How Reishi Mushrooms Can Support Your Immune System
Reishi mushrooms have been shown to help balance your immune system.
With Covid-19 still swirling around us and cold and flu season on the way, many people are looking for ways to support their immune system. And one of the most powerful supplements for supporting your immune system are reishi mushrooms. The compounds found in reishi are key in helping the immune system respond appropriately — reducing activity when the immune system is in overdrive, and helping it fight off foreign substances when more aggressive reaction is required.
In the wild, reishi mushrooms are reddish brown and fan-shaped, and usually grow on decaying logs found throughout Asia. They’ve been used for hundreds of years in Chinese medicine, often to fight infections.
Technically, reishi mushrooms can be eaten as food, but because of their hard texture and bitter taste, they are traditionally consumed as a tea. Today, most reishi mushroom supplements come either as a powder, which you can mix in with your coffee or smoothies, or in a capsule form.
How do reishi mushrooms support the immune system?
The immune system is an incredibly complex network of cells and tissues that all work in concert to fight off infections and diseases. When a foreign substance enters your body, your immune system attacks it. When your immune system is not working properly (such as when you have an autoimmune disease), instead of attacking foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses, your immune system instead starts attacking its own healthy cells.
That’s where reishi mushrooms can be helpful. They contain substances called beta-glucans, which help in modulating your immune system and bringing it back into balance so your immune system is fighting off the bad cells instead of the good ones. This could potentially be beneficial in fighting Covid-19, which can often cause an overreaction of the immune system, also known as a cytokine storm.
And according to Healthline.com, research has shown some of the molecules found in the mushroom can increase the activity of a type of white blood cell called “natural killer cells,” which are a key part of your immune system.
Other studies have shown that reishi mushrooms have the ability to fight many different types of viruses, including herpes, hepatitis B, influenza A, and even the H1N1 strain of the flu.
Reishi mushrooms also contain an important substance called triterpene compounds, which have been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, inhibit cell proliferation, and more.
Although no studies have been done showing how reishi mushrooms affect Covid-19 patients, several studies have shown that reishi mushrooms can be effective in stopping the growth of cancer cells, lowering blood pressure and more.
In fact, according to Host Defense, a company that makes mushroom supplements, reishi mushrooms can support a wide range of functions, including:
Blood sugar
Breathing
Digestion and microbiome
Energy
Immune response
Liver and detox
Memory, clarity and cognition
Mood, stress and sleep
Nervous system
Performance and recovery
How much to take
I currently take about 3 to 6 grams of reishi mushrooms in a powder form each day. I mix the powder in my coffee, and although it can be known for its slightly bitter taste, I don't notice it much at all.