Hello friends,

 Medicinal mushrooms are also called functional mushrooms. These are Cordyceps, Reishi, Lion’s Mane, Shitake, Turkey Tail and Chaga. These are the most common of the medicinal mushrooms used as functional food and as a supplement to an anti-inflammatory diet. 

The healing and immunostimulatory properties of mushrooms have been known for thousands of years. Mushrooms have beta glucans, naturally occurring polysaccharides.  The polysaccharides are bioactive. By consuming these mushrooms we can increase our immune system. It’s an easy hack to add mushrooms to our daily supplement regimen for a healthier body and brain. Each mushroom has it’s own special magic. Whether you use one or more, start experimenting and watch your health improve. Mushrooms are adaptagenic and increase your resistance to stress. This can be noticeable right away but most of the benefits are accumulative. A lot of health issues may be attributed to too much stress thus focusing on this aspect with functional mushrooms may help build a healthier immune system. You can experiment with them to see how you feel. Some are best in the morning to give you energy and others are good to relax you and help you sleep at night. This is food as medicine!

Mushrooms as food:  some people like using powders or liquids mixed into food or coffee.  The liquids could also be used directly into the mouth or into a glass of water. I like the mushrooms liquid tinctures by Lifecycle Mushrooms as they are dual active. This means they are water and alcohol extraction to get all the beta glucans and special bioactives and constituents out of it. It’s a magic elixir. The benefits of a liquid is that it absorbs rapidly within 5 minutes utilizing 98% of the liquid extract working therapeutically. 

The way I look at mushrooms is as supplementation.  Supplementation isn’t just about a vitamin but as functional food which is the category mushrooms tend to fall into.  As usual, I am always looking for ways to help my body be in better homeostasis for immune support and to manage stress. An extra benefit is weight management. Using functional food as medicine is part of a good anti-inflammatory, anti-aging lifestyle. This is biohacking to hack your biology and support your health. 

Pick a mushroom and explore its benefits for your health improvements. Do you want better sleep, better gut health, cognitive benefits, better sleep, less stress, better energy? Or All Of That!  These are some of the specific benefits but there are many more. The mushrooms I will describe below are the ones I like and am familiar with. They are the most commonly studied. I will and have been highlighting the health benefits of these functional mushrooms in more depth in individual blogs and newsletters. (See: Lions Mane and Cordyceps on my website if you missed them. I will be highlighting Reishi in a blog coming next week.). 

My favorite is Lion’s Mane mushroom for its cognitive support and deeper sleep benefits. It’s supports the growth of neurons in the brain (BDNF)—one of my favorite hacks. I also use it for stress reduction on my nervous system. An interesting fact is that it resembles the brain. I find it fascinating how certain foods can resemble a body part—that’s a functional food!  Studies show that Lion’s Mane supports neural growth, reduces inflammation, supports antibacterial activity and is an antioxidant. It’s special magic is better mood, deeper sleep and better cognition. This is one I don’t like to be without. (I bought the biohacker set from Lifecykel mushrooms for my son, Scott, for Christmas and he gave away the Lion’s Mane to his buddy “who needed it.”  That buddy had a great night’s sleep!). (See my blog for the detail in Lion’s Mane.)

Cordyceps mushroom is extraordinary and is known to enhance energy levels. It has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries. The bioactives in cordyceps are found to reduce inflammation, increase libido, prevent oxidative stress, and has antimicrobial effects.  It also has benefits for lipid metabolism (the breakdown of fats). This is a day time mushroom. (See my newsletter on Cordyceps.)

Reishi mushroom has been a necessary favorite for me as I managed my bronchial symptoms because of seasonal allergies for the last half dozen years. It is considered beneficial for the upper respiratory system. I have been using it to support my health by reducing my allergies symptoms to alleviate bronchitis or sinusitis with good results. Chinese medicine uses reishi for cardiovascular disease and insomnia. It’s regarded as a symbol of health and longevity. Reishi’s know benefits are immune, sleep and relaxation. It has antioxidant and antimicrobial benefits. Let Reishi mushroom give you calmness in the stress of life.  

Turkey Tail mushroom has a myriad of benefits in Chinese medicine. It is traditionally used to treat lung disease and strengthen the immune system. It’s magic is gut and digestive health and bacteria balance. It is rich in prebiotics for the microbiome. It has immune, antioxidant, anti tumor, and anti cancer cell activity. Studies are being done for its usefulness in fighting certain cancers. 

Shitake mushroom has been used as an edible and healing mushroom in Asia. It’s benefits are immune and longevity. It supports the cardiovascular system, fights cancer and is full of B vitamins. It is antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal it contains essential fatty acids. It has soluble fiber and supports weight loss. 

As a bonus, Chaga mushrooms is considered gold or the king of mushrooms. It has the highest antioxidant capacity of the medicinal mushrooms which prevents oxidation protecting us from the aging process. It has demonstrated powerful immune stimulating activities and supports fatigue. I don’t know about you, but putting this all down and immersing myself in this newsletter on functional mushrooms has reminded me why it is important to continue supplementation and use them to biohack my health for an anti-aging lifestyle. I am excited!  How about you?  

Age Successfully! Be Vibrant!  

Lori Balue, A-CFHC, FDN-P

I am an affiliate of Life Cykel Mushrooms. If you are interested in trying any of the liquid mushrooms tinctures set Use code loribalue10 at: https://us.lifecykel.com/?rfsn=3947303.6ec940&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3947303.6ec940

However, if you order the biohacking set you save 20% and get free shipping. That’s my favorite and the best deal!

This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. It is being provided to you to educate you about functional health and nutrition and as a self-help tool for your own use. It is not medical advice. This information is to be used at your own risk based on your own judgement. For my full Disclaimer, please go to my website loribalue.com.