I love mushrooms. I have always loved them. Ever since I was a kid I would eat them raw, love them on my pizza, in my pasta, salads, on eggs, you name it….mushrooms were my jam.
My kids have inherited this love as well so we always have cartons of them in the fridge that we add to almost all our meals. However, I only just recently have started using them medicinally and preventatively….because these little fungi are incredibly beneficial in so many ways.
I’ll quickly note that I know mushrooms can be a love/hate thing. Just as much as I love them, I have plenty of friends who hate them. The good thing is that everyone can benefit from mushrooms because there are tons of supplements made from the most potently nutritious ‘shrooms found in nature that are practically flavorless. These are perfect especially when you add them to your coffee, smoothies, or sauces. Trust me, after I tell you how important these things are for your health….you’ll be just as obsessed as I am (even if you normally hate the taste/texture)!
Ok so let’s go over why eating mushrooms is such a great idea….and eating them often is an even better one! Mushrooms are one of nature’s richest nutrient sources full of protein, fiber, Vitamins B and D, copper, selenium, pantothenic acid, niacin, potassium and beta-glucans. Their mineral and nutrient powerhouse status is so intense that medical studies at City of Hope have shown that mushrooms can actually suppress breast and prostate cancer cell growth in cell cultures.
Selenium in and of itself is an incredibly potent antioxidant that helps the cells in our bodies ward off illness and support our immune systems. Beta-glucans are also very effective in stimulating the immune system and have anti-carcinogenic properties. Vitamin D…well we all know how important that is for optimal immune function, and the B vitamins are incredible for digestion, heart health, and great looking skin! The potassium in mushrooms adds to the health benefits by promoting a healthy nervous system and copper is super important for bone health. Are you starting to see why these are such incredible superfoods? I love geeking on this kind of stuff, so you’ll have to bear with me if I get a little overexcited!
Now, while all mushrooms are good for you (obviously not the poisonous ones, folks…), there are some that are like the VIPs of the fungi world. These are the ones I’ve been focusing on medicinally and preventatively and I’ll introduce you to each one and why they’re so important. These are also the mushrooms I add to my coffee and smoothies because they are so concentrated and honestly, even though I love mushrooms, I can’t eat pounds of them in a day! So, tinctures and powders pack all of the benefits into easy to consume portions.
So…let me introduce you to the mushrooms we all need and deserve!
Chaga: This little guy is a powerhouse adaptogen that helps your body deal with and adapt to stressors. In traditional/natural medicine it is used to support immune function, skin, digestion, and detoxification. It’s also known as the “King of Mushrooms”….for good reason!
Cordyceps: This is another powerful adaptogen that helps your body deal with stress as well as promotes healthy energy levels, support lung and kidney health, and is good for sexual health as well.
Lion’s Mane: This mushroom is used to support cognitive function and memory. It also aids in healthy digestion, and has compounds that help nourish the brain. Lion’s Mane is also known as a nootropic. Nootropics are natural supplements known to promote neurological health and function as well as support a healthy mood. As if this weren’t enough, this is also another great mushroom for supporting your immune system.
Maitake: This mushroom is excellent for supporting cardiovascular health, the immune system, digestion, and helps in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels.
Reishi: Here we have yet another adaptogen that helps the body deal with stress as well as promotes healthy sleep patterns, and benefits your liver, kidneys, heart, and overall immune function. In natural medicine this mushroom has been used to promote a long life and is an anti-inflammatory with anti-tumor properties.
Shiitake: This is quite possibly one of the most vitamin rich mushrooms, loaded with vitamins B and D, and it also supports the heart, organs, and immune system.
Turkey Tail: Last but not least, this mushroom is used in natural medicine to promote healthy skin, immune function, cellular health, and is beneficial to your lungs, heart, kidney, and liver.
There you have it! Mushrooms are more than just food, they have truly incredible health benefits for nearly every part of our bodies. I’ve been adding mushroom powder and/or tinctures to my hot drinks for just over a year now and even during the height of air borne pathogens have really felt so much healthier than usual. I’m also a super fan of any super food that’ll keep my skin healthy especially as I age….and the cognitive function benefits are huge for me too. Watching a family member decline into dementia is both gutting and eye opening. Anything we can do to promote our own health and wellness is so incredibly important. Beyond important.
As for which brands I use… I do enjoy trying different ones, mostly because I love to save a dollar, so I buy whatever is on sale as long as it is organic and sustainable. One of my favorite tincture brands is Forage Hyperfoods. They have a Reishi Tincture and a Chaga one. These tinctures are extracted with ultrasonic technology making them highly potent. Forage Hyperfoods also uses only 100% wild Canadian mushrooms, so purity is promised here. I love tinctures in my tea with a little raw honey especially during the winter months when our immune system needs as much support as possible. I also really like the Four Sigmatic brand mushroom powders for my smoothies and coffee. They dissolve really well and provide me with the nutritional boost I need to be Super Mom every day!
For those days that have you on the verge of coming undone, I love Calm by Mushroom Revival which uses the magic of Reishi to help your body adapt to stressors and give you a sense of zen. They also have an all encompassing tincture called Daily 10 with a hard to beat mixture of the top ten most beneficial mushrooms and couple of other immune supportive ingredients. I love this in my coffee as well!
Another great alternative to your morning cup of joe is actual mushroom infused coffee! Made with wild chaga this makes a comforting, health-benefit filled cup to start your day (or really great any time of day) without the jitters or acidity of traditional coffee but with all the flavor and high antioxidant count. Forage Hyperfoods makes my favorite mushroom coffee as well!
One more way I’ve been using mushrooms is in this really great mushroom based face serum by Sea Witch Botanicals called Lucidum Reishi Facial Serum which makes my face feel incredible every time I use it and I get the skin loving benefits of reishi mushrooms (and other botanical ingredients like sea buckthorn, rosehips, rosemary, nettle, and essential oils) straight to my pores!
So many benefits and so many alternative ways to use mushrooms….they’re really so much more than just a delicious pizza topping!
**As an affiliate, I make a small portion of sales made via some of the links in this blog.
