Somehow before the age of 10, I had a fear of the little ’shrooms growing in the backyard, thinking that if they touched my toes, I would never be the same. I realize how ridiculous that sounds now, especially as I finish off my morning mushroom supplement.
Traditional Chinese medicine would probably love to shout, “I told you so!” as the Western world boasts its brilliance in discovering the healing power of mushrooms. These fantastic fungi are packed with nutritional and medicinal value. So much so that this superfood is making its way into powder, pill and supplement forms with one broad goal: wellness. The concept of food-as-medicine couldn’t be truer than with mushrooms.
So, why are mushrooms so healing? One of the most surprising facts is that as humans, we share half of genetic makeup with mushrooms. The benefit being that we can easily take advantage of the immune-boosting benefits mushrooms provide. A few varieties you should look for are chaga, cordyceps, lion’s mane, reishi and shiitake.
The numerous healing benefits are absolutely astounding. We’ve created a list of them below:
● Immune-boosting power
● Anti-cancer properties
● Liver protection
● Antioxidant properties
● Anti-inflammatory (improves acne, rosacea, eczema)
● Anti-viral
● Anti-microbial
● Lowers cholesterol
● Energy-boosting
● High in Vitamin D and selenium (protects skin against wrinkles, discoloration, etc.)
Eating a variety of mushrooms and even looking into supplements that include them in powder form or tea is an easy place to start if you want to benefit from these super ’shrooms!