Boost your Health with Mushrooms!
- Kathy Timmermanis
- Jun 5, 2023
- 2 min read
Did you know ... that mushrooms can offer us much more than a tasty topping on a pizza?
There are many varieties of mushrooms, beyond the ones we see in the grocery store, that are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants that enhance immunity, bone strength, regulate mood, help with sleep, boost digestive health, and make skin radiant. Many of these mushrooms – that we might not eat primarily for taste or as food – are referred to as medicinal or functional mushrooms, and we can consume these for their health promoting benefits.
Medicinal/functional mushrooms have been used for thousands of years in ancient medicine. We can consume some of these as food (such as Lion’s Mane) … but some are more typically consumed as tea, tincture, or in a supplement powder. Let’s have a look at some individual mushrooms …
Lion’s Mane – These mushrooms are large, white pom pom looking mushrooms that are delicious to cook with and support productivity, clarity, focus, memory, concentration, and overall brain function. Also effective in supporting the immune system and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Cordyceps – Are beneficial in boosting metabolic rates, helping with muscle recovery, reducing inflammation, supporting cardiac and respiratory systems, are a tonic for energy, vitality, and endurance. This is an excellent pre-workout supplement.
Reishi – Helps to fight viruses, destroy cancer cells, manage stress, enhance mood, improve sleep quality, and boost the immune system.
Chaga – This mushroom is rich in antioxidants and believed to help support the immune system, nervous system, and the brain.
Many mushrooms are adaptogens, meaning they help give our bodies what they need to adjust and find a balance with all the stresses we are exposed to.
Medicinal mushrooms act as a prebiotic and help aid in digestion by stimulating growth and nourishing gut microbiota, the viruses, fungi, and bacteria that live in the digestive tract and aid in overall gut health.
There are several ways to consume mushrooms. You can find some types of mushrooms fresh, and you can cook with these. Other rarer mushrooms are easier to find dried or in powders. Dried mushrooms can be reconstituted and used in cooking or to make teas. Powdered mushrooms can be added to your favourite hot beverage or smoothie, or in a recipe such as cookies or bars.
Through our line of herbal products, Heartfull Herbals, we’ve created a Beetroot Latte mix which combines energising beetroot powder, brain-supporting Lion’s Mane and Cordyceps, and delicious ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom to create an absolutely delicious herbal latte mix. It’s like drinking a cup of love! This is not only a way to consume health promoting mushrooms, it is also a wonderful option to help eliminate or reduce caffeine intake which can affect the health of our gut and cause constipation, diarrhoea, IBS, leaky gut and can alter our gut microbiome. Interested in Chaga? Check out our Forest Chai herbal tea blend made with Chaga, Turkey Tail, Rooibos, Vanilla Bean, and Ginger - yum!
Please click here to shop the Beetroot Latte Mix and other and other herbal products!
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