What a Fungi! Adding Medicinal Mushrooms to Your Diet for Health and Weight Loss

Medicinal mushrooms have been all the rage in Asia for, oh, the last 2,000 years and it seems like we here in the West are finally catching up to the idea. Taken in food and capsule form, mushrooms have been used for everything from treating cancer and digestive ailments, curing asthma, reducing blood sugar and blood pressure, and improving immunity. The word mushroom is a sort of umbrella term for many of the gilled and fruiting bodies of various fungi and it is their antioxidant properties, in the form of beta glutans and polysacharrides that are being so fervently studied by western scientists today. These medicinal mushrooms look, taste, and act nothing like the anemic white button mushrooms that we are so familiar with, however, and are well worth exploring for all their various benefits. The top of the list?

Reishi:Mushroom of Longevity– The oldest known mushroom to have been used as medicine, it was typically reserved for royalty. Composed mostly of complex carbohydrates, chiefly water soluble polysacharrides, proteins and amino acids, Reishi has been found to have anti-tumor properties, immune boosting ability, and also lowers blood pressure. The ganoderic acids in reishi have also been found to aid liver ailments, reduce allergies by inhibiting histimine release, and improve oxygen utilization in the lungs. As an adaptogenic herb, reishi is considered a gentle, everyday tonic that works on the areas of the body in which it is most necessary. Reishi can be taken dried and made into a wonderful tea or in capsule form.

Shiitaki: Long thought of as a gourmet mushroom in fancy restaurants, shitaki have amazing health benefits as well, with the added bonus of being delicious and versatile’the dried variety enlivens soup and gives a meaty taste to stir fry and casseroles. Shiitaki are energizing, restorative and good for the skin and nails, along with being thought of as another cancer preventor. They are rich in B vitamins, trace elements, and minerals they improve the functioning of the nervous and digestive systems.

Cordyceps: Okay, this one is wild. Cordyceps is a type of fungus that is parasitic, that is it grows on an insect. In this instance, the insect is a catepillar. Cordyceps has long been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as an aphrodisiac (with a success rate in many studies of up to 64% among men!). However, in the recent past, it has been used as an energy enhancer, a cellular regenerative tonic, and to lower cholesterol. It appears to increase blood circulation and is a great lung tonic (it has been used in the high Himalayas for hundreds of years to breathe better at altitude). It increases stamina and is wonderful for the immune system as well. Don’t let this little fungi’s humble beginnings gross you out!

Maitake: This last mushroom is a wonder, whose japanese name means the dancing mushroom, some say because of the shape’which traditionally is supposed to look like a dancing nymph, or because it is so rare in the wild that those who find it dance for joy. Another great tasting mushroom, studies have shown a typical immune boosting response when taking or eating maitake. It has also been shown to stabilize blood sugar and insulin production as well as increase metabolism and lower cholesterol levels. Find this great mushroom fresh at asian grocery stores, dried or in capsules on the web.

Introducing any of these mushrooms into your diet is a great start to increasing the health of your diet and your body. If you want to go further, many can be easily grown at home on special logs. This makes a fun project for goods or just a good way to grow some fungi on your own. One caution with mushrooms–if you have issues with yeast or fungus it is a good idea to clear it up as even these wonderful medicinal aids can aggravate certain yeast conditions in the body.

Article by Boda Bo