How Medicinal Mushrooms May Support Gut Health
By Peter Orpen, Co-Owner, Teelixir
More than 2500 years ago, Hippocrates, known as the father of modern medicine, made a profound statement that still rings true today: "All disease begins in the gut." In fact, with the increasing attention on gut health and the microbiome, this statement is more relevant now than ever before.
Thankfully, we have access to some traditionally valued gut-supporting superfoods in the form of medicinal mushrooms. These include Turkey Tail, Reishi, Lion's Mane, and Chaga - all of which may help support our digestive health.
As gut health continues to gain prominence in the world of health and research, the focus on the gastrointestinal (GI) ecosystem is growing. This complex system plays a crucial role in preventing, treating, and diagnosing a wide range of diseases and conditions.
Interestingly, our gut is home to an abundance of bacteria - up to 10 times more than our own human cells. With thousands of species and millions of genes within their DNA, these microbes have the ability to influence our biology in ways that are still not fully understood by scientists.
Given the fascinating relationship between our gut and its bacteria, it's not surprising that it is considered the epicentre of our well-being.
As Hippocrates once said, "Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease."
In this article, we'll explore five medicinal mushrooms traditionally used for general wellbeing and may help support digestive function.
Understanding Gut Microbiome
The gut microbiome is a complex network of cells, enzymes, and bacteria that form a barrier between our bodies and the outside world. This barrier determines whether the substances we ingest are beneficial or harmful to our health. If this barrier is compromised, it can result in a condition known as "leaky gut," where substances such as toxins and bacteria can pass through the gaps in the mucosal lining, triggering inflammation and immune response.
Maintaining a healthy gut-barrier function is essential to prevent this condition, and it is important to note that our gut lining is only one cell thick. Therefore, it is crucial to strengthen and nourish our gut, as we rely on this single layer of cells to protect and support us.
Moreover, the gut-brain axis is thought to play a role in our cognitive and emotional wellbeing, as the vagus nerve links our gut to our central nervous system. Our gut health may help support general mental wellbeing, and is the subject of ongoing research.
The relationship between gut health and various aspects of wellbeing is the subject of ongoing research. To prioritise our overall health, we must focus on supporting our gut health and the symbiotic ecosystem within it. Superfood mushrooms are traditionally valued for their properties and may be a beneficial addition to a gut-healthy diet.
How Medicinal Mushrooms May Help Support Gut Health
The health of our gut and the diversity of our microbiome is critical to living a healthy and abundant life. Fortunately, medicinal mushrooms may help support us in achieving this goal. The prebiotic components found in mushrooms, including α and beta β-glucans, chitin, mannans, galactans, xylans, and hemicellulose, may help support our gut health and immune function. The immune system is heavily concentrated in the gut, with 75% of it residing there, making it even more important to maintain a healthy microbiome.
Mushrooms act as prebiotics for the bacteria in our microbiome, encouraging beneficial and friendly bacteria to flourish while traditionally used for its antimicrobial properties against unwanted bacteria such as Candida albicans. Additionally, mushrooms may help support communication with the bacteria in our gut, just as they do in the mystical mycelial network that spans the world's surface. This communication is critical in maintaining the strength of our microbiome, which is closely tied to the strength of our immune system and overall well-being.
By acting as prebiotics, mushroom polysaccharides feed the beneficial microbes in our gut, which in turn create nutrients like Vitamin K and SCFA that may help support our intestinal wall cells and fuel our cellular energy production. Incorporating just ¼ teaspoon of mushroom extract into our daily routine may help support our gut health and overall well-being.
However, it's essential to note that unfavourable bacteria families such as Firmicutes can also consume prebiotics, so it's important to consume a rich diet in polyphenols and whole foods to ensure a favourable ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes. In the microbiome, it's a savage world, but by incorporating medicinal mushrooms into our routine and consuming a balanced diet, we may help support the growth of beneficial bacteria and achieve optimal gut health.
5 Impactful Mushrooms Recommended For Gut Health
Turkey Tail Mushroom
Turkey Tail (TT) has been traditionally used to support gut health and immune function. It contains fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and polysaccharide peptide (PSP) that are the subject of ongoing research into their potential effects on beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp., which play an important role in health.
