Mushrooms have long been one of earth’s most mysterious organic matters, growing on pretty much anything you can think of, and pretty much anywhere. There are hundreds of different varieties worldwide, some edible, and some even dangerous.
With that said, there are a few that can act as adaptogens, specifically in terms of brain and immunity support. When used correctly, these mushrooms can improve your cognitive functioning, while also aiding your body's ability to ward off sickness, or avoid it altogether.
Here are the top four.
Lion's Mane
As the name clearly suggests, lion’s mane mushrooms have a shaggy appearance that resembles the mane of a lion. They can grow to be quite large, and as they grow, the “mane” of the mushrooms lengthens with it.
Unlike some other adaptogen mushrooms, lion’s mane mushrooms are actually quite edible within culinary use, and can be consumed raw, cooked, steeped in tea, or dried. Lion’s mane mushrooms used in supplements are typically dried and ground into a fine powder.
Research has shown that lion’s mane has two compounds that can help to stimulate brain cell growth, and these compounds can also help protect against Alzheimer’s disease. It can also aid in boosting short-term memory.
Additional studies have indicated that lion’s mane increases activity within the intestinal immune system. This is significant due to the fact that lots of harmful pathogens can enter your body through the nose or mouth. Boosting intestinal immune system activity can help resist and defeat bacteria that may otherwise cause you to get ill.
Along with brain and immunity support, lion’s mane has also been shown to reduce inflammation, manage symptoms associated with diabetes, protect against ulcers, and even speed recovery to nervous system injuries.
Cordyceps
Cordyceps has a rather bizarre origin for a fungi. Rather than being grown on the ground or on a tree, cordyceps is actually a genus of a parasitic fungi that grows on insect larvae. When the fungi attack the host, the host’s tissue is replaced with long stems that grow on the outside.
The insect remains and fungi are then harvested and dried. Kinda gross, but the results are pretty incredible.
Cordyceps has a wide range of health benefits that have been utilized for centuries, dating back to ancient Chinese civilizations. Of the many it does offer, immune system support and cognitive improvement are two of the more prevalent examples.
This fungi contains plenty of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, including B-complex Vitamins, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K. Cordyceps also contain nucleotides, which are sugar-like compounds that can act as antiviral agents.
Compounds inside cordyceps have also been shown to lower inflammatory markers within certain parts of the brain, while boosting serotonin and norepinephrine levels. And that’s not all — cordyceps can also fight inflammation, manage Type-2 diabetes, and improve exercise performance.
Reishi
A cornerstone of Eastern medicine for years, reishi is a mushroom that grows in several hot and humid regions throughout Asia. While it grows in many areas, its cultivation is a rather delicate process, with careful attention placed to the size of the mushrooms, and even the altitude in which they’re grown.
Although you can definitely harvest and eat reishi mushrooms raw or cooked, they are more beneficial when dried and ground into powder, as this concentrates the helpful compounds in to a smaller amount.
Reishi can be a major benefit to your brain’s health. A Neuropharmacology report in 2012 concluded that reishi mushrooms can bring about a sort of therapeutic effect on neurodegenerative disorders like Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s disease. This stems from reishi’s ability to encourage production of nerve growth factor protein.
As far as immune system support goes, reishi is one of the best. This mushroom can affect genes within your white blood cells, and even increase the activity of white blood cells fighting cancer and infections. It should be noted that this immune support is typically for those who are ill, rather than people looking for a way to prevent sickness.
Reishi has other benefits beyond this, such as anti-cancer properties, minimizing fatigue, blood sugar control, and cardio health.
Chaga
Chaga is not the most appetizing of mushrooms, as it’s basically a black fungi covering that grows on the bark of birch trees around the earth’s northern hemisphere. It’s almost always pulled or rubbed off the bark, and then further ground into powder for teas, syrups, medicine, and supplement use.
Oxidative stress can be reduced with chaga, and can also help restore acetylcholine levels, which helps promote easier learning and better memory.
In regards to immunity support, chaga acts a little different than other adaptogens mushrooms. Ever heard of cytokines? These are essentially what cells within your body used to communicate with each other. This communication could entail a scenario such as detecting an infection or virus, and then “telling” white blood cells to come and attack.
Chaga mushrooms can help regulate the actual production of cytokines, ensuring that you have plenty of cell communication going on, which leads to better efficiency and effectiveness when fighting off infections.
In addition to immunity and brain health, chaga can also help to fight off inflammation, lower your blood sugar levels, reduce side effects of chemotherapy, lower blood pressure, and possibly slow the aging process.
Conclusion
Medicinal mushrooms are no myth. Equipped with a proper understanding, you can receive the many benefits of medicinal mushrooms such as these four, and you don’t have to worry about choking down a spoonful somewhere out in the wild.
Simply look for a quality pill form supplement, and you’ll always have an easy way to experience the brain and immune support you’ve just read about.
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