The 5 Best Medicinal Mushrooms to Add To Your Diet

Exploring the 5 best medicinal mushrooms and the scientific evidence that makes them so great.

There are many ways to ensure good health. As the old saying goes, “prevention is the best medicine”, which is why we thoroughly analyzed the best products on the market and provided our recommendations of the best medicinal mushrooms available right now.

One of those actions is eating healthy food, and adding any supplements to our diet that can help aid in prevention of disease, and in many cases also fight illness.

Mushrooms are an age-old source of health, vitality, prevention and disease treatment in ancient Asian medicine. Western science and medicine is continuing to learn and expand our knowledge of the benefits of adding mushrooms to a daily routine.

But while the average button mushroom is healthy and a tasty addition to many recipes, not all mushrooms are created equal when it comes to the best medicinal mushrooms. And let’s remember those who may not like to eat mushrooms, because many of these healthy fungi are available in powder or supplement form, or can be taken in tea.

1. Reishi Mushroom

It’s hard to find something that this “mushroom of immortality” doesn’t do when it comes to providing a powerful punch of health benefits. Since it’s available in a powder form, it’s easy for anyone to take.

Here is a summary of the scientific findings on Reishi:

• Cancer Fighter: By supporting antitumor activity and helping cancer patients fight this deadly disease. It may also help reduce the body’s immunosuppressive response that happens when taking anticancer drugs, helping to fight the autoimmune diseases that can be side effects.
• Immune System Booster: By enhancing the immune system, and offering antioxidant properties that improve resistance to disease.
• Virus Fighter: By serving as an antiviral agent against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), influenza virus type A and herpes simplex virus type 1. Research continues to look at using organic Reishi mushroom powder in the treatment of viral and bacterial infections.
• Brain booster: By helping protect the brain against cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
• And more: It also supports the liver and gastric system, aids in blood health, helps stabilize blood sugar, boosts mood, lowers stress and anxiety, regulates sleep, and may lower blood pressure.

You can’t go wrong by adding Reishi to your health routine, and it’s easy to do with capsules, such as these supplements available on Amazon:

Host Defense makes these Reishi capsules, which contain activated, freeze-dried mushroom mycelium and are excellent as a daily supplement.

Real Mushrooms has dual extracted organic Reishi mushrooms in their capsules, also easy to add as a daily supplement.

2. Maitake Mushroom

This type of mushroom is not common in the Western World, but thanks to the ability to mimic its Japanese growing conditions, it is becoming available for our use. Facilities like Shogun Maitake, a North American Production facility, are bringing this delicious and nutritious treat to Canada and the United States.

And that’s a good thing, because here’s what the “Mighty Maitake” can provide:

• Aid in the treatment of diabetes and hypertension.
• Stimulate various cells and factors in the immune system, to slow the growth of certain tumors.
• Lower blood sugar levels.
• Boost the immune system through D‐Fraction, an extract of Maitake.
• Support the fight against breast cancer, once again by administering the Maitake D‐Fraction. While studies have been done on mice, the ability to block breast cancer development is very promising.
• Inhibit tumor growth and improve survival rate in a specific colon carcinoma and a melanoma. Once again, the study was conducted on mice but provides hope that Maitake could be used as an oral therapeutic agent in cancer immunotherapy.
• Provide the ability to prevent and treat cancer, manage diabetes, stimulate the immune system, and possibly lower cholesterol and blood pressure, as touted by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

This uncommon mushroom is worth finding and adding to recipes for its delicious flavor, as studies continue to show its health boosting properties. If you can’t find them to add to your cooking, then try these supplements available on Amazon:

Mushroom Wisdom capsules contain the powerful Maitake D-Fraction.

Host Defense Maitake capsules are vegan and organic.

3. Chaga Mushroom

Particularly for those who like tea, the Chaga mushroom is worth sipping on regularly. Traditional medicine used its tea to treat gastric problems and other ailments such as tuberculosis, liver diseases and heart diseases.