Turkey Tail has been traditionally used for its potential to support microbial balance in the gut. Its prebiotic properties are the subject of ongoing research into gut microbiome recovery, including potential applications in post-antibiotic care.
While antibiotics are necessary in certain cases, they are often over-prescribed and can lead to significant damage to our gut health. Antibiotics can eliminate healthy flora from our gut, weaken our immune system, and leave us vulnerable to illness and digestive issues like IBS/IBD.
Therefore, incorporating TT and a high-quality, multi-strain probiotic into our routine after a course of antibiotics may help support the repopulation of a diverse and healthy microbiome, which is essential for maintaining overall health and well-being.
Reishi Mushroom
Reishi mushrooms have been traditionally used to support gut health. The relationship between Reishi and gut bacteria composition, including the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio, is an area of ongoing research.
Reishi has been traditionally used to support gut health. Its potential effects on various gut bacteria and their metabolic byproducts are the subject of ongoing scientific investigation.
Vital constituents of this mushroom also may help support the integrity of our intestinal cells. Reishi has been traditionally used for gut health, with ongoing research into its potential effects on various digestive conditions. Furthermore, Reishi has been traditionally used for its antimicrobial properties.
It's crucial to note that store-bought culinary mushrooms like white button and portobello may be counterproductive in Traditional Chinese Medicine and may contribute to candida overgrowth due to the presence of fungal and mould contaminants. Thus, swapping out these culinary mushrooms for medicinal Reishi mushrooms has been traditionally used in wellness practices.
Stress can wreak havoc on our gut health, but luckily, there's a traditionally valued solution: Reishi, traditionally used for its anti-stress properties. When our gut microbiome is faced with stressors - whether they're environmental, physical, emotional, psychological, or biological - it can lead to a state of dysbiosis or microbial imbalance. This can cause increased "leakiness," which triggers an inflammatory response and releases markers of inflammation into our bloodstream.
The elevated markers may even impact our brain health by increasing the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. But with Reishi on our side, we may help support healthy levels of the negative effects of stress and keep our gut and brain in good shape.
Lion's Mane Mushroom
The fascinating Lion's Mane mushroom may help support our microbiome. As you may know, the gut-brain axis or the vagus nerve connects our gut to the brain, and the gut primarily communicates with the brain, influencing our behaviour and cognitive function.
The relationship between gut health and brain function is an area of ongoing research. Some traditional medicine systems suggest connections between digestive wellbeing and cognitive function.
Lion's Mane is the subject of ongoing research into its potential effects on gastrointestinal health. It has been traditionally used for its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.
Chaga Mushroom
Chaga, traditionally valued as the "mother of antioxidants," is a medicinal mushroom that may help support a happy and healthy microbiome. By may help support healthy levels of harmful oxidised molecules and free radicals, this traditionally valued antioxidant may help support gut health and may help support healthy DNA and inflammation, which are associated with autoimmune conditions such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. In addition, Chaga's immunomodulatory properties may help support healthy inflammatory cascades that occur with a leaky gut, making it an excellent tonic for gut health. Moreover, it may help support the immune system, may help support healthy levels of any excess that may contribute to autoimmune conditions.
Shiitake Mushroom
Shiitake has been traditionally used to support general wellbeing, and it's closely linked to our gut health, which houses about 70% of our immune system. You can visualise the gut and immune system as siblings, with the gut being the big brother who guides and nurtures the immune system from infancy. In essence, the gut system holds the immune system's hand, educating it on how to differentiate between friendly and hostile bacteria and which pathogens to attack or ignore.
By consuming shiitake mushrooms, we may help support our gut microbiome and may help support our immunity. These delicious mushrooms have prebiotic properties that may help support the bacterial balance in our gut to create an environment hostile to harmful pathogens. As a result, our immune system may help support more efficiently, may help support healthy external pathogens and may help support us from disease.
Digestive Health Support With Mushrooms
Certain types of bacteria may affect our food preferences, cravings, taste, immune system, and even our mood - both positively and negatively. They may also help support our energy metabolism, may help support healthy levels of harmful chemicals, and may contribute to our overall toxic load. Therefore, maintaining and nourishing our gut is crucial to living a healthy life.
