Super Mushrooms: Mushroom Superfoods

A superfood packs a punch - providing your body with a high amount of nutrients in a tiny portion. You may have heard of superfoods - but have you heard of super mushrooms?

Keep reading as we explore why mushrooms should be your new favorite superfood. This guide will talk you through the benefits of super mushrooms and the different types of super mushrooms you should try!

Learn All About Super Mushrooms

Super mushrooms are mushrooms that provide functional health benefits extending beyond their nutrients. You might also hear them called functional mushrooms.

It's important to establish that we're not talking about those funny mushrooms - magic mushrooms contain a substance called psilocybin, which makes you hallucinate, but not super mushrooms. When consuming functional mushrooms, you'll instead feel a general sense of well-being, which is even better in our opinion!

There are many different types of super mushrooms worldwide, each offering different nutrients and beneficial compounds for the body. Before dissecting each species, let's cover some of the overall benefits of super mushrooms.

Potential Benefits Of Super Mushrooms

Here are some general potential health benefits you might get from functional mushrooms:

• Support for your immune health.
• Antioxidant support.
• Support inflammation management post-workout or any other related activities.

• Support for managing and maintaining blood sugar at already healthy levels.
• Supporting cognitive function and brain health.
• Lung support and athletic performance.
  
  

Best 10 Super Mushrooms

Let's explore the wonderful world of super mushrooms! Here are some little fun guys you can add to your diet to feel at your best.

Chaga

Chaga is becoming an increasingly popular offering at local coffee spots. Many yogis and mindful people already use Chaga mushroom for its potential benefits:

• Supports skin health - Chaga mushrooms contain melanin, which is known to promote protection from UV radiation. Chaga offers antioxidant support and its nutrient-dense profile with essential vitamins and minerals can offer support for healthy aging.
• Immune support - Chaga's popularity stems from its potential to support the immune system, attributed to the presence of 1,3/1,6 beta-glucans. 
  
  

If you need more calm, centered, and collected days, you'll benefit from incorporating a Chaga mushroom powder, tincture, gummies, or capsule into your daily routine. 

Cordyceps

Cordyceps is known as the 'Olympic mushroom'. These mushroom supplements have been popular in the professional sports industry for years because they support natural energy levels and help to manage occasional fatigue in the body. Here are some health benefits of cordyceps:

• Supporting cellular energy and endurance - cordyceps supports endurance with support for cellular energy and metabolism. 
• Supporting lung health - cordyceps is known for supporting lung health and healthy oxygen levels, which is extremely vital for athletic performance.
• Supports the body’s response to occasional stress - cordyceps is an adaptogenic mushroom, supporting your body's ability to 'adapt' to occasional stress. Taking cordyceps regularly can help you to ward off the occasional stresses of everyday life.
  
  

This teeny tiny orange mushroom is small but mighty - consider adding it to your daily routine to support your workouts and feel better equipped to handle occasional stress.

Lion’s Mane

You might have heard about lion's mane mushrooms on your Instagram feed - it's becoming an increasingly popular substitute for morning coffee. Why? Here are the benefits of lion's mane mushrooms:

• Cognitive function support - lion's mane contains compounds that support the brain's hippocampus region, responsible for memory and mood. Supplementing the lion's mane can help you support mood regulation and memory performance.
• Supports gut health - Lion’s mane is known to support overall gut health through supporting a healthy gut bacterial composition. By adding a lion’s mane to your routine, you can potentially maintain healthy digestive functioning.
  
  

These health benefits make lion's mane mushroom supplements the perfect choice if you suffer from the dreaded shakes after your morning coffee - or if you've been a 'brain fog' zombie lately!

Maitake

Maitake mushrooms, also known as the "dancing mushroom", can be the perfect addition to your supplement routine if you're trying to manage weight. Here are some of the benefits on offer with maitake mushroom supplements:

• Metabolic support - maitake offers plenty of polysaccharides to support weight management and healthy metabolism, making this the perfect diet-friendly super mushroom!
• Homeostasis support - maitake mushrooms support the body's natural homeostasis, allowing you to better prepare for your body's response to occasional stress.
• Healthy cell turnover - maitake mushrooms support the natural regeneration of cell walls, making this edible mushroom great for supporting post-workout recovery.

