Health Hotline Magazine | October 2024

Discover six must-have mushrooms and reclaim your health CAN Help! MUSHROOM SUPPLEMENTS No Matter Your Health Goal,

By Lindsay Wilson, revised and updated by Liz Mueller

All over the world, mushrooms are beloved, treasured, and integrated into daily life for their incred ible health benefits. Now is a great time to reap the rewards that mushroom supplements hold, to make your health goals all the more achievable. Let’s dig into each well-researched mushroom as we forage for knowledge and harvest good health; these mushrooms are here to help in an exciting array of health-supporting ways. which mushroom supplements are right for yOu? With the sheer number of mushroom supplements available these days, it may feel overwhelming to know which ones are right for you and your specific health goals. This is one of the things that makes mushrooms such an exciting area of re search—while many of their health-promoting properties overlap, each one has unique ways of supporting health. Find the mushrooms best for you by trying different ones suited to your health goals and needs; sometimes that means one particular type, but it also may mean mixing and matching different varieties. Have fun exploring the health benefits mushrooms can bring to you! reishi restores health

Reishi, also known as the Queen of Mushrooms, contains hundreds of different bioactive com pounds that exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and immuno-stimulating activity. It has been used as a medicinal mushroom for more than 2,000 years, and in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) it is used to replenish and strengthen Qi, or “life force,” to calm the mind, and to treat respiratory conditions and insomnia. Even today, reishi is approved by China’s equivalent of the FDA to treat insomnia, chronic hepatitis, chronic bron chitis, and coronary heart disease. Western science has largely focused on its role in immunity and cancer, with promising results. In addition, scientists are zeroing in on its potential as an anti-aging and longevity super nutrient. MAITAKE

REISHI

Several studies have found that reishi—including the fruiting body and the mycelium—contain polysaccharides that can enhance immune function and activate the immune response. Research has shown that the polysaccharides in reishi are potent immuno modulators that exert “a significant and comprehensive impact on immune cells…” Reishi polysaccharides have also been shown to exhibit antiviral and antibacterial actions. In China, reishi is used as a standard treatment for insomnia, and animal research has demonstrated that the fruiting body of reishi significantly increases total sleep time and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, or deep sleep. In other research, a well-con trolled human trial found that an extract of reishi was an effective treatment for “neurasthenia,” a medical condition characterized by physical and mental exhaustion, accompanied by headache, irritability, and sleep disturbance (in other words, a typical stress response). Eight weeks of supplementing with a reishi extract at 1,800 mg three times daily resulted in a significant improvement in symptoms, including fatigue and an overall sense of wellbeing. Research has also found that reishi has a positive effect on liver health. A 2017 study showed that taking a reishi supplement daily for six months (225 mg/daily) significantly improved the body’s antioxidant status, lowered markers of oxidative stress, and had a liver-protective effect among healthy adults aged 40–45 who had mild liver dysfunction and fatty liver. Turkey tail CORDYCEPS

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