10 Mushroom Mocha

As it turns out, animals and fungi share a common ancestor, and branched away from plants at some point about 1.1 billion years ago. It was only later that animals and fungi separated on the genealogical tree of life, making mushrooms more closely related to humans than plants, sharing approximately 40% of our DNA. This is the reason why Mushroom medicines are some of the greatest healers known.

HERBAL PROFILE

• Reishi: Reishi mushrooms have been used for thousands of years as a way to fight chronic disease. Today, we know from scientific studies that they’re in fact capable of doing what the Chinese have always speculated they could: fighting inflammation, cancer, heart disease, hormonal imbalances, neuro-degenerative problems, mood disorders and more.

• Chaga: Chaga has the strongest antioxidant activity among medicinal mushrooms, superfoods, and tonic herbs. Chaga mushroom phenolic compounds are the active components inhibiting oxidative DNA damage. In human lymphocytes, a water extract of Chaga mushroom reduced more than 40% of the DNA damage caused by H2O2. Research has also shown that chaga activates immune cells responsible for combating cancer initiation.

• Shiitake: Shiitake mushrooms contain many chemical compounds that protect your DNA from oxidative damage, which is partly why they’re so beneficial. Lentinan, for example, heals chromosome damage caused by anticancer treatments. Eritadenine substances help reduce cholesterol levels and support cardiovascular health. Researchers at Shizuoka University in Japan found that eritadenine supplementation significantly decreased plasma cholesterol concentration.

• Maitake: As a medicinal food, maitake has several notable attributes. Foremost, several studies show it modulates glucose levels, which can be especially important for limiting the development of Type 2 diabetes. Maitake has also been widely researched for its effects on the immune system. Several researchers corroborate that maitake causes apoptosis (“programmed suicide”) of cancer cells and contains anti-angionenesis properties. That means they can restrict the proliferation of bloods cells that feed tumors.

• Lion's Mane: Lion’s Mane is nature’s gift to your nervous system! One of the reasons for his mushroom’s exceptional neuroprotective powers is its ability to stimulate synthesis of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). NGF is a protein that plays a major role in the maintenance, survival and regeneration of neurons in both your central and peripheral nervous systems. Lion’s mane contains two unique types of compounds, hericenones and erinacines. The erinacines found in Hericium erinaceus mycelium are among the most powerful NGF inducers in the natural world, able to cross your blood-brain barrier and stimulate production of new neurons within the brain itself.

• Cordyceps: Cordyceps are known to help increase stamina and endurance due to their ability to help the body produce ATP, the primary fuel our bodies run on. In fact, in Chinese folk medicine they’re known to be “invigorants” and believed to act as a gentle stimulant, a tonic and an adaptogen used to increase energy and reduce fatigue. They also act as protectors of mitochondria by scavenging reactive oxygen species, inhibiting mitochondrial swelling and increasing the activities of antioxidant substances, which makes them a natural anti-aging food.

• Turkey Tail: Turkey tail mushrooms may help cancer patients who are going through chemotherapy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has conducted clinical trials for a turkey tail extract to be consumed by patients who have advanced prostate cancer and are enduring conventional chemotherapy as well as testing how well it helps women with breast cancer in combination with a vaccine treatment in hopes of a new and better form of cancer therapy.

• Agarikon: The Agarikon family has strong anti-inflammatory properties with antibacterial and antiviral properties. Researchers tested 11 strains of Agarikon found in North America and discovered strong activity against swine flu (H1N1), bird flu (H5N1), and herpes (HSV1, HSV2) viruses. The ancient Chinese believed that Ganoderma mushrooms promoted longevity, and the Greeks called Agarikon the elixir of long life.

• Agaricus: Data from in vitro and animal studies indicate that Agaricus blazei Murill (ABM) brings about positive effects in different disease models. This is due foremost to the fact that ABM activates white blood cells such as macrophages, dendritic cells, granulocytes and natural killer cells in the innate immune system.

• Meshima: Meshima, whose name literally means "Women's Island," is a mushroom that is becoming increasingly known for its remarkable women's health benefits. In ground-breaking studies, US researchers recently confirmed that Meshima mushrooms demonstrate potent activity in helping to maintain healthy breast cells.*