Mushrooms have been used medicinally for many years. Some cultures, including the Egyptians, believed mushrooms provided a pathway to immortality and longevity. They even organized mushroom foraging parties because mushrooms were so precious to them. Mushrooms have also been preserved using dehydration for centuries; more recently, they have been preserved through canning, freezing, and pickling.
Mushroom physiology is fascinating. The cap is really designed to be a roof for the mushroom that keeps everything protected, including the gills, which are where the spores are produced. The ring is located on the stem, and it provides additional protection for the mushroom spores when the mushroom is young. The stem holds the cap and ensures that spores drop from high enough off the ground to be scattered by a breeze. Some mushrooms also have a volva, which is what is left if the veil breaks.
Last but not least, mushrooms have mycelium, long, thin, almost hair-like structures that are present under the surface of the soil. Much like the roots of a tree, mycelium provide food for the fungus. Mushrooms release spores from the gills underneath the cap. The spores land in the soil and germinate into a monokaryotic mycelium. Monokaryotic means that the mycelium’s chromosomes are unpaired. To make mushrooms and create a full-fledged organism, the mycelium joins up with another monokaryotic mycelium to become a dikaryotic mycelium. This mycelium can then produce mushrooms on the surface of the ground. Certain myceliuma have even been known to spread miles underground, popping up mushrooms over vast areas. In fact, mushrooms could be the largest organisms on the planet!
Maitake (Grifola frondosa): Maitake mushroom’s common name comes from the Japanese words for “dance” (mai) and “mushroom” (take)—the dancing mushroom! There are competing theories about the origin of the name, but one explanation holds that those who found this mushroom in the wild would break into a spontaneous dance of joy, possibly because this mushroom was so revered that it was worth its own weight in silver coin!
The health benefits include:
to support the immune system.
may be helpful to restore insulin sensitivity and regulate blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes (Chen et al., 2010).
may lower blood glucose levels and could have an additive effect with oral hypoglycemic agents (Brinker, 2010).
Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus): Lion’s mane is among the easily recognized toothed mushrooms; it’s also been called satyr’s beard and pom pom mushroom and is often referred to as the “crabmeat of the woods!” The health benefits include:
as a nervous system tonic or trophorestorative. It shares the immunomodulant and anti-inflammatory activity of other mushrooms used in herbalism, which may be one part of its use in neurodegenerative disorders with an inflammatory component such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
to support digestion, protect against gastric ulcers, and may help eradicate the Helicobacter pylori bacterium (He et al., 2017).
to help alleviate depression and anxiety and enhance mental focus (Nagano et al., 2010), without any overly stimulating effect.
Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor): Turkey tail is a common and useful mushroom that’s relatively easy to find and identify. Simply look for fan-shaped clusters with concentric bands of varying colors, often found on dead or dying hardwood trees, logs, and stumps throughout the rainy season. The health benefits include:
to protect against the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and to those with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) by increasing quality of life (Powell, 2014). As a general precaution, individuals using immunosuppressive drugs should use turkey tail under the guidance of an experienced practitioner (Brinker, 2010).
to fight infections and inflammation are present in the digestive, urinary, and respiratory systems (Rogers, 2011).
to ward off outbreaks of herpes simplex virus by stimulating immune function and by inhibiting viral activation (Powell, 2014).
to promote gut health through their prebiotic activity (Pallav et al., 2014), which has beneficial effects on metabolism, immunity, digestive function, and cardiovascular health.
Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum): Reishi is a richly colored mushroom with a shiny, lacquered appearance when wet. In the strictest sense, the common name “reishi” refers specifically to red reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), a single mushroom species that grows only in Northern Europe and parts of China. However, there are actually several species of Ganoderma that are more broadly lumped together under the common name “reishi,” and are considered completely interchangeable in commerce and herbal practice in both Chinese and Western herbalism. The health benefits include:
to support the immune response, compounds in reishi may be directly cytotoxic to cancer cells and prevent the growth and metastasis of tumors. Reishi should be used with caution by individuals taking immunosuppressant, anticoagulant, or antiplatelet medications (Gardner & McGuffin, 2013).
an adaptogen to help restore function to the nervous and endocrine systems and modulate the body’s response to stress.
as a tonic for the lungs and may be helpful for support during asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory conditions. In Chinese medicine, white reishi (Ganoderma applanatum), also known as artist’s conk, is thought to have the most specific effect on the Lung (Hobbs, 1996; Sitkoff, 2015).
Cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris): Sometimes colorfully described as “ant zombie fungus,” cordyceps is an entomopathogenic fungus that survives by parasitizing the bodies of insects. After cordyceps spores take up residence in their caterpillar host, mycelia grow to eventually completely fill the insect’s body, with the club-shaped mushroom eventually emerging from the head to release spores and repeat its life cycle. There are hundreds of species within the Cordyceps and Ophiocordyceps genera; the species included in official Chinese pharmacopeia is Ophiocordyceps sinensis (formerly Cordyceps sinensis), although Cordyceps militaris is generally used interchangeably. Both species have successfully been cultured and cultivated commercially, typically for use in commercial mushroom extracts. The health benefits include:
as an immunomodulant, for persistent fatigue, recovery after illness, and for support of respiratory, kidney, and sexual health (Hobbs, 1996; Lin & Li, 2011).
to reduce instances of liver damage, reduced nephrotoxicity, and fewer instances of organ rejection (Ong & Aziz, 2017). Likewise, a meta-review found multiple controlled trials in which treatment with cordyceps improved markers of kidney function in patients with chronic kidney disease (Zhang et al., 2014).
to improve aerobic capacity, fatigue resistance, and cellular energy production, and reduce the amount of oxygen needed to fuel the heart (Winston & Maimes, 2007).
to support respiratory function, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Multiple clinical trials have found evidence of potential benefit from use of cordyceps extracts in COPD, resulting in improved lung function, arterial oxygen pressure, exercise tolerance, and quality of life (Yu et al., 2019).
as an “aphrodisiac”
Grow Your Own Mushrooms
The variety of mushrooms you can grow at home is surprising:
Portabella mushrooms are the delicious, meaty mushrooms
Blue Oyster mushrooms, which many say taste like chicken
Lion’s Mane mushrooms have a light, delicate, seafood-like taste similar
Wine Caps mushrooms have a burgundy/reddish-brown wine color on their caps, which often fades to yellow. They have a unique potato and red wine flavor.
The three easiest ways to grow mushrooms inside without using an out-of-the-box kit involve plastic trash bags, a plastic container, or a laundry basket. You need a container of some sort that is extremely clean. You can use a bleach/water mixture to ensure that your container is clean. You will also need a mushroom-growing medium, which can be sterile compost, hay, peat moss, or even dried grass clippings. Several combinations are available that fit every budget.
Building Your Own Mushroom Kit
Obtain a suitable growing container for your mushroom-growing project – usually a plastic trash bag, a plastic container, or a laundry basket.
Sterilize the growing area as much as possible. Some use a bleach/spray mixture.
Put together a mushroom-growing medium. This should be three equal parts of peat moss, potting soil, and sterile compost. (This recipe can vary, so additional research may be required depending on the mushroom’s specific requirements.)
Cut stems off store-bought mushrooms, and place the mushroom caps gill-side-down on a piece of clean wax paper.
Wait 24 hours for the caps to release their spores, which you will replant when you are done. You may cover the caps with cups if you like, which can keep the delicate spores from blowing away.
Place soil in a small container and gently transfer the mushroom spores you collected to the container.
Cover the top of the growing container with clear plastic wrap. Poke eight to twelve holes in the plastic wrap to allow additional airflow. Use the growing instructions below to grow your mushrooms.
Mushrooms like it humid, so using a spray bottle, mist the soil with water often. Ideally, keep the mushroom kit between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, but every mushroom variety is a little different. In 10 to 15 days, you should be harvesting your own mushrooms!
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