Overall Health

Chaga mushrooms are an antioxidant nutrient rich powerhouse, making them excellent contenders for fighting free radicals and inflammation.

Boost Immune System & Fight Infection:

Inflammation is a natural response of your immune system that can protect against disease. However, long-term inflammation is linked to conditions like heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis (4).

By promoting the formation of beneficial cytokines — specialized proteins that regulate the immune system — chaga stimulates white blood cells, which are essential for fighting off harmful bacteria or viruses (5, 6).

As a result, this mushroom could help fight infections — from minor colds to serious illnesses..

Anti aging:

This dark black mushroom combats oxidative stress which is linked to the aging process. Antioxidants combat free radicals which are damaging particles that cause our bodies to age. They come in from outside and are created in the body by normal metabolic processes. Chaga neutralises them, making it a powerful anti-aging herb.

Cancer Fighting:

Chagas’ most exciting antioxidant research, however, is being done on its ability to prevent and treat cancer. A 2010 study found that chaga could slow the growth of lung, breast, and cervical cancer cells in a petri dish. The same study also found that chaga could slow the growth of tumors in mice. Another 2009 study found that triterpenes, the compounds found in chaga and some other mushrooms (like reishi), cause tumor cells to self-destruct. Unlike other cancer treatments, however, chaga does not appear to harm healthy cells.

Chagas other potential benefits include lowering blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and even preventing side effects of chemotherapy

Precautions:

Chaga might lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. Watch for signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and monitor your blood sugar carefully if you have diabetes and use chaga products. Chaga can also slow blood clotting which can increase the risk of bleeding in people with blood disorders or who people who are taking blood thinners. Consult with a doctor.

Endurance, Immune Support & Libido

Feeling low on energy or need a pre-workout boost? Cordyceps is the fungus for you.

Endurance:

Cordyceps’ ability to help lung function and endurance are it’s most researched. Many modern herbalists use Cordyceps to support health stamina and endurance levels. This mushroom is known for being very stimulating — for both energy and the libido. Cordyceps can help the body utilize oxygen more efficiently and enhance blood flow. This can be especially helpful for athletes or those who regularly work out. Cordyceps has been shown to not only improve exercise and performance, but to also speed up post-workout muscle recovery.

Libido:

Natural cordyceps sinensis extract improves brain function, specifically in the areas responsible for sexual desire, activating the processes of the reproductive system. It increases libido, and affects the duration of sexual intercourse.

Immune Boosting:

Like all of the medicinal mushrooms we carry, Cordyceps is considered to be an immune modulator – suppresses or boosts the immune system based on what your body needs.

Balance the body:

Cordyceps’ many functions help support the communication between the adrenals and certain aspects of the immune system, in turn, this helps promote stress relief and balance certain hormones.

Crazy enough, these mushrooms are parasitic and they originally grow in Asia above 14,000 on the bodies of caterpillar larvae slowly killing the insects from within. We however, source our Cordyceps from a sustainable farm that grows them on sawdust and have them third party lab tested.

Precautions:

Cordyceps can slow blood clotting which can increase the risk of bleeding in people with blood disorders or who people who are taking blood thinners. Consult with a doctor.

Brain and Nerve

Can you tell where Lion’s mane gets its name from?

Can’t ever seem to remember where you put your keys? Try lion’s mane for some natural mental clarity. This mushroom is packed with antioxidants and is an immune modulator like most medicinal mushrooms. However, lion’s mane is rare because it fosters the production of the bioprotein nerve growth factor (NFG)** and myelin (an insulation around nerve fibers).

Cognitive Function:

Both NFG and myelin** are absolutely vital to brain health. An imbalance in them can contribute to neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis. That makes lion’s mane some serious brain food! This miraculous mushroom has also been shown to improve cognition** in a small human study, memory in mice**, increase concentration, and alleviate anxiety and irritability. The brain’s ability to grow and form new connections begins to decline with age, which could explain why cognition gets worse in many older adults. Studies have also found that lion’s mane mushrooms contain two special compounds that help stimulate the growth of brain cells: hericenones and erinacines.

Anxiety and Depression:

While there are many causes of anxiety and depression, chronic inflammation could be a major contributing factor. New animal research has found that lion’s mane mushroom extract has anti-inflammatory effects that can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression in mice (11, 12).

Nerve Regeneration:

Not only can Lion’s mane help with mood and memory but research has found that it can help speed up the regeneration and repair of nerves. In fact, lion’s mane mushroom extract has been shown t reduce recovery time by 23–41% when given to rats with nervous system injuries (19).

Lion’s mane has many more potential benefits including protecting against ulcers in the digestive tract, helping fight cancer, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, and boosting the immune system.

