Mushrooms

Medicinal mushrooms have been used in Eastern medicine for thousands of years and have gained even more popularity as of late. Mushrooms are edible fungus that can provide several essential nutrients. The many kinds of mushrooms have varying compositions and nutritional profiles.

Mushrooms contain protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These can have various health benefits. Mushrooms also include a small amount of dietary vitamin D. There is some evidence that vitamin D supplementation may help prevent or treat some kinds of cancer; according to a 2018 report, the effect may vary from person to person. (1) In this review, I will highlight some health benefits of mushrooms; this is such a broad and quickly evolving field that I could not possibly highlight all the health benefits of mushrooms. I will continue to update this post with new and exciting information surrounding mushrooms and my experiences with them.

Shiitake mushrooms have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine. They’re also part of the medical traditions of Japan, Korea, and Eastern Russia. In Chinese medicine, shiitake are thought to boost health and longevity, as well as improve circulation. Studies suggest that some of the bioactive compounds in shiitake may protect against cancer and inflammation. (2) Shiitake may also help strengthen your immune system. One study gave people two dried shiitakes daily. After one month, their immune markers improved, and their inflammation levels dropped. (3) This immune effect might be partly due to one of the polysaccharides, beta-glucans, in shiitake mushrooms. (4)

Medicinal mushrooms that have an anti-inflammatory and immune-enhancing effect include maitake (Grifola frondosa), shiitake (Lentinus edodes), reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), and turkey tail (Trametes Versicolor). Mushrooms also have several other properties, including antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, and tumor attenuating. Each mushroom has different characteristics. Maitake mushrooms, in particular, have high antitumor and anti-inflammatory activity. In one phase I/II trial of maitake extract, a statistically significant association was found with a positive immune response. (5)

Medicinal mushrooms are among the most commonly prescribed anticancer natural products, with data from controlled clinical trials suggesting a possible benefit in cancer treatment. Maitake mushroom (Grifola frondosa) is among those used. Medicinal mushrooms contain a class of polysaccharides known as beta-glucans that promote antitumor immunity related to antibody–Fc interactions by activating complement receptors. Mouse models have demonstrated that beta-glucans act synergistically with therapeutic antibodies such as trastuzumab or rituximab. (6)

In all studies I have read, there was no dose-limiting toxicity. I need to specify the types of mushrooms I am speaking about, the edible kind, without any psychoactive properties.

Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) and psilocin are chemical compounds obtained from certain types of dried or fresh hallucinogenic mushrooms found in Mexico, South America, and the southern and northwest regions of the United States.

There are over 180 species of mushrooms that contain the chemicals psilocybin or psilocin. Like the peyote, hallucinogenic mushrooms have been used in native or religious rites for centuries. Both psilocybin and psilocin can also be produced synthetically in the lab. There have been reports that psilocybin bought on the streets can be other mushrooms laced with LSD. (7)

It is critical to identify and safely source the mushrooms you are consuming; if the intention is a nourishing and sober meal, you would want to consume the correct mushrooms accordingly.

How to Buy:

Mushrooms should look fresh and smell good. Avoid mushrooms with any whiff of mildew, mold, or musty smell rather than a clean, woodsy scent. Also, avoid mushrooms that look shriveled, desiccated, darkened, wet, or moldy. The exact texture will depend on the variety of the mushroom, of course, but in general, mushrooms should be relatively firm, not limp or squishy. (8)

How to store:

Store mushrooms in a paper bag in the refrigerator or wrapped in paper towels and then loosely wrapped with plastic. Enclosing mushrooms in a plastic bag will make them sweat and spoil more quickly. Wild mushrooms will last for a few days stored this way; cultivated mushrooms will last up to a week or two. (8)

How to clean:

Mushrooms are like sponges and will soak up any water they get near. Minimize how much water mushrooms are exposed to, or they will get water-laden and soggy. Relatively clean mushrooms can simply be brushed clean with a pastry brush or dry paper towel. For more cleaning power, use a damp paper towel. If you must rinse or wash them, put the mushrooms in a large basin of cold water, swish them around, and quickly lift them out of the water and into a colander or layers of paper towels so the water can drip off the mushrooms rapidly. (8)

How to Grow:

Mushrooms grow from spores, not seeds, that are so tiny you can't see individual spores with the naked eye. Rather than soil, these spores rely on substances like sawdust, grain, straw, or wood chips for nourishment. A blend of the spores and these nutrient sources is called spawn. The spawn supports the growth of mushrooms' tiny, white, threadlike bodies, called mycelium. The mycelium grows first, before anything that resembles a mushroom pushes through the soil.

The spawn itself could grow mushrooms, but you'll get a lot better mushroom harvest when the spawn is applied to a growing medium. Depending on the mushroom type, this might be straw, cardboard, logs, wood chips, or compost with a blend of materials like straw, corncobs, and cocoa seed hulls. Mushrooms like dark, cool, and humid growing environments. (9)

I recently was gifted a shiitake mushroom block of spawn, I sprayed my water on the block morning and night as instructed, 1 week later I was harvesting my own mushrooms! It was such an easy and low maintenance grows that I am inspired to try other varieties!

Edible fungi have been a part of home cooking for thousands of years. There are countless varieties, some commonly found at groceries and some that can only be found through foraging in the woods. Unless you are an experienced mycologist, do not eat mushrooms you find growing wild. Many poisonous species look very similar to more edible ones.

Learn more about the most common cultivated mushroom varieties, how to identify them, and how to prepare them in the videos below.

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Mushroom Soup:

Download Recipe Here!

Mushroom Soup.pdf

Download PDF • 3.53MB

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Mushrooms as Medicine Videos:

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Growing and Harvesting Videos:

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References:

1. Young MRI, Xiong Y. Influence of vitamin D on cancer risk and treatment: Why the variability?. Trends Cancer Res. 2018;13:43-53.https://www.thespruceeats.com/all-about-mushrooms-2216732. Accessed March 19, 2021.

2. Cristine Finimundy T. A Review on General Nutritional Compounds and Pharmacological Properties of the Lentinula edodes Mushroom. scrip.org. https://www.scirp.org/journal/fns/. Published 2014. Accessed 2021.

3. Dai X, Stanilka JM, Rowe CA, et al. Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. J Am Coll Nutr. 2015;34(6):478-487. doi:10.1080/07315724.2014.950391

4. Xu X, Yang J, Luo Z, Zhang X. Lentinula edodes-derived polysaccharide enhances systemic and mucosal immunity by spatial modulation of intestinal gene expression in mice. Food Funct. 2015;6(6):2068-2080. doi:10.1039/c4fo01192a

5. Rakel D. Integrative Medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018.

6. Romm AJ. Botanical Medicine for Women's Health. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2010.

7. Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms) Uses, Effects & Hazards. Drugs.com. https://www.drugs.com/illicit/psilocybin.html. Accessed March 19, 2021.

8. Watson M. Make the Most of the Edible Fungi (Known Best as Mushrooms). The Spruce Eats.

9. Andrea Beck Updated February 23, Beck A, Anonymous. How to Grow the Most Delicious Mushrooms Right at Home. Better Homes & Gardens. https://www.bhg.com/gardening/vegetable/vegetables/how-to-grow-mushrooms/. Accessed March 19, 2021.