthy as people think. Artificial sweeteners and creamers have been linked to an increased risk of obesity and heart disease. Finally, limit the sugar you add to your coffee. Don’t pour it out of a giant container; rather, pour it into a small spoon and then mix it in, but don’t keep pouring spoonful after spoonful. 

Make Mushroom Coffee

Don’t worry, you aren’t about to see a layer or stir-fried mushrooms floating atop your cup of coffee. Mushroom coffee is a blend of ground mushrooms and coffee beans. When you pour boiling water over this blend, the result is a dark, smooth cup of coffee with a nutty flavor. The mushrooms that are in these blends typically include chaga, reishi, cordyceps, lion’s mane, and turkey tail. These medicinal mushrooms may help to reduce anxiety, enhance immune function, and lower inflammatory markers. Some of these mushrooms may even reduce the risk of cancer development. Do your research and find a reputable brand that has great customer reviews. 

Add MCT Oil

MCT (medium-chain triglyceride) oil is a supplement that many athletes and body builders use, but it’s also popular among keto diet followers. The shorter length triglycerides are easier for the body to digest than longer-chain fatty acids in other foods. According to a study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people who added MCT oil to coffee experienced higher levels of leptin (a hunger-suppressing hormone). MCT oil can actually make you feel full for a lot longer and can help keep blood sugar stable. 

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Medicinal mushrooms have taken the health world by storm. You can eat mushrooms in their raw form, but the new trend is powder, and they go far beyond portobellos, buttons, and oysters. Nowadays, you can find supplements and functional powders that consist of medicinal mushroom blends. Some of the most popular varieties include lion’s mane, reishi, turkey tail, chaga, and cordyceps. 

What Are Mushrooms?

Health experts consider mushrooms to be in a tier above common superfoods like kale, avocado, or acai. Nothing against those delicious foods, but mushrooms are in a class of their own: functional foods. They contain nutrients that help energize the body and even assist with fighting common diseases. Not all of these mushrooms are appetizing, or readily available in stores, which is why they are available in dried, dehydrated, or powder form. 

What Is Mushroom Powder?

The use of medicinal mushrooms is far from a new trend. Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to mushrooms as the “elixir of life.” People brewed mushrooms into teas in the past, but modern convenience allows manufacturers to create mushroom powder blends that contain a high concentration of super nutrients. After drying out mushrooms, they are ground into a powder. Once the mushrooms are in powder form, it’s easy to mix them into various food preparations. The most common and trendy way to consume mushroom powder is in coffee or tea, but it’s possible to take them as supplements as well. 

The Benefits Of Mushroom Powder

Every single medicinal mushroom contains a signature blend of polysaccharides, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and enzymes that benefit the body. One polysaccharide, beta glucan, helps to balance immune function, instead of enhancing or suppressing it. Because of this trait, mushroom powder is a better alternative to cholesterol or anti-inflammatory supplements, which can occasionally trigger autoimmune responses.

Good For Your Heart

According to several studies, cordyceps mushroom powder may help reduce LDL cholesterol levels. High LDL levels increase your risk of heart disease, so lowering these levels can reduce damage to your heart. Cordyceps have also exhibited the ability to lower triglyceride levels in animal studies. More human studies are necessary for conclusive evidence. 

Balance Immunity

As we mentioned earlier, beta glucans and other polysaccharides help to support a healthy immune system. By balancing the immune system, you can avoid unnecessary autoimmune flare-ups. Chaga mushrooms, in particular, work to stimulate spleen lymphocytes, which work to regulate immune function. These lymphocytes help the body fight off bacteria, viruses, and other foreign invaders. 

Keep Yourself Young

Looking for the fountain of youth? We can’t promise that it’s at the bottom of a mug that contains mushroom powder tea, but mushroom powder may help fight early signs of aging. Mushroom powder contains a diverse mix of powerful antioxidants, which work to fight free radical damage and oxidative stress. Lessening the amount of free radicals in the body can help slow the signs of aging and contribute to better health. Some studies found that reishi mushrooms have the ability to extend life expectancy. Reducing oxidative stress and cellular damage helps boost longevity. 

Boost Your Brain

Boosting brain power and reducing the risk of cognitive decline has become a popular health trend. Many studies reveal the link between poor gut health and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Naturally, people want to be sharp as they age, so people turn to the power of mushrooms. Lion’s mane mushroom reigns supreme when it comes to boosting brain power! Several studies found that it helps to reduce the impact or neurodegenerative diseases. Mushroom powder may also mental clarity and improve your ability to focus. 

Anti-Cancer Properties

Both turkey tail and reishi mushrooms may potentially reduce the risk of the development of certain cancers. According to several reports, polysaccharide-K in turkey tail mushrooms is an acceptable prescription for cancer patients in Japan. A systemic review of reishi mushrooms found that people undergoing chemotherapy responded better when taking reishi supplements. Additionally, reishi mushrooms increase NK-cell activity to increase white blood cell activity to fight infections. 