Precautions:

No known precautions. Consult with a doctor.

Longevity & Relaxation

Take the edge off with reishi. This favored fungus is one of the most popular medicinal mushrooms, and for good reason.These mushrooms, in particular, have been relied upon for thousands of years in the Asian region.

Anti-aging Properties

With popular names such as “king of herbs” and the “10,000-year old mushroom”, reishi mushrooms have been highly praised in herbal medicine for thousands of years for their effects on longevity. In ancient times, those seeking immortality often used reishi mushrooms because of this belief. However, modern studies have positively linked reishi mushrooms to certain lifespan expansion, namely due to the impressive polysaccharide content of these fungi. This is accomplished by boosting the health of the immune system and preventing certain abnormal blood vessel formation.

Anti-cancer Potential

Most people consume reishi mushrooms due to their anti-cancer properties.  According to a report on reishi mushrooms published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the triterpenoids (remember those?) found in this type of fungus has the ability to reduce the metastasis of cancerous cells and slow the progression of tumor growth. Furthermore, a second study found that the active ingredients of reishi mushroom extract can seek out and neutralize cancerous cells within the body.

Improved Cognitive Activity

Neurological diseases are the most painful and unsolvable mysteries and for cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s or Huntington’s disease, there is no proven cure. However, research has shown that the extracts of reishi mushrooms can stimulate cognitive activity and display certain neuroprotective effects, particularly in the stimulation of nerve growth factor, which is a key part of a healthy cognitive function.

Anti-inflammatory Properties

One of the most important side effects of reishi mushroom extracts is their anti-inflammatory capacity. This is partially why it can help with cognitive disorders, by increasing the amount of blood flow to the brain. For people suffering from arthritis or gout, reishi extracts can be very helpful.

Healthy Respiration

For those suffering from asthma, bronchitis or other chronic respiratory conditions, reishi mushroom extract can have a strong effect on reducing irritation and eliminating the allergic reactions from the body. By preventing the release of histamine from mast cells in the body, reishi mushrooms prevent allergic reactions, from mild skin irritation to potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis.

These fascinating fungi are potent because of their unique collection of organic compounds and components, which include triterpenes, alkaloids, sterols, and various essential polysaccharides. Reishi may be able do it all: aid in weight loss, keep the immune system in check, and may even fiercely fight cancer cells. What makes this mushroom unique, however, is its calming properties — all of which are thanks to the compound triterpene, which reishi has its fair share of. These mood-boosting compounds may alleviate anxiety, ease depression, and encourage better sleep.

Precautions:

No known precautions. Consult with a doctor.

Immunity

Turkey Tail Mushroom is an extremely high antioxidant, prebiotic and anti-inflammatory. It’s scientific name is trametes versicolor which means “several colors” can you see why? Here’s a few ways Turkey Tail mushroom boosts the immune system.

Packed with Antioxidants:

Turkey tail contains an impressive array of antioxidants, including phenols and flavonoids (4.

In fact, one study detected over 35 different phenolic compounds in a sample of turkey tail mushroom extract, along with the flavonoid antioxidants quercetin and baicalein (5). Phenol and flavonoid antioxidants promote immune system health by reducing inflammation and stimulating the release of protective compounds (6).

Immune Boosting Polysaccharopeptides:

Polysaccharopeptides are protein-bound polysaccharides (carbohydrates) that are found in turkey tail. Krestin (PSK) and Polysaccharide Peptide (PSP) are two of the well known types of polysaccharopeptides found in turkey tails (8 Both PSK and PSP possess powerful immune-boosting properties. They promote immune response by both activating and inhibiting specific types of immune cells and by suppressing inflammation.

For instance, test-tube studies have demonstrated that PSP increases monocytes, which are types of white blood cells that fight infection and boost immunity (9.) PSK however, stimulates dendritic cells that promote immunity to toxins and regulate the immune response. In addition, PSK activates specialized white blood cells called macrophages, which protect your body against harmful substances like certain bacteria (10).

Which leads us to Turkey tail mushroom’s potential ability to fight cancer.

Anti-Cancer Properties:

Sure, most of the medicinal mushrooms on our list exhibit anticancer properties due to their high amounts of antioxidants, but turkey tail takes it one step further.

Turkey tail contains a compound called polysaccharide-K (PSK) that stimulates the immune system. PSK is so effective that it’s an approved anticancer prescription drug in Japan. Turkey tail has been shown to improve the survival rate of people with certain cancers, fight leukemia cells, and improve the immune system of people receiving chemotherapy.

This information is all educational. Consult with your doctor about any medical decisions.

Precautions:

No known precautions. Consult with a doctor.