Mushrooms and Health

by Mark Zuleger-Thyss January 5, 2022

Byxie_Klichko | Follow - New Prussia, WI

Mushrooms and Health

Mushrooms are fascinating from a biological perspective. They are more related to humans and animals than they are to plants.

Traditional Eastern and Western medicine have used fungi for ages. An early example of this is when Greek physician Hippocrates used a mushroom by the name Fomes Fomentarius to reduce inflammation and assist in cauterizing wounds.

There are thousands of different fungi that have shown to possess medicinal properties. Here are six: Reishi, Chaga, Turkey Tail, Lions Mane, Cordyceps, and Oyster. Mushrooms contain naturally occurring polysaccharides called beta-glucans. These substances have shown promise in increasing the hosts’ immune defense by enhancing macrophage production as well as natural killer cell function all of which are integral components of a healthy immune response.