Top 5 most powerful medicinal mushrooms for health and immunity

Medical mushrooms are edible macroscopic mushrooms that can be eaten safely to provide health benefits. One of the main benefits of consumption is for the immune system by improving basic immune responses. There are many types of medicinal mushrooms that can be harvested and are available for safe consumption in the form of dietary supplements, but not only. 

Medical immunity support mushrooms are part of the traditional practices found in various cultures around the world, such as Greek, Chinese and Roman cultures. The long and similar history of mushrooms serves as evidence of their use as a preventive protective agent and a tool in the fight against infectious diseases and various types of cancer.

Modern scientists have studied the benefits of these types of mushrooms and found that in addition to being a source of sufficient nutrients, they also contain bioactive compounds that have the potential to help the immune system and provide additional immune support. 1

The most important are polysaccharides, structural components of the cell wall of fungi. Polysaccharides have a strong ability to carry biological information. Specifically, they have antitumor, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antidiabetic action. The best known and most abundant are α- and β-glucans. Heteroglycans, peptidoglycans and polysaccharide-protein complexes also contribute to biological activity. They are primarily responsible for immunomodulatory effects due to their ability to bind to specific receptors on the cell wall and stimulate specific immune responses.  2

Medical mushrooms are also used in cancer treatment as biological response modifiers (BRMs), useful for treating cancer, reducing the side effects of therapies, and improving a patient's quality of life.   3

Another class of compounds that are very important for their bioactivity are terpenes, characterized by units of five carbon isoprene atoms and whose addition of functional groups produces the terpenoids. They modulate the immune system by stimulating the expression of genes encoding proteins involved in the immune response, but also have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antitumor properties.

Mushrooms are rich in proteins that have cytotoxic and anti-cancer properties. Some of them are known for their characteristic and pronounced immunomodulatory effect. These proteins are referred to as fungal immunomodulatory proteins, the mechanisms of action of which can be diverse. 

Other fungal metabolites with bioactivity are phenolic compounds, antioxidants with different mechanisms of action (oxygen uptake, inactivation of metals, free radical inhibition, peroxidase decomposition), lacases (copper-containing oxidases) and fatty acids.

The pharmacological activities of medicinal fungi are primarily detected by in vitro assays, usually accompanied or followed by in vivo studies on animal models, which together reveal the great potential of a single fungus, an extract of it or a chemical compound. 

On the other hand, there are a small number of clinical studies conducted on humans and published in peer-reviewed literature. Clinical research is needed to assess the efficacy of medicinal mushrooms in the complex system of the human body, but an assessment of their safety in different age groups and conditions is also needed.

It has been reported in various animal studies and a limited number of in vitro analyses that medicinal mushrooms have numerous pharmacological actions, such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, cytotoxic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anticancer, antioxidant, anti-allergic and prebiotic properties. 

Next we will look at the most interesting medicinal mushrooms with time-proven properties.

Chaga is found in cold climates and looks like a large black mass growing on the side of a tree. This parasitic mushroom can grow to impressive sizes. Russian and Eastern European cultures use it in folk medicine for its immunity-boosting properties.

Chemical analysis of chaga in the scientific literature reveals several compounds such as polysaccharides, triterpenes and polyphenols that may be responsible for most of the mentioned therapeutic effects. Several compounds found in chaga mushrooms may lead to their beneficial effects, including antioxidant polyphenols, as well as betulin and betulinic acid, which have been linked to anti-cancer effects.   Lanostans such as inotodiol are also being investigated for their cytotoxic effects. 5

If Chaga  is the King of Mushrooms, then Reishi is the Queen (also called Ganoderma lingzhi). This beautiful mushroom has a shiny red, fan-shaped look. A lover of temperate forests, Reishi thrives on most hardwoods and fruit trees. This mushroom is great for supporting sleep and relaxation without creating drowsiness. It has been used for centuries in Chinese and Japanese culture to maintain overall health and well-being. Reishi has a bitter taste and is therefore often mixed with other bitter ingredients such as coffee or chocolate.