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The magical world of medicinal mushrooms has received a lot of attention within recent years. In case you haven’t noticed, there are supplements, teas, coffees, tinctures, and more that contain a variety of medicinal mushrooms. From their ability to improve lung diseases to their cancer fighting benefits, medicinal mushrooms can seemingly do no wrong. It’s about time that the Western health world caught on to the healing properties of fungi!

The use of medicinal mushrooms, like the reishi mushroom, is relatively new in the United States. In Asia, specifically China and Japan, these mushrooms have been added to standard cancer treatments for more than 30 years; although, the use of medicinal mushrooms in Asia dates back hundreds of years. In fact, there are more than 100 types of mushrooms with anti-cancer properties in Asia. The primary ones that people use in therapy include the Grifola frondosa (maitake), Coriolus versicolor (turkey tail), Lentinus edodes (shiitake), and the Ganoderma lucidum (reishi).

Reishi Mushrooms And The Immune System

Naturopathic doctors in Asia recommend reishi mushroom to people who require immune support. In Poland, reishi mushrooms are food supplements, which adapt to chemical imbalances in the body and corrects them. The American Herbal Pharmacopoeia recommends reishi mushroom for its ability to boost immune function. In fact, test-tube studies revealed that reishi can influence genes in white blood cells, which are crucial parts of the immune system.

According to research on cancer patients, reishi mushroom has the ability to increase the activity of natural killer cells (NK cells). NK cells work to fight cancer and other infections in the body. One study found that after ingesting reishi mushroom, the host increased NK cell activity and lymphocyte function, which also works to combat cancer and infections. While these studies proved that reishi consumption increases immune function and NK cell activity to fight cancer cells, future studies need to focus on long-term survival rates of patients after reishi supplementation.

Reishi Mushrooms For Cancer Treatment

Cancer patients want to do everything in their power to fight off the cancerous cells or tumors in the body. If possible, avoiding radiation and chemotherapy is the preferred route to travel, but seldom do alternative remedies make this possible. Rather, things like reishi mushrooms get added to the treatment to boost immune function and reduce the amount of medical treatment required. Several test-tube studies found that reishi mushroom kills cancer cells. Another study examined 4,000 breast cancer survivors, and 59% of them consumed reishi mushroom in conjunction with their treatment.

According to a systemic review and meta-analysis of 5 controlled studies, cancer patients who took reishi responded better to chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The review also found that reishi increased NK-cell activity and the percentage of CD3, CD4, and CD8-positive cells, improving overall immune response. By increasing white blood cell activity, reishi mushrooms work to both fight the infection and increase the quality of cancer patients’ lives.

Conclusion

As we detailed in this article, reishi mushrooms exhibited anti-cancer activity on several molecular levels. Lung, colorectal, and breast cancer patients positively responded to the addition of reishi mushrooms to their existing chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatments. We need more studies to determine whether or not reishi mushrooms alone can fight off certain cancers. The existing studies, however, prove that reishi mushrooms may help reduce the size of certain benign tumors and reduce the rapid spread of cancer cells. We can only hope for more studies that focus on this medicinal mushroom for cancer treatment.

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Humans have used mushrooms for their medicinal properties for thousands of years. Roughly 2,000 of the estimated 14,000 species of mushrooms are considered to be edible. Of those 2,000 edible mushrooms, about 270 species have therapeutic properties or preventative agents that contribute to the overall health and wellness of the human body. Many people cook with mushrooms to add an earthy flavor to meals, but more and more people are gravitating toward the medicinal use of mushrooms.

The Power Of Fungi

This list of medicinal mushroom benefits is a lengthy one, which is why they have been regularly prescribed in Eastern Medicine. They are not intended to be eaten raw or in whole form; rather, they should be consumed in the form of a powder or extract. While mushrooms have not been deemed cures for any condition, they can be sidekicks for the immune system, reduce inflammation, decrease cancer risk, assist with balancing hormones, and boost brain health. So let’s explore the magical world of mushrooms to help you better understand the healing properties they possess.

Fill Up On Chaga For The Most Antioxidants

Chaga mushrooms have been researched for their ability to fight free radicals, reduce inflammation, and their incredible antioxidant content. Chaga’s antioxidants work to lower LDL cholesterol levels (the bad cholesterol), fight oxidative stress, and slow the growth of certain cancer cells. Many people enjoy consuming chaga mushrooms because of their ability to improve skin health and reduce wrinkles.

Lion’s Mane For Brain Health

The neurohealth properties of lion’s mane mushrooms have become increasingly popular, to the point where fancy coffee shops offer lion’s mane infused coffee. Many studies have found that this mushroom may reduce the risk of neurodegenerative disease-induced cell death. This means that lion’s mane may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, in addition to improving memory, focus, and overall cognitive function.

