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Healing Power of Medicinal Mushrooms. When searching for what’s trending and adding it to your daily wellness routine, you may have come across medicinal mushrooms. Widely known for their use in Traditional Chinese Medicine and other cultures for their powerful benefits, medicinal mushrooms are also popular as a natural supplement that can help support better health and wellness.^‡

Medicinal mushrooms are composed of valuable nutrients and bioactive compounds that have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. The plentiful nutrients within medicinal mushrooms cause many to research various medicinal mushroom species to view other benefits offered. Well, lucky for you, we have compiled a chart of popular medicinal mushrooms and the benefits they offer below.

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What Are Medicinal Mushrooms?

Healing Power of Medicinal Mushrooms. Medicinal mushrooms are a kingdom of fungi that are found in various parts of the world that have been used in Traditional Chinese medicine to support health through their immunomodulatory properties. ‡ Medicinal mushrooms contain a high density of polysaccharides compared to other mushrooms and can provide a number of benefits when consumed consistently. These mushrooms can help support immune health, heart health, the body’s response to inflammation, blood sugar levels, and provide a natural way to obtain overall health and wellness. ‡ Some medicinal mushrooms are edible in their natural state or can be when processed to isolate the active metabolites to be consumed as supplements.

How Have Medicinal Mushrooms Been Used Historically?

Healing Power of Medicinal Mushrooms. Medicinal mushrooms have been used in Traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years because they were believed to contain properties that provide antioxidant, immunomodulating, cardiovascular, and antibacterial effects. ‡ The beta-glucan polysaccharides found in medicinal mushrooms are what grant these species their beneficial properties. Beta-glucans help activate and potentiate the immune system. And polysaccharides are the most abundant carbohydrates that can be found in mushrooms. Those nutrients paired with bioactive compounds allow mushrooms to be used to support the body’s overall health.

How Do Medicinal Mushrooms Differ From Magic and Culinary Mushrooms?

When asking, “what are medicinal mushrooms,” magic and culinary mushrooms are often part of the discussion. Maitake, shiitake, and portobello are commonly known culinary mushrooms and are some of the few species that can be edible in their natural form. These mushrooms also provide a protein and fiber packed nutrient that can be added to various recipes for daily consumption.

Magic mushrooms, on the other hand, are a bit different. These mushrooms are cultivated mushrooms that contain psilocybin—a hallucinogenic chemical. Though magic mushrooms may be linked to mental health support, they differ vastly from culinary and medicinal mushrooms as they are sometimes used as a recreational drug and, therefore, deemed illegal in many states.

Comparison

When compared to magic mushrooms, the perceived benefits of medicinal mushrooms occur without hallucinogenic properties, making these mushrooms safe and legal to consume when properly harvested and/or processed.

Some species of medicinal mushrooms may differ from culinary mushrooms in the way that they must be prepared for consumption. However, there is not an easy distinction between culinary and medicinal mushrooms because many of the common culinary species—such as maitake and shiitake—have therapeutic properties and several species used for health-supporting purposes are also edible.

What Are Some Medicinal Mushroom Species?

More than 2,000 species of mushroom have been discovered, but only a select amount are commercially cultivated. Well-known medicinal mushroom species include:

Lion’s Mane

Reishi

Cordyceps

Your Ultimate Guide to Cordyceps Mushroom Benefits (ommushrooms.com)

Chaga

Chaga offers numerous antioxidants making this species known as the king of medicinal mushrooms. Chaga is an adaptogenic mushroom that helps to combat oxidative stress.‡ Stress can cause many negative effects on the body. Consuming a medicinal mushroom such as chaga each day can help to support anti-aging and youthfulness.‡

Turkey Tail

Medicinal Mushrooms Chart

Thousands of mushroom species have been discovered over the years, but only some have gained popularity as natural supplements with perceived health benefits. What makes these mushroom species special is the high density of polysaccharides they contain compared to other mushrooms.

The medicinal mushroom chart below highlights various medicinal mushroom species, the benefits, and the products offered at Om Mushroom. We like to refer to our products as “functional,” a term often used interchangeably today with “medicinal.”