I have always liked mushrooms as a food choice. Not until the last several years have I appreciated them for their medicinal value. I find that I am using them more and more in my practice.

Mushrooms can grow just about anywhere there is moisture and are considered the great recyclers of the planet. They take in toxins from wood, soil, dead organisms and even cow dung and return important nutrients back to the earth. Knowing what their role is, it is no surprise that they have therapeutic benefit to us.

Medicinal mushrooms have been used for thousands of years in Asia. Now, they are finding a place here in America. I would like to give a few examples of those I use most often and you can decide if it is something that is of interest to you for your health. But first, let me explain a little about why they need to be prepared properly.

Mushrooms have cell walls that are made up of a substance called chitin, something that we as humans are unable to digest. Chitin contains the substances of medicinal value. So in order to utilize mushrooms it needs to be broken down and extracted. In medicine they are put into a form, which is a concentrated and bio-available. The most common form is a capsule. For food, they need to be cooked.

My favorite mushrooms are the following:

Reishi

These mushrooms are rich in B vitamins and amino acids. They have an immune boosting affect on cancer fighting cells and also have anti-inflammatory action as well. They help to decrease nausea after chemotherapy.

Cordyceps

This is a mushroom that develops inside insect larvae. It kills and mummifies them and then pops out of the ground as a fruiting body. It is known as a tonic and is good for increasing energy. It also is an immune booster with anti-cancer properties. It may lower cholesterol (although I have not seen this in my patients taking it), and may increase libido. I recommend it for the 3 pm fade that happens to many of us on a regular basis.

Lion’s Mane

This is a very cool mushroom. First it has an awesome appearance. As described it looks just like a lion’s mane. It contains 20% protein and when prepared properly it tastes like lobster. What it does is even cooler. It aid in the regeneration of nerves, can boost memory and helps post-menopausal women to feel good with reduced anxiety, depression and improved concentration. I prescribe it for people with back or nerve injuries and those with memory issues, and of course for postmenopausal women.

Turkey Tail
Used as chemotherapy in Japan, turkey tail mushrooms have been found to augment the treatment of breast cancer (chemotherapy and radiation therapy) by boosting cancer killer cells. Researchers believe that it also helps prevent cancers that are connected to viruses such as cervical cancer (caused by HPV) and liver cancer (caused by Hepatitis C).

Mushroom Safety

The most important thing to remember when using mushroom products is that mushrooms can accumulate heavy metals from air and soil pollution. These have been found in products coming from Asia. Therefore, it is important to find products that are certified organic. I recommend the Host Defense brand from Fungi Perfecti to my patients.

There are so many benefits to many of the mushrooms that I usually recommend a mushroom blend of 17 of them called MyCommunity. That is the one that I take most every day.

Why I recommend them

Mushrooms are amazing. The more I read and watch as I use them in my practice the more impressed I become. It is nice to know that there are foods available that work to augment the therapies that we have and that may be used as stand-alone treatments in the future.