Medicinal Mushrooms for Awesome Health Benefits

Learn today how medicinal mushrooms help boost your immune system and disease resistance. Mushrooms have been used for centuries and are one of the important keys to longevity.

Include mushrooms for your health and to boost your immune system.
Medicinal mushrooms are part of a diet that boosts immune function.

I discovered mushrooms late in life.  It wasn’t until my traditional go-to herbs did not work for me with an infected jawbone issue, that I dove into the research and bought my first mushroom powder. I so wished I had added them to my regimen years ago. I use medicinal mushrooms every day either in a smoothie or hot mushroom chocolate. I take Reishi, turkey tail, and a blend of a mushroom mix with various mushrooms for my immune system. We also take Lion’s mane to support healthy brain function. After two concussions and Chronic Lyme disease that is very important to me.

I have had great success using mushrooms to bolster my immune system and my health. I encourage you to study them and try them. Mushrooms are something you need to use every day for them to work. It takes time to build up your immune system.

The more I study and research them, the more I am fascinated by their value for health, diet, cancer, and boosting immune function.  Take time to research them yourself! You will not be disappointed in what you read!

Why is it important to incorporate medicinal mushrooms into your diet everyday?

Deaths and Hospitalizations From Use of Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS)

In 1997 it was estimated that “Each year, use of NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) accounts for an estimated 7,600 deaths and 76,000 hospitalizations in the United States.”

(NB: NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, ketoprofen, and tiaprofenic acid.)

In 2020 The CDC gives this data below on cancer deaths in the US 

  • 136,084 people died of lung cancer (63,135 females and 72,949 males).
  • 51,869 people died of colorectal cancer (23,826 females and 28,043 males).
  • 46,774 people died of pancreatic cancer (22,495 females and 24,279 males).
  • 42,275 females died of breast cancer.
  • 32,707 males died of prostate cancer.
  • 28,227 people died of liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer (9,591 females and 18,636 males).
  • These numbers are despite billions of dollars spent on cancer research, chemotherapy drugs, and radiation treatments.

How often does your doctor talk to you about your nutrition, diet, exercise habits, drug habits, or smoking habits? Not one doctor, even my husband’s heart doctor asked about any of these important lifestyle factors.

It was myself doing research and paying out of pocket for lab tests that proved that my husband had severe iron deficiency anemia and a thyroid issue because of the iron deficiency. It was my research work that now shows Rocky Mountain spotted fever can indeed impact health for months or years.

Doctors have no time to read research studies or keep up with journals with new information that could impact your health. They rely on what they learned in medical school, no matter how outdated that knowledge is.

Why medicinal mushrooms should be included in your tools for good health and to fight cancer and other immune disorders.

Medicinal Mushrooms have been consumed for thousands of years by their native people as part of their food and for medicine. The fact that mushrooms have been consumed and used for thousands of years, is a tribute to their effectiveness. Medicinal mushrooms are today used by oncologists in countries like China, Japan, and China to fight cancer and other diseases.

Researchers here in the US do not accept this historical usage whether it be for food or medicine. They only take the results from double-blind placebo-based research studies where mushrooms are given in huge dosages or given as injections along with medications.

Most research studies must include chemo or radiation along with mushrooms to get funding.  Mushrooms have been used for cancer treatment and to boost immunity for thousands of years with success but that does not count to your doctor. That is why your doctor will not in most cases talk about medicinal mushrooms or suggest you add them to your health protocol.

People in Japan, China, Russia, Mexico, and other countries use mushrooms as part of their diet. For years people foraged for these medicinal mushrooms in the forests nearby. Most of these medicinal mushrooms must be processed before being eaten. Many of these mushrooms grow from the bark of trees. Some grow in the ground.

I will interject a warning here that foraging mushrooms should only be done by people who are experienced and knowledgeable about which mushrooms are safe to eat and ones that are poisonous.

Once picked, each kind of mushroom has to be put through an extraction process to extract its medicinal properties from it. This mushroom extraction process may include water and or alcohol and heat.  The mushrooms must be picked from areas free from heavy metal contamination and agricultural chemicals.

Here in this country, many people just use button mushrooms on their pizza or in a salad. They have no idea about their real health or medicinal value. Even the button mushroom has much value for your health.

How Mushrooms Help Your Immunity and Disease Resistance.

Mushrooms comes in so many different forms for health. photo by Volodymyr Tokar on Unsplash
Mushrooms growing on trees in the forest.

If you have health issues or cancer, you need to upgrade to the mushrooms that have been most researched for their true medicinal properties.  What are the properties that make medicinal mushrooms tools to fight cancer and other immune system problems?

Mushrooms contain Beta-glucans 

Beta-glucans have been the basis for thousands of research studies in the fight against cancer.  Studies prove their effect on the immune system and in fighting cancers.

All mushrooms contain beta-glucans, but certain medicinal mushrooms contain higher amounts of beta-glucans. “Beta-glucans induce anti-cancer activity, through direct anti-tumor activity and prevention of angiogenesis. The former is mediated through a thymus gland dependence, activating cytotoxic macrophages, monocytes, neutrophils, natural killer cells, dendritic cells, and various cytokines including interleukins, and interferons triggering complementary and acute phase response.” from Medicinal Mushrooms, the Human Clinical Trials by Robert Dale Roberts.

Mushrooms contain Water-soluble Polysaccharides

Essential nutrients for an effective, healthy immune system that can fight off disease and cancer.

“A major class of immuno-logically active molecules in mushrooms and other fungi and their action on the immune system has been extensively studied.” Medical Mushrooms, A Clinical Guide by Martin Powell.

More Medicinal Mushroom Properties

Mushrooms contain Triterpenes, Phenols, Sterols, Statins, Indole compounds, enzymes including digestive enzymes, Chitin, and other properties which all contribute to improving overall health, digestive health, gut health, immune system health and are protective of the heart, liver, and other organs of your body.

If you want to get into the scientific literature on what all these properties are and how they affect the body read the following three books:

Medicinal Mushrooms, a Clinical Guide by Martin Powell 

Medical Mushrooms, the Human Clinical Trials by Robert Dale Rogers

Healing Mushrooms, a Practical and Culinary Guide to Using Mushrooms for Whole Body Health by Tero Isokauppila founder of Four Sigmatic.

These are all part of my mushroom library, but these are heavy reading with clinical studies so dive into these if you want to see how much research has been done on medical mushrooms. If you want to read in-depth about how and why you should include mushrooms in your diet and health regimen…. these books will convince you!

I hope this site, its articles, research, and news will help you on your path to getting those answers. This publication is new. I do hope you will come back each week to review the new articles published. If you are interested in writing for my publication, email me below to discuss it.

 

Cathryn Freer, the Herbladyisin signing off for today.

https://www.realmushrooms.com/7-medicinal-mushroom-benefits-for-health/

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-mushrooms/

https://naturalforce.com/blogs/nutrition/medicinal-mushrooms