Although sometimes considered a vegetable, mushrooms are a type of fungus. In a way, mushrooms are like the fruit of a plant. Instead of producing seeds, the mushroom fungus releases millions of microscopic spores that form under the mushroom’s cap. They can grow above ground, on top of the soil, or on the surface of a food source.

Medicinal mushrooms are mushrooms that are used as medicine. They have been used to treat infection for hundreds of years, mostly in Asia. Today, medicinal mushrooms are also used to treat lung diseases and cancer. For more than 30 years, medicinal mushrooms have been approved as an addition to standard cancer treatments in Japan and China. In these countries, mushrooms have been used safely for a long time, either alone or combined with radiation or chemotherapy.

In Asia, there are more than 100 types of mushrooms used to treat cancer. Some of the more common ones are Ganoderma lucidum (reishi), Trametes versicolor or Coriolus versicolor (turkey tail), Lentinus edodes (shiitake), and Grifola frondosa (maitake).

Mushrooms, which have always been appreciated for their culinary and nutritional value, are now increasingly valued for their many important medicinal properties, so much so that they are used not only as dietary food (functional foods) but also in the form of dietary supplements, nutraceuticals, and mycotherapy products. Their use for promoting and maintaining a good state of health and the treatment of diseases has been around since ancient times in Asian regions, while in the West, this approach is considerably more recent. Medicinal mushrooms (MMs) are reported to have numerous pharmacological actions such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, cytotoxic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anticancer, antioxidant, antiallergic, antihyperlipidemic, and prebiotic properties, among others. These activities are attributable to many bioactive metabolites present in the mycelium but above all in the fruiting body, whose biological effect varies according to the chemical nature and whose distribution varies according to the fungal species. A great deal of research has been carried out and is increasingly being undertaken to identify and characterize mycochemicals and to define their actions and mechanisms, due to the growing interest in the use of natural products, including as adjuvants in traditional therapies. 

[1]Medicinal Mushrooms: Bioactive Compounds, Use, and Clinical Trials Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Jan; 22(2): 634.Published online 2021 Jan 10. doi: 10.3390/ijms22020634
Available online: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7826851

Immunity-stimulating Effects 

Contribute To Resistance 

Against Allergies

A Naturally Occurring Antioxidant 

That May Help Protect The Body’s Cells

Help Build And Maintain Strong Bones By Helping The Body Absorb Calcium

Good For Your Gut

Support A Healthy Gut

Control Body Fluids Inside And Outside Cells

Provide An Energy Source

Play Essential Roles In Catabolic

And Anabolic Metabolism

REISHI  Ganoderma lucidum

Reported in many studies to stimulate the synthesis of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), a protein that promotes the growth and normal function of nerve cells. NGF is important for cognitive and neurological health.

LION'S MANE Hericium erinaceous

Reported in many studies to stimulate the synthesis of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), a protein that promotes the growth and normal function of nerve cells. NGF is important for cognitive and neurological health.

CORDYCEPS Cordyceps sinensis | Cordyceps militaris

Improves vitality and endurance naturally by supporting respiration, oxygen delivery and ATP synthesis. Cordyceps supports aerobic endurance in athletes and research related to general vitality in senior populations gives this mushroom species broad appeal. Cordyceps is also known for its ability to increase circulation.

TURKEY TAIL Trametes versicolor

Turkey Tail has been used for centuries and is one of the most highly prized mushrooms in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Active compounds from TurkeyTail have the stamp of approval by many healthcare agencies . Statistically, Turkey Tail mushrooms have likely improved health and probably even extended the lives of thousands of individuals.

SHIITAKE Lentinula edodes

Shiitake is an excellent culinary mushroom species with significant therapeutic properties that include liver, cardiovascular and immune support. New research on the properties of active ingredients in Shiitake has expanded the use of this mushroom to include applications ranging from oral health products to detoxification support. 

CHAGA Inonotus obliquus

Often referred to as the “king of medicinal mushrooms”, Chaga has been used extensively by Traditional Healers in North America, Europe and Asia for centuries. Chaga contains a complex array of bioactive compounds with significant antioxidant and immunity-supporting activities.

KING TRUMPET Pleurotus eryngii

High levels of the antioxidant L-Ergothioneine, a naturally occurring antioxidant amino acid is found in both the mycelium and fruit bodies of King Trumpet. L-Ergothioneine is the only antioxidant that has been found to have its own cellular transport mechanism. King Trumpet also has been researched for its positive effects on cholesterol management and bone health.

MAITAKE Grifola frondodsa

Maitake contains an array of beta-glucan compounds that have a positive impact on immune function. Maitake has also been shown to help support healthy blood-sugar levels and reduce insulin resistance.

BUTTON MUSHROOM  Agaricus bisporus

Agaricus bisporus, commonly known as the cultivated mushroom, is a basidiomycete mushroom native to grasslands in Eurasia and North America. It has two color states while immature – white and brown – both of which have various names, with additional names for the mature state, including portobello.

Tremella Tremella fuciformis

Tremella fuciformis is a species of fungus; it produces white, frond-like, gelatinous basidiocarps (fruiting bodies). It is widespread, especially in the tropics, where it can be found on the dead branches of broadleaf trees. This fungus is commercially cultivated and is one of the most popular fungi in the cuisine and medicine of China.[1] T. fuciformis is commonly known as snow fungus, snow ear, silver ear fungus, white jelly mushroom, and white cloud ears