The Magic of Mushrooms: 5 Reasons To Incorporate Mushrooms Into Your Diet

For centuries and in many ancient cultures (such as the Greeks and the Japanese) mushrooms have been used both for their nutritional components as well as for their medicinal properties. However it is only in more recent times that modern Western medicine has started to embrace the medicinal facts surrounding the use of these fungi. 

The studies behind the use of mushrooms as medicine are intriguing and the hope is that this information is put into clinical use by both clinicians and patients alike. 

 

Researchers have found individualized medicinal compounds in mushrooms that make them such potent medicines for a variety of illnesses. 

 

1. The Polysaccharide structure of Their Cell Walls have Many Health Functions:

-The most medicinal compounds understood to date in mushrooms are their polysaccharides 

- which are located in the cell walls of mushrooms

- work to enhance the immune system

- slow down tumor production

- are better absorbed by our bodies if the polysaccharides are heated before ingestion: therefore it is important to cook the mushrooms before you eat them

(other medicinal compounds are their glycoproteins, ergosterols, triterpenes and antibiotics) 

 

2. Mushrooms can Act as a Natural Antibiotic: 

- the antibiotic is usually produced by the mycelium (mushrooms are composed of mycelium which is a collection of cells that develop into a mushroom) of the mushroom 

- Certain mushrooms can work by inhibiting proliferation of bacteria (such as E. Coli, and certain Staph species), viruses and mushrooms, although fungi themselves, can also act in an anti-fungal capacity

 

3.  Mushroom have Anti-Oxidant Properties:

- studies have shown that mushrooms destroy free radicals (which cause damage to cells) 

- this can prolong cell life in the body and this can lead to decrease inflammation and disease 

 

4. Mushrooms have Anti- Cancer Properties: 

- many species of mushrooms (such as Coryceps sinensis, Ganoderma lucidum) do this by slowing down tumor production 

- Some mushrooms can work by increasing 'natural killers cells, macrophages and interleukins" which all work to decrease tumor production 

- mushrooms also enhance and stimulate the immune response which can be useful in fighting or preventing certain types of cancer 

 

5. Mushrooms have also shown anti-stress properties, sexual potentiation properties, anti-arthritis properties, blood glucose regulating properties ... and many more!

 

Luckily for those who don't love the taste or texture of mushrooms there is more than one way to incorporate them into your diet such as in a pill form, liquid extract and boiled into a tea 

Mushrooms are better taken in a combination form rather than individually for maximum immune system support based on studies. 

 

 

 

If you are taking mushrooms just to ensure daily health and prevention of diseases there are different compounded form: I personally take the Myco-Immune Dietary Supplement from Thorne which can be purchased through me in the clinic. However if you wish to explore mushrooms targeting a specific disease state then it is best to consult with an Integrative Medicine Practitioner. 

 

Questions? email me at: doctorrahimd@gmail.com

Instagram: @doctorrahimd

 

 

Source: MycoMedicinals: An Informational Treatise on Mushrooms by Paul Stamets