When
we think of mushrooms, for many people it brings to mind delicious salads
loaded with tomatoes, onions, avocado and whatever other dreamy fruits and
vegetables your heart desires.
Mushrooms
are neither fruits nor vegetables though. In fact, they’re probably the only
thing on your plate that’s technically not even from a plant. Mushrooms are a
fungus. But like many garden vegetables, though, our delicious little
toadstools (another name for “mushrooms”) can be safely gardened and cultivated
in controlled conditions, they’re highly water latent (about 90%) and fairly
nutritious (high in Vitamin B and various minerals, extremely low in fat and
high in fiber).
Did you
know that just one Portabella mushroom can provide you with more potassium than
a banana? One banana (100g) = 358 mg of potassium. One Portabella mushroom
(100g) = 364 mg. Put it on a grill and roast it and it increases to 437m!
Mushrooms & Modern Medicine
China
is the number #1 producer of mushrooms in the world, putting out more than 6
times[1] the
annual quantity of mushrooms than the #2 nearest producers in Italy. China has
also used mushrooms for thousands of years to help cure a number of illnesses.
For
much of its modern existence, Western medicine has put aside the idea of using
natural cures in trade for more synthetic ones, but gradually we’ve come around
to understanding some of the seemingly innumerable medicinal purposes this
spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus can bring.
The List of
“Anti” Benefits of Mushrooms
Shortly,
we’ll go into each one of these briefly as I provide just a fraction of all the
latest evidence that supports the use and benefits of mushrooms. Here’s the
quick list on all the “anti” benefits mushrooms are finding to provide.
Mushrooms
are:
●
Antioxidants
●
Anticancer
●
Antigingivitis
●
Antiviral agents
●
Antimicrobial
They’ve
also been found to help lower blood pressure, help maintain blood sugar, lower
cholesterol, amplify the immune system and lower stress. Ironically, mushrooms
(being a fungus) are even antifungal[2] and multiple effective
varieties are even used today in products such as PhytAtge Labs UFD to fight
fungus problems within the body (see Urgent Fungus Destroyer).
Simply
put, the mushroom can probably just be called, amazing.
ORAC
is a classical molecular dynamics computer program for simulating complex
molecular systems at the atomistic level. It’s the most widely used for testing
antioxidant capacity against the peroxyl radical. N. Joy Dubost of Penn State
used the the ORAC assay and found that “portabella
mushrooms had an ORAC value of 9.7 micromoles of trolox equivalents per gram
and criminis had an ORAC value of 9.5. Data available from other researchers
shows that carrots and green beans have an ORAC value of 5; red pepper 10; and
broccoli 12.”
Mushrooms
as an Anticancer
There’s a
plethora of useful bioactive compounds contained in mushrooms and six in particular[3]
were found to exhibit anti-cancer and immunostimulatory compounds. The well
known (and very delicious) Shiitake mushroom was one of them.
Shiitake
mushrooms have been found to contain a molecule called AHCC (Active Hexose
Correlated Compound) which has immune-enhancing functions and is widely used as
an alternative and complementary treatment[4] of cancer in Japan. Lentinan
was also found in Shiitake, it’s commonly used as an intravenous anticancer
drug with antitumor properties.
Mushrooms
as an Antigingivitis
Gingivitis is a
preventable disease characterized by red, swollen, tender gums that may bleed
when you brush your teeth. Although that may not pose much of an issue for you,
it can lead to periodontitis, a much more serious issue that includes
associated bone loss.
Again, another
study was conducted in which Shiitake mushroom extract was used and compared to
that of the active component in the leading gingivitis mouthwash, containing
chlorhexidine. The study found that “shiitake
mushroom extract lowered the numbers of some pathogenic taxa without affecting
the taxa associated with health, unlike chlorhexidine which has a limited
effect on all taxa.”[5]
Mushrooms
as an Antiviral Agent
We use antiviral compounds to help treat viral infections and
both whole mushrooms and their extracts have been found to have antiviral
effects, according to the “Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine[6].”
The mushroom group known as polypores has been shown to have
the most benefit for such antiviral properties and has even been identified as
being able to inhibit the activity “herpes
simplex I and II viruses, varicella zoster virus, influenza-A virus and the
respiratory syncytial virus is Rozites caperata.[7]”
Mushrooms
as an Antifungal
Many recent studies have been conducted on the anti-microbial /
anti-fungal efficacy of mushrooms. Just one of many studies found that “Shiitake mushroom extract had extensive
antimicrobial activity against 85% of the organisms it was tested on, including
50% of the yeast and mould species in the trial[8].”
Another report found that the 5 varieties of mushrooms they
used in their study (A polytricha, C., occidentalis, D. elegans, D. concentrica
and T. lobayernsis) “all exhibited
various degrees of antagonistic effects against the tested microorganisms[9].”
The
Effectiveness of Mushrooms
Really Can’t Be Denied
The fact that certain cultural groups have used mushrooms for
thousands of years in conjunction with the latest in Western research confirms
the efficacy of mushrooms. Whether you eat them whole or consume them through
nutritional dietary supplements that use them to affect overall health by
reducing and even eliminating various fungus issues we commonly face, the
benefits are endless and simply can't be denied.
Add mushrooms to your diet today and start benefitting from
them now.
Grab PhytAge Labs’ Urgent Fungus Destroyer Anti-fungalsupplement (w/ Shitake mushroom, Reishi mushroom and Maitake mushroom)
today and get 3 BONUS GIFTS, including a One-Day Detox Cleanser Guide for FREE.
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