Now science is finding out about more benefits. While studies are continuing and there aren’t many that have been done on humans, the Chaga mushroom does have compounds that impact the immune system.

For instance, extensive animal studies demonstrate anticancer activity in various types of tumor cells, with studies on mice showing antitumor and antioxidant activity. Studies also show antiviral effects, and anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.

Traditional medicine continues to use Chaga to support the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer, as well as cardiovascular disease and diabetes in Baltic countries, for instance. It’s also believed to support heart health and boost the immune system.

You can easily add Chaga to your diet with these two choices available on Amazon:

Real Mushrooms capsules are 100% pure Chaga extract with verified levels of Beta-Glucans.

Om Chaga powder is certified organic and easy to add to recipes, coffee, smoothies and more.

4. Cordyceps Mushroom

This fungus is best taken as a powder, since it’s found on the larvae of caterpillars in Japan, making it impossible to forage for in the wild. Lab-created supplements make it affordable to add to your routine.

And here’s why you should. Ancient Chinese medicine used Cordyceps to treat low sex drive, fatigue, and kidney disease.

Recent research is showing that cordyceps may increase your VO2 max, resulting in a better workout; it helps diabetics by mimicking insulin, and it has antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties. It’s also been shown to be a brain booster, with cognitive benefits added to its list of health benefits.

You also don’t need to search for caterpillar larvae, as there are supplements available such:

1st choice: Noomadic Herbals Cordyceps vegetarian capsules; contains a more potent cordyceps extract.

2nd choice: Host Defense Cordyceps capsules, which are organic and vegetarian.

3rd choice: Fresh Nutrition Cordyceps capsules are organic and DNA verified for quality, potency and purity.

 

5. Turkey Tail

This unique looking fungus is so named because it resembles the tail of a wild turkey. It can be foraged for in the wild, it’s delicious to eat, and it’s also available as a supplement, in powder, extract or capsule form.

It’s so well known as a boost to well being that one component of Turkey Tail, the polysaccharide Krestin (PSK), is an approved drug paid for by national health care in Japan.

Its benefits have been tested in clinical trials, including human clinical trials, showing that it boosts the immune system, and it has antiviral effects. Turkey tail is often recommended to support other treatments for patients with chronic conditions, such as cancer, as well as viral illnesses such as hepatitis C.

Other clinical trials are showing other health benefits of the turkey tail: anti-cancer effects; treatment enhancing effects when used in conjunction with other medical treatments; antibacterial properties; anti-oxidant properties; and anti-hyperglycemic activity.

Here are some supplements that are easy to add to your daily routine:

Noomadic Herbals Turkey Tail vegetarian capsules has excellent feedback from users.

Real Mushrooms Turkey Tail capsules are scientifically verified for active compounds.

Double Wood Turkey Tail is grown and encapsulated in the USA and is organic, gluten-free, non-GMO and vegan.

Best All-in-One Supplement

After careful reviews of various medicinal mushroom supplements on the market and for those people who do not particularly like taking multiple supplements we have found a product which has a favorable blend of mushrooms.

Noomadic Herbals Mushroom Total consists of some of the most well studied and reliable medicinal mushrooms and more importantly has an effective dose of each mushroom to produce favorable results as a supplement. The blend consists of Lions Mane, Turkey Tail, Cordyceps, Reishi and Chaga.

Final Thoughts

Mushrooms of all kinds have proven benefits, such as being low in fat and cholesterol, high in fiber, and delicious as a flavor and texture addition to many recipes.

But there are those with proven scientific evidence showing that they can provide specific assets to our well-being, with preventative and restorative properties.

And while there are other mushrooms that could be included on this list, our 5 best medicinal mushrooms are a menu to good health for everyone, whether you want to eat mushrooms, take them as a supplement, or sip them in a cup of tea.

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