Mushroom Junkie is your one-stop-shop for all the queries that you have ever had about mushrooms. Want to give your body a powerful dose of fiber and protein or maybe you want to boost your immune system and avoid the never-ending doctor’s appointment, then mushrooms are the way to go. Since time immemorial mushrooms have been adopted for medicinal purposes by various cultures and even by the early man.
And given the above, we do not doubt the positive impact that these healthy fungi will have on your body. So, while it is important to follow the doctor’s prescription and take the chemically manufactured medicines, it is equally important that we take care of our health and do everything within our power to avoid burdening our kidneys with the toxins that are derived from the chemicals that we partake in the GMO’s and some of the medicines.
We are however not advocating for a medicine boycott, rather we encourage you to take as many organic and natural foods as possible, to pack your body with all the nutrients that it requires to promote a healthy life. However, it has become almost impossible to get all the essential nutrients from one or two meals that we partake of every day and that is where we come in.
Essential nutrients are the type of nutrients that the body needs but cannot produce in sufficient quantities, so the one sure way of providing your body with this relevant nutrients that it so desperately needs, is by engaging a healthy diet or by taking the nutrients through the dietary supplements. The latter comes in the form of a pill, tablet, capsule, powder, or liquid so all you have to do is choose one that will be easy for you to take.
Given the form by which the dietary supplements are provided, many people are still misinformed about their constitution and we don’t blame you, because anything that goes into your body needs thorough scrutiny on its effects and the possible side effects that might arise from consuming them. So, just to put you at ease with the supplements is that they don’t contain any chemicals, and can be sold over the counter without the doctor’s prescription.
Supplements are jam-packed with nutrients that are either extracted from organic food sources or synthetic. Some of the common supplements are such as minerals, vitamins, and herbal products, which are also known as botanicals. Remember that the dietary supplements are normally taken in large doses to provide the body with the missing essential nutrients.
And if you have been taking the supplements, you will realize that most of them are taken either in the morning or in the evening at least one hour before bedtime or 30 minutes before taking breakfast. There are also supplements that help provide energy to the body during work out and these are mostly taken an hour or 30 minutes before a workout.
Better yet, unlike medicines, supplements can be taken every day for as long you need to, some people take supplements to enhance the growth of their nails and hair and truth be told, one bottle of the supplement will not suffice. You will, therefore, have to take about two to three bottles before you see any positive change but then again it depends on how your body interacts with the nutrients provided in the supplements.
The latter interacts differently with people, so while some people will get faster results either within the first or the second-month others will take longer, maybe wait four months before they register some positive results. And just like medication, there are those people that will not be able to see any results thus they might have to find other types of supplements that work on their bodies.
There is also a growing concern about the supplements and FDA backing, and you must have noticed most of them don’t have backing from the FDA. This, however, doesn’t mean that they are any less effective or that they are not good for human consumption, what you need to understand is that, supplements are derived from natural food sources that occur in our environment.
The extraction of the nutrients is also done in the safest method possible designed to ensure the potency of the supplements.
Types of beneficial mushrooms
Reishi
You can never go wrong with the shape of the Reishi mushroom and it’s shouting red color, thus the name Red Reishi. Well, the kidney-shaped cap and the peripherally inserted stem of the Reishi mushroom makes them a good source of the significant nutrients needed by your body. The mushroom unlike the other types of edible mushroom is bitter but with medicinal properties.
Reishi cannot be taken raw, as it will leave a bitter horrible taste in your mouth, but its health benefits when extracted are to die for. For example, it could help boost your immune system; it has been determined to contain anti-cancer properties, helps fight fatigue and depression, and helps with heart health.
Cordyceps
The unique growth of cordyceps makes it a very rare commodity and that is one of the major reasons why they are grown in the lab. Cordyceps is a genus of parasitic fungi that have been found to grow in the larvae of insects, they, therefore, grow outside the host’s body; you now understand how rare this type of fungi is.
And just like Reishi cordyceps has a string of benefits to the human body when taken as a supplement. For one it helps boost exercise performance, it has anti-aging properties, which makes it a good product for ladies who want to delay aging naturally. Better yet it has been determined to have anti-tumor effects. The above was determined through a testube test where cordyceps showed the capability to inhibit the growth of the different types of cancer cells, including the skin, liver colon, and lung cancer cells.
Individuals suffering from type 2 diabetes can also benefit from using cordyceps as it has been established to mimic the action of insulin thus keeps the blood sugar levels within a healthy range.
Lion’s Mane
The Lion’s Mane also goes by the name Hericium Erinaceus is a type of both edible and medicinal mushroom that belongs to the tooth fungus group. When used as a supplement, Lion Mane has been determined to protect people against dementia, helps in the repair of nerve damage; the supplement also counters the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Better yet it has antioxidant properties, helps boost the immune system, and has strong anti-inflammatory effects. In a test carried out on animals, Lion’s mane was proved to have the ability to lower the risks of heart disease, diabetes, ulcers, and cancer.
Shiitake
Shiitake is the type of edible mushroom that you can cultivate cook and consume, so apart from being taken as food, shiitake is also equipped with medicinal properties, and has thus been found to help boost the immune system of people suffering from HIV/AIDS, encourages the hardening of arteries, helps prevent colds and flu, lowers the blood cholesterol levels, and helps in the treatment of prostate and breast cancer.
Supplements that are made from the Shiitake mushroom also have cosmetic anti-aging properties, thus a good option for those who want to maintain a youthful attractive look even as they age. One interesting fact about the shiitake mushroom is that it can be eaten raw, but what many people do is that they dry them fast, and later soak them before consuming, this way you will get a more pronounced flavor.
Enokitake
Enoki has been widely adopted as cuisine by the Japanese, the mushroom is characteristic long thin and white. And if you are interested in getting its benefits directly then you can take them either raw or cooked, but when it is used as a daily supplement Enoki is believed to help the body fight certain types of cancers, it also helps with the treatment of dementia and liver problems.
The supplement has also been established to be fat-free, low on sodium, is cholesterol-free with low levels of carbohydrates. The mushroom’s nutritional profile is also pretty impressive, as it contains substantial amounts of niacin which is a form of vitamin B3, is a dietary fiber, and has some good levels of vitamin B5 and B1.
Important to note is that the mushroom is high in water content so to get the best of the nutrients that it provides, you will have to consume quite a large portion of it.
The list of mushrooms provided in this excerpt is by no means conclusive and you can, therefore, get more information from the Mushroom Junkie page. Depending on what the supplements are designed for most of them have incorporated other ingredients to ensure that they treat or help achieve their desired goal.
However, there are some that are used individually most of which have low water content thus you wouldn’t need to take so much before it becomes effective. Given the positive impact of mushrooms on human health, you can either take it raw, cooked, or as a supplement and still be able to boost your health and immunity.