Meshima

Meshima is known for being particularly beneficial for supporting women's health and other adaptogen benefits, such as:

• Supporting female health - with a high polysaccharide content, meshima mushrooms provide support for healthy breast cell regeneration, along with menstrual cycle regulation.
• Support the body’s response to occasional stress - like other adaptogenic mushrooms and ayurvedic herbs, meshima offers support for the body's management of occasional stress and fatigue. Equipping yourself with nature's tools for occasional stress management can help you to live a longer, more healthful life.
• Immune health support - meshima is known for supporting the body's immune health, as it offers a variety of polyphenols. These polyphenols offer a helping hand for your bodily functions and immune health.
  
  

If you're a woman looking for natural tools to support menstrual regulation, then you can benefit from incorporating meshima into your diet or supplement routine.

Poria Cocos

Want to take care of our urinary tract health? Poria Cocos is the super mushroom for you. It has many health benefits, including:

• Urinary tract health support - the poria cocos mushroom contains compounds that support the body in managing dampness in the urinary tract and bladder. If you need a daily supplement to support bladder and urinary health, try poria cocos mushrooms.
• Immune system support - poria cocos offers support for the immune system with plentiful triterpenes.
• Adaptogenic support - suffering from stress, fatigue, or low mood? This mushroom offers adaptogenic support and supports the body’s normal response to occasional fatigue and stress. You can use poria cocos to support your body while the effects of occasional stress are occurring.

Reishi

Reishi mushrooms are renowned for their zen-like properties. They have been a calming agent in traditional Chinese holistic practices for centuries. Adding a reishi mushroom gummy, tincture, powder, or capsule to your diet is bound to instill a sense of calm. Here are the benefits of consuming reishi mushrooms:

• Healthy sleep cycles support - the reishi mushroom has adaptogens and other compounds supporting deep, restful sleep and regulation. The better your sleep health is, the more energetic you'll feel and the more vibrant your mood will be.
• Cardiovascular health support - the compounds in reishi mushrooms may support cellular health within the normal heart and overall cardiovascular health.

Shiitake

You may have eaten shiitake mushrooms at your local teppanyaki restaurant, but did you know they're super mushrooms, too?

Here are some of the health benefits you'll gain from adding shiitake mushrooms to your diet:

• Supporting immune health - Shiitake mushrooms ​​contain 1,3 / 1,6  beta-glucans compounds, which can. help support the immune system function as well as help with healthy cell turnover.
• Vitamin D support - Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that’s essential for humans. Shiitake mushrooms not only produce vitamin D2 when exposed to UV radiation but also produce vitamin D3 and vitamin D4, which are essential to support bone health.
  
  

Tremella

Tremella mushrooms look very much like small clouds or coral reefs. However, they aren't just a pretty face! They offer some pretty amazing health benefits, too:

• Digestive support - the glucuronic acid in tremella can do wonders for your gut health. Maintaining a healthy gut flora will support your immune system, as bacteria entering your mouth must be handled in the gut!
• Bone support - just like Shiitake, Tremella also contains copious amounts of vitamin D, which is known to help the absorption of calcium and positively support your bone health.

Turkey Tail

Turkey tail mushrooms are your best friend in winter, acting like your sword and shield against nasties trying to get past your immune system. Here are the benefits of turkey tail mushrooms for your health:

• Immune response support - the 1,3 1,6 beta-glucans in turkey tail mushrooms can help support the body's natural immune response, allowing a swift-acting response to intruders in your body!
• Digestive support - turkey tail mushrooms are rich in prebiotic fiber which feeds and supports the healthy flora in your digestive system, like your gut's best friend. When you take care of the good bacteria, you're giving your immune system a hand. This can help you feel balanced and keep that healthy vibe going strong!
  
  

Takeaway