Fight Cancer With Turkey Tail

Resembling a fanned out turkey tail, the turkey tail mushroom ranks high on the list of medicinal mushrooms. Known for its potent anticancer properties, turkey tail mushrooms contain a compound known as polysaccharide-K (PSK), which enhances immune function. In fact, PSK has been approved as an anticancer prescription drug in Japan. Preliminary research has shown that turkey tail mushrooms can fight leukemia cells, improve the immune system of chemotherapy patients, and improve the survival rate of people with certain cancers.

More Maitake For Improved Blood Sugar

Maitake translates to “dancing mushroom” in Japanese, attributed to the fact that samurai had to forage for these deep in the mountains and forests of Japan. Upon finding them, they would dance for joy. Maitake is a mushroom that should be in your medicinal mushroom cabinet, and not just for the immunomodulating properties. Matiake contains SX-fraction, a water-soluble compound that can help counteract metabolic syndrome, also known as Syndrome X. SX-fraction is known for its ability to help reduce blood glucose levels and blood pressure. Acting as an adaptogen, SX-fraction works to balance the blood sugar levels for those with either hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia.

Cordyceps For An Energy Boost

If you need a pick-me-up, then cordyceps is the fungus for you. Known for its ability to reduce fatigue and increase energy, cordyceps has been a mainstay in Chinese medicine for over 1,300 years. Cordyceps were quite valuable in Ancient China because they only grew in the Himalayas at 12,000 feet above sea level. Harvesting this original strain was challenging, making them expensive for traders and vendors. Even though other strains of cordyceps now grow in other parts of the world, the strain that is still harvested in the Himalayas can fetch $500 to $1,300 per ounce. The beta-glucans in cordyceps help deliver oxygen to the body on a cellular level, increasing energy and stamina. This mushroom also helps to increase adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels in the body, and ATP is essentially the body’s primary energy supply and is necessary for all cellular processes.

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Many mushroom varieties have been used for their medicinal properties for quite some time. In certain Asian cultures, mushrooms have been the active ingredients in herbal teas. Some have been known to boost the immune system or soothe indigestion or stomach problems. Given that there are over 700 species of mushrooms, how can you know which ones are the best for natural healing?

Turkey tail mushrooms have recently undergone many studies because of the fact that they may be effective for fighting cancer. The National Institute of Health (NIH), Bastyr University, and the University of Washington have all conducted research on the numerous benefits of turkey tail mushrooms.

Where Can You Find Them?

Typically found in the woodlands of China or Europe, turkey tail mushrooms are multi-colored and have a velvety body. Their wavy forms and brownish, reddish colors resemble turkey tails, thus the name. Turkey tail mushrooms aren’t specific to Europe and Asia; rather, they are found almost all over the world in forests. They are rich in potassium, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, and other vitamins and minerals.

Records of using turkey tail mushrooms for natural healing date back to the early 15^th century. More recently, turkey tail mushrooms have been shown provide support to cancer patients. Results have come in for those with prostate or breast cancer. It is important to note that these patients were simultaneously undergoing chemotherapy. The chemotherapy weakens the immune system, but the turkey tail mushrooms help to strengthen it. The strengthened immune system can then assist in fighting cancer cells.

The studies have concluded that immune modulation is the primary role of turkey tail mushrooms in the body. The University of Minnesota deemed it safe for women with breast cancer to have up to nine grams of turkey tail mushrooms a day, when undergoing chemotherapy. Taking six grams of the mushroom was shown to increase immune recovery after receiving radiation therapy. More research needs to be done for general consumption.

What Are The Medicinal Properties?

When you boil the mushrooms, you accomplish several things. You kill any possible contaminants, soften the flesh, and extract the soluble polysaccharides. The mushrooms contain cobweb-like cells called mycelium, which have been under close study, due to their myriad medicinal preparations. After ingesting the turkey tail mushrooms, the mycelium help to target viral or infected cells. They excrete powerful antiviral compounds that have been active against the Human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cervical cancer, and hepatitis C, which can cause liver cancer.

The virus-to-cancer relationship is fascinating when it comes to using mushrooms for their medicinal properties. Oncoviruses are viruses that can lead to cancer. Research on turkey tail mushrooms indicates that they may decrease your cancer risk by reducing cancer-causing things like oncoviruses. This is why turkey tails have been a popular source for cancer therapy in Asia. Kureha received a patent for extracting the mycelium from mushrooms in 1976, and this led to marketing polysaccharide Krestin (PSK). These became cancer drugs in Japan. Unfortunately, there are many requirements for a foreign drug to get approved by the United States Food and Drug Association (USDA).

This drug is not legally sold in America, but you can buy pure turkey tail products from various fungi vendors. It is not advertised as a cancer treatment alternative because it cannot be advertised in the U.S. or Canada as such. Instead, it is advertised as a supplement that can support the immune system, which it technically does.

When it comes to purchasing turkey tail mushrooms, make sure that you are getting them from reliable sources because there are many factors that inexperienced vendors may not realize. If you are unaware of where the mushrooms you purchase are from, you are eating them at your own risk. It’s better to know where they are sourced.

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