The Weekly Hit – Reishi Mushrooms

Occasionally, I cook with mushrooms. In my teens, I liked my thin-crust pizza with beef, black olives, and mushrooms. I’ve been known to fill a large crockpot with button mushrooms, a stick of butter, and a bottle of red wine and let them cook on low all day. These days, mushrooms have many more uses, and many varieties are more widely known and accessible.

Significant and widespread conversations about mushrooms, mental health, and chronic diseases are everywhere we look: TV ads, Facebook posts, blogs, health stores, you name it! Mushrooms are not just for dinner.

Reishi mushrooms, also known as lingzhi, have been utilized for centuries, especially in Asian cultures, to treat infections. In recent years, they’ve gained recognition for their role in managing pulmonary diseases and cancer. For over three decades, medicinal mushrooms have been approved as complementary treatments to conventional cancer therapies in Japan and China, demonstrating a significant clinical history of safe use both independently and in conjunction with chemotherapy.

Reishi mushrooms are known to enhance the immune system, reduce stress, improve sleep, and decrease fatigue. They are employed to treat various health issues such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, liver and kidney conditions, respiratory ailments like asthma, viral infections including the flu, HIV/AIDS, cancer, shingles pain, and to boost strength and stamina. There is some scientific evidence, including laboratory and small-scale human studies, supporting their efficacy. Researchers continue to explore the chemical makeup of reishi mushrooms to better understand their therapeutic potential.

Native to Asia, reishi mushrooms are large and glossy, with a long-standing reputation in traditional Eastern medicine for promoting health and longevity. Ancient Chinese medical texts highlight their ability to strengthen heart function, enhance memory, and detoxify the body. Their use has expanded over time to include treatments for asthma, dizziness, insomnia, and irregular heartbeat. While modern science has yet to confirm all traditional uses, research indicates that reishi mushrooms possess health benefits. Available fresh or as a nutritional powder, supplement, or tea, reishi mushrooms are rich in nutrients, including beta-glucans and triterpenoids, which help lower blood sugar and blood pressure, thereby reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease. They also have high antioxidant activity, protecting against cell damage and chronic diseases. Studies show that reishi mushrooms can boost the immune system by increasing the number and function of white blood cells and may have anti-cancer effects by stimulating natural killer cells that target cancerous cells. They may also help reduce chronic fatigue by supporting the immune system and regulating testosterone levels.

So go ahead and add mushrooms to that pizza, but don’t forget your doses of Reishi mushrooms for optimal mental and physical health benefits!