If you take self-care as seriously as we do, you know your immune system is one of the most important elements to overall health and well being. To help upgrade your immune system and support optimal gut health, call on medicinal mushrooms. They’re definitely at the top of our list of allies to restore, nourish, and potentiate next-level immunity. Mason, the founder of SuperFeast, is here to take you through the world of medicinal mushrooms.
What are medicinal mushrooms?
Humans and medicinal mushrooms go back thousands of years, and this ancient herbal relationship has helped many cultures understand the nature of preventative medicine. Before we dive deeper we need to wipe clean the concept you may have of culinary mushrooms that grow in the ground (and top your pizzas) and open to the magical world of mushrooms that grow on trees.
Most medicinal mushrooms such as chaga, reishi, lion’s mane and maitake grow on trees, working symbiotically as the mushroom feeds off the tree or coming in as the cleanup crew on dead wood. Medicinal mushrooms basically make trees edible for humans.
These amazing mushrooms fall into a category known as tonic herbs, meaning that they can be integrated into your diet to ensure that your:
- immune system stays strong
- organs remain toned and
- your body maintains adaptability
Medicinal mushrooms are particularly fascinating in an herbal sense as they seem to activate the immune system like no other group of herbs, which explains why they are used so often in healing protocols.
These herbs can help nourish core immune functions by toning, activating and restoring aspects of the immune system like the bone marrow, thymus, spleen, kidneys, cell pathways, lymph, white cells, and much more. Altogether, this makes the immune system stronger, more sophisticated, and adaptive to internal and external stressors. We like to think of them as the herbs of health potentiation.
So why do they nourish the immune system so deeply?
Medicinal mushrooms are saturated with polysaccharides, complex carbohydrates (don’t worry, they don’t spike blood sugar and are still paleo) and polymers that, when ingested, have an immune activating and modulating effect on the body.
This is especially true of the particular group of polysaccharides known as beta-glucans, which these mushrooms are particularly high in. These polysaccharides also act as a food source for gut bacteria, aid the foundation of the immune system, and the gut biome. I love them so much I created a blend of my favorites to ensure my immune system stays badass.
Our medicinal mushrooms are wildcrafted, sourced from pristine natural environments, and extracted in the best ways. For me, it is important they are potent in their medicinal compounds and that I get a massive bioavailable dose of mushroom medicine in my daily tonic.
Life is too much fun to worry about getting sick so medicinal mushrooms are a core part of my strategy to bring my immune A-game to every day.
Thanks to Mason and the amazing SuperFeast team for sharing your knowledge of this potent medicine. Head over to SuperFeast's website for more information on how to incorporate Mason's Mushrooms into your diet.
If you're into vegan goodies like medicinal mushrooms, sign up for our monthly Goddess Provisions Box to receive new vegan products right to your door.