The health effects of the reishi mushroom may result from its ability to regulate the composition of the microbiota, as the polysaccharides found in reishi demonstrate prebiotic effects and may increase the number of beneficial bacteria in the host. 

Reishi also promotes well-being during seasonal changes and offers support to help you stay physically active. Reishi is also known as the "10,000-year-old mushroom" and is traditionally used for longevity. 

The next favorite is a mushroom, which is often overlooked and again has many names - Colorful Trammetes, Colorful Dust, Colorful Powder Mushroom and others. The turkey tail has amazing health and healing properties. If you take the time to do further research, you'll be amazed at some of the benefits of this small tree sponge. And once you understand what it looks like, you'll see it pop up everywhere as you enjoy your forest walks.  

The immunomodulatory properties of this fungus are due to two protein-bound polysaccharides present in the fungal extract: the polysaccharide peptide (PSP), extracted from the deep-layer cultured mycelium of the fungal strain COV-1 and used most extensively in China, and glycoprotein PSK, derived from the CM101 strain and used most extensively in Japan. They are mainly composed of β-glucans and are among the most studied biocompounds of mushrooms.

In traditional medicine, turkey tail fungi are used therapeutically for fungal infections, cancer and acquired immune deficiency syndrome. 

Modern research on animal models of breast cancer suggests that C. versicolor exerts an antitumor and antimetastatic effect, indicating that it may reduce the risk of developing secondary cancers. Polysaccharide-K (PSK), a patented turkey-tail formula, is approved in Japan as an adjunct cancer treatment. 4 

A 2007 meta-analysis of over 8,000 patients conducted by Kyoto Higher School of Medicine in Japan found that PSK in combination with chemotherapy increased patients' survival rates after gastric cancer resection. 6

Shiitake is a delicious edible mushroom native to East Asia. This popular mushroom is perhaps better known for its flavor than for its benefits. This mushroom gets its name from the Japanese words "shii" tree, where these mushrooms first grew, and "take" means mushroom. Among its many advantages, shiitake is an antiviral, antibacterial agent and has antitumor properties. For example, lentinan, which is a glucan extracted from shiitake, is currently used as an additional treatment for tumors, especially in China and Japan. 

Lentinan can also act on the activation of inflammasomes, components of the innate immune system responsible for triggering inflammatory responses. Components of shiitake have demonstrated inhibitory effects on lung carcinoma LAP0927 cell lines and colorectal carcinoma CT26 cell line in various studies. 7

At the heart of the current use of lentinan as an adjuvant in oncological therapies are also several preclinical studies in which polysaccharide has been tested together with substances used in chemotherapy treatment. 

Last but not least is the wonderful mushroom Lion's Mane. There are many strange nicknames, including a mushroom with a monkey's head, a mushroom with a bearded tooth, a satyr's beard, a bearded hedgehog mushroom and many other equally entertaining ones. Considered a gourmet mushroom with a delicate taste of seafood, Lion's Mane has become a world leader in functional mushrooms. Its unique benefits include supporting brain function and memory, immunity, and overcoming anxiety and depression.

This medicinal mushroom also has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, immunostimulating, antidiabetic, antimicrobial and antihyperglycemic properties, although its most common use is for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and cognitive impairments. 8

Medicinal mushrooms are available as dietary supplements in several forms, including as liquid extracts, powders, and capsules. Culinary mushrooms, such as maitake and shiitake, can be used in dishes such as soups, stews, french fries, pasta and omelettes.

Tea is also often made from whole fresh or dried mushrooms. Tea can be made by soaking three to ten grams of mushrooms in hot water for about five to ten minutes. Mushrooms that are woody and dry, such as reishi or chaga, may need to be soaked for longer or boiled. Because they have a strong taste, some people prefer to add a sweetener such as honey or maple syrup to tea.