The benefits of Chinese mushrooms on our health or mycotherapy
Shiitake, Maitake, Cordyceps, Reishi… have you heard of those amazing Chinese mushrooms? Here’s a little summary!
Medicinal mushrooms have been part of the traditional Chinese pharmacopoeia for thousands of years, so much so that a branch of phytotherapy is entirely dedicated to them: mycotherapy.
Photo Tomasz Proszek on Pixabay
If its virtues are well known in Asia, Western science is increasingly interested in them (especially in the field of cancerology) and has already proven its effectiveness against diabetes, cholesterol and fatigue.
The benefits of shiitake (Chinese mushroom)
Also called «black mushroom,» shiitake has been cultivated in Asia for about 2,000 years for its flavor and medicinal properties.
Contains lentinan (0.02%), a substance used as a drug in Japan and China to stimulate the immune system, especially in people with cancer treated with chemotherapy.
This Chinese mushroom is also known to prevent the formation of cancer cells, particularly in the case of colon cancer.
Lastly, its high ergosterol content, which our body knows how to convert into vitamin D (of which the vast majority of the population in the Northwest is deficient), makes it a valuable ally for health.
The benefits of maitake
Historically, mitake was a very rare, precious care Chinese mushroom that grew wild in Asia, Europe, and North America. Since the 1980s, we now know how to grow it (the largest producer is Japan).
It can grow up to 50 centimeters in diameter and weigh several tens of kilos, and it contains active ingredients with multiple health benefits.
Known to help the body resist the various stresses it is subjected to, maitake promotes emotional balance and resistance to disease.
Like shiitake, its antitumor and neuroprotective action is also being studied.
The benefits of cordyceps
This mushroom grows wild in Tibet, in the Himalayan mountains, at an altitude of about 4000 meters.
It has been used in Asian medicine for over 3,000 years and was often reserved for noblemen (such as the Dalai Lama) who wanted to improve their physical condition.
Cordyceps is said to enhance the activity of the kidneys, lungs, and liver, and improve sexual function. Like the two previous mushrooms, cordyceps has an immunosuppressive effect.
The benefits of reishi (Chinese mushroom)
Like cordyceps or shiitake, reishi is an adaptogenic mushroom. Thus, it is capable of regulating the action of the adrenal glands, which are responsible for the release of hormones into the bloodstream, particularly adrenaline and cortisol (the stress hormone).
Therefore, reishi is particularly interesting for helping the body to better handle stressful situations.
It also relaxes the nervous system, regulates mood and helps improve the body’s defensive actions.
Reishi also seems to act on another form of stress: oxidative stress.
In addition to improving the body’s resistance, reishi increases the production of natural killer cells such as T cells and macrophages.
By reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reishi protects the heart from cardiovascular problems and reduces the symptoms of certain heart diseases: palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath…
In general, the results obtained by the various studies carried out on the subject reveal that the intake of reishi helps regulate blood glucose levels.
However, most of them have been carried out in animals and therefore need to be confirmed by clinical studies.
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