Life Changing Mushroom Powder?!!
Food as medicine #173 [vol5, 6.4]
Friends and lovers of food, buckle up because my life was changed this morning. I tried 1/2 teaspoon of a functional mushroom powder in my coffee. There was hardly a flavor difference, especially if you use cream or creamer.
I’m not sure if it was a placebo effect but I had almost extreme alertness and mental clarity — all before 6am! When I told my husband (at 7am, he prefers not to talk before then, ha!) he said, “Placebo or not, I’ll take mental clarity!”
So I decided to research more about the five mushrooms in the powder I took this morning. Below is a condensed version of my findings. You’re welcome.
What makes functional mushrooms special?
Functional mushrooms are packed with biologically active compounds yet tend to be too woody or bitter to eat thus the benefits of a powder. Each species has its own benefit or speciality. Functional mushrooms are often categorized into two main groups: medicinal mushrooms and adaptogenic mushrooms. They don’t give a psychedelic rollercoaster ride but pack a serious punch when it comes to health benefits!
Unique to Functional Mushrooms
Functional mushrooms are different from others by the polysaccharides/sugars that belong to the group of prebiotics called beta glucans. These sugars feed good gut bacteria and stimulate the growth of good guy bacteria, while inhibiting the growth of pathogens. It plays an important role in the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and preventing inflammation as well as colon cancer. Source
Beta glucans are found in cell walls of functional mushrooms like shiitake, chaga, reishi, lion’s mane and maitake as well as in cereal grains like oats, barley, rye in addition to bacteria, yeast and algae.
Being found in the cell walls means beta glucans have power to influence the microbiome in the gut. Paired with digestive enzymes, beta glucans have been shown to improve quality of life of people with inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome by helping to absorb water throughout the intestinal tract and bulk up stools, helping to promote regularity by improving constipation and diarrhea. Source and source.
The anti-inflammatory function of beta-glucans is also important in the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson disease and Alzheimer disease. Source
Other potential benefits include anti-cholesterolemic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor properties.
Gut health is super important to so many other bodily functions!! - Julie Majors
5 Functional Mushrooms & Their Superpowers
It is in this portion of this newsletter that I am practicing extreme self control. People have devoted their lives to studying mushrooms. After a few hours of research, I understand why. These little guys are so fascinating!! Nerds continue reading…
Shiitake is a mushroom found in some grocery stores. They can sometimes be chewy or tough, especially the stems. When I’ve cooked shiitakes I save the stems for delicious broth but learned today that boiling reduces the benefits (sautéing is better). Shiitakes are known for supporting immune health.
Chaga mushrooms are rich in antioxidants. Studies suggest that chaga mushrooms may be beneficial for lowering cholesterol levels, slowing cancer growth, supporting immune function, and reducing blood pressure. source
Reishi boosts the immune system, increases strength and stamina, lower cholesterol, treat lower urinary tract symptoms (having to pee at night, weak urine flow) and known as adaptogenic to help manage stress source
Lion’s Mane - I’ve seen these mushrooms at farmers markets and even some people grow them at home. It supports healthy cognitive function, has potential to increase focus, memory enhancement and is associated with reduced feelings of depression. When combined with caffeine in coffee, the effects of Lion's Mane mushrooms are amplified! I felt this, this morning.
Maitake (pronounced my-tah-kay) is known as the "King of Mushrooms” due to the size, unique medicinal properties, and impressive health benefits. Maitake mushroom might lower blood pressure. Supports cellular immune response.
There is something for everyone could benefit from in the above list! Food is medicine.
Not All Mushroom Powders Are Created Equal
Those who are Clarkson Farm fans will remember in season 3 Jeremy’s quest to grow then sell mushrooms. He actually had great success growing mushrooms and even dehydrating it. But when it was time to sell what they’d dehydrated, it didn’t pass muster for efficacy. He grew huge, beautiful lion’s mane mushrooms. The mistake (as if often the case) is that the stem was included with the fruit making the end product not as medicinal as European standards call for.
There are very few checks and balances in the American supplement market, which leaves the consumer responsible for doing their research. Unless there is third party testing, the consumer has no idea if they’re buying fruit or stem.
Words to Look for When Buying Mushroom Powder as Supplements
Free of fillers, binders, or additives - you don’t want added
starch, mycelium or grain.Fruiting body - you don’t want from the stem, which isn’t as powerful
Organic is always best, free from fungicides
Third party testing because the supplement industry is largely unregulated.
How to Use
As mentioned above, I stirred ½ teaspoon into black coffee and hardly noticed a difference. If you add cream, creamer or sugar, I don’t think you would notice at all. There is a slight earthy taste but nothing off putting. I can see adding this to tacos or smoothies or anywhere my heart desires!
I’m curious if you have used mushroom powders as medicine before — or if you would consider it in the future.
Life is hard; food doesn’t have to be.
Julie
PS - I love the taste of mushrooms but sadly not all family members do — particularly the young ‘ens. A few years ago I discovered dried mushrooms in bulk at Costco. I pulverize them in my Vitamix blender to make mushroom seasoned salt. When the mushrooms are powdered I can hide them in all the foods! Especially with ground meat. The Costco “Dried Gourmet Mix” consists of Yellow Boletus, Oyster, Portobello, Porcini mushrooms, which are tasty but sadly not functional mushrooms.
Because someone will ask, this is the brand I am using in my coffee.
Interesting! I am adding collagen powder to my coffee (grass fed of course).