7 Adaptogenic mushroom benefits

Medicinal mushrooms: uses and benefits

Medicinal mushrooms are becoming an increasingly accessible natural remedy. They have great medicinal powers, also known as adaptogenic virtues. Sometimes found in our boreal forests and sometimes sourced from abroad, mushrooms, consumed as herbal teas, decoctions or tablets, offer anti-cancer, anti-aging and anti-stress benefits.

What are adaptogens?

Still a controversial term in allopathic medicine, but widely accepted in popular medicine, an adaptogen is defined as a plant or substance that stabilizes the body's normal functions.

Adaptogens help the body adapt to a variety of physical, chemical and biological stresses, such as temperature changes, exposure to toxins and/or radiation, infections, stress and mental, emotional and physical trauma.

Mushroom virtues

1. Reishi

This is the mushroom of immortality. It contains over 200 bioactive substances, making it a triumphant remedy on many levels. Its benefits include:

• Increases resistance to physical and psychological stress
• Boosts immunity
• Modulates stress response and prevents exhaustion
• Improves liver function
• Improves mood
• Helps overcome side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy
• Elixir of long life

Recommended dosage: As it is non-comestible, it is best taken as a herbal tea or decoction. For the herbal tea option, brew 2 to 8 grams of reishi per day. Take on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before meals. Repeat for 6 to 8 weeks for a more effective cure.

As a decoction, add 30 grams of reishi to 3 liters of water and reduce on the stove to 2 liters. Refrigerate and drink regularly.

2. Shiitake

Shiitake is a mushroom with a sublime taste, easily found in supermarkets. Edible, it can be found in many Asian dishes. Its medicinal virtues are well known:

• Lowers cholesterol
• Improves cardiovascular health
• Regulates weight and helps maintain a healthy body weight
• Stabilizes immune health: increases it when necessary and moderates it in cases of hyperimmunity (allergies, autoimmune disorders)
• Excellent source of iron
• Prevents breast, prostate and colon cancer

Recommended dosage: Consume whole, up to 10 mushrooms a day. Delicious when added to soups and vegetable stir-fries. It retains its medicinal properties when heated for 7 minutes over medium heat. 

3. Maitake

A mushroom that fascinates growers with its immense size, up to 45 kg, it also interests scientists for its anti-tumor properties. It is also used for its medicinal properties:

• Antidiabetic, regulates blood sugar levels
• Lowers blood pressure
• Improves fertility and ovulatory disorders
• Anti-cancer
• Anti-viral
• Can combat chronic fatigue
• Alleviates hay fever symptoms

• Delays aging, especially skin aging

Dosage : Most commonly found as a liquid extract or capsule. Take 15-50 mg liquid extract or 500 mg encapsulated powder daily on an empty stomach.  

4. Cordyceps

Native to North America, Europe and Asia, this caterpillar mushroom grows at altitude. Several scientific studies have demonstrated its benefits, including :

• Improves athletic performance
• Promotes sexual and reproductive health
• Improves liver and kidney function
• Treats respiratory tract disorders (cough, bronchitis, asthma)
• Anti-tumor - prevents the formation and proliferation of metastases

Dosage Prioritize decoction. Use 5 to 10 grams per day for a long-term cure (2-3 months). Stop for a week, then start again.

5. Coriolus

The champion of immunity. It fortifies the immune system to such an extent that it should be avoided if you are taking immunosuppressants to treat, for example, autoimmune disorders. In the absence of this contraindication, use coriolus as a :

• Anti-viral
• Anti-herpes
• Anti-cancer
• To slow the progression of certain diseases

Dosage Add 3 to 10 grams of dehydrated mushrooms or 10 to 30 grams of fresh mushrooms to your food.

6. Chaga

Having gained in popularity in recent years, this birch parasite is easy to spot in Quebec forests. In addition to being essential to the health of the adrenal glands and digestive organs, it is used for its properties:

• Anti-cancer
• Stimulating for the immune system
• Antioxidants

Dosage : Simmer 10 grams of mushroom in 2 cups of hot water for 15 minutes. Drink daily.

7. Hedgehog or lion's mane

You may have been served this in an Oriental dish. It has a pleasant texture when cooked and is a good substitute for meat in vegetarian dishes. Several studies have confirmed that eating this mushroom can :

• Slow cognitive decline
• Improve nerve health - indicated for Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis
• Promote bone tissue regeneration - indicated for osteoporosis
• Promotes wound healing
• Soothes stomach ulcers and cancers

Dosage : Incorporate a few pieces of fresh mushrooms into your breakfast. Sauté in olive oil to maximize its properties. In capsule form, supplement up to 2000mg daily.

Proven blends

Synergy for energy: reishi + shiitake + maïtaké + cordyceps

This blend will help you cope with periods of intense stress, fatigue and/or depression. This revitalizing synergy restores strength, energy, resistance, vitality and stamina.

Imperial Synergyreishi + cordyceps + ginseng

This blend increases vitality (Qi or Tchi in Chinese medicine) and supports metabolism.

Ready to emerge from the shadows of the great forests as a fashionable new food, the adaptogenic mushroom will be consumed as a salad, infusion or supplement in 2023.

Now it's up to you to discover the adaptogenic benefits of mushrooms. You'll find them in natural food stores such as La Boite à Grains. Botanica, New Roots and Wild Rose are the brands to choose. They use high-quality, whole mushrooms and processes that release and optimize their beneficial properties.

References

• http://www.etre-bien.eu/reishi-les-6-vertus-dun-champignon-fantastique/
• http://www.naturemania.com/bioproduits/champignon2.html
• https://philippeprovencher.com/category/herbes-adaptogenes/
• http://alchimiste-en-herbe.com/le-merveilleux-monde-des-adaptogenes/
• http://www.mangersantebio.org/9912/reishi-champignon-de-la-longevite
• http://www.mr-plantes.com/2015/01/reishi-rouge-ganoderma-lucidum/
• https://remedes.ca/chaga/