Fortunately, mushrooms may help support healthy levels of harmful bacteria and yeasts. Incorporating them into our daily routine may greatly benefit our gut health and overall well-being. In fact, their immune-supporting and stress-adapting properties make them a true superfood and an ideal herb for gut health.
To experience the traditionally valued properties of organic medicinal mushrooms, some people find that trying Teelixir today may contribute to general wellbeing.
Eliza is the millennial nutritionist– a health, mindset and abundance enthusiast obsessed with helping millennial's experience living at a higher level.
Her relaxed new age approach and understanding of nutrition and wellness sees her empowering and coaching individuals to understand that their health is the ultimate asset.
Upon experiencing first hand the power and place of tonic herbalism and medicinal mushrooms in everyday life, Eliza’s become an adaptogen fangirl and feels their utilisation in today’s world is essential for abundance and wellbeing.
Website: https://themillennialnutritionist.com/
References and Studies
Jayachandran, M, Xiao, J, Baojun, X 2017, ‘A Critical Review on Health Promoting Benefits of Edible Mushrooms through Gut Microbiota’, Int J Mol Sci., vol. 18, no. 9, pp. 1934, DOI:10.3390/ijms18091934
Yu, ZT, Liu, B, Mukherjee, P & Newburg, D 2013, ‘Trametes versicolor Extract Modifies Human Fecal Microbiota Composition In vitro’, Plant Foods Hum Nutr, vol. 68, pp. 107-112, DOI 10.1007/s11130-013-0342-4
Wu, J et al. 2016, ‘Recent Advances and Challenges in Studies of Control of Cancer Stem Cells and the Gut Microbiome by the Trametes-Derived Polysaccharopeptide PSP (Review)’, Int J Med Mushrooms, vol. 18, no. 8, pp. 651-660, DOI: DOI: 10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.v18.i8.10
Mishra, SK et al. 2012, ‘Orally administered aqueous extract of Inonotus obliquus ameliorates acute inflammation in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice’, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, vol. 143, no. 2, pp. 524-532, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2012.07.008
Pallav, K et al. 2014, ‘Effects of polysaccharopeptide from Trametes Versicolor and amoxicillin on the gut microbiome of healthy volunteers’, Gut Microbes, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 458-467, doi: 10.4161/gmic.29558.
Bhardwaj, A et al. 2017, ‘Lingzhi or Reishi Medicinal Mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum (Agaricomycetes), Inhibits Candida Biofilms: A Metabolomic Approach’, Int J Med Mushrooms, vol. 19, no. 8, pp. 685-696, doi: 10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.2017021225.
Wong, JY et al. 2013 ‘Gastroprotective Effects of Lion's Mane Mushroom Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. (Aphyllophoromycetideae) Extract against Ethanol-Induced Ulcer in Rats’, Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, vol. 2013, no. 2013, doi: 10.1155/2013/492976
Clapp, M, Aurora, N, Herrera, L, Bhatia, M, Wilen, E & Wakefield, @ 2017, ‘Gut microbiota’s effect on mental health: The gut-brain axis’, Clin. Pract, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 987, doi: 10.4081/cp.2017.987
Dai, X et al. 2015, ‘Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults’, J Am Coll Nutr, vol. 34, no. 6, pp. 478-487, doi: 10.1080/07315724.2014.950391.
Najafzadeh, M, Reynolds, PD, Baumgartner, A, Jerwood, D & Anderson D 2007, ‘Chaga mushroom extract inhibits oxidative DNA damage in lymphocytes of patients with inflammatory bowel disease’, Biofactors, vol. 31, no. 3-4, pp. 191-200, retrieved 20th August 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18997282
Wachtl-Galor, S, Teun J, Buswell J.A & Benzie I, Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects, 2nd ed, chapter 9 Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi or Reishi), Taylor and Franics, retriveid 20th August 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92757/
Sanodiya, BS, Thakur GS, Baghel RK, Parasad GB & Bisen PS 2009, ‘Ganoderma lucidum: a potent pharmacological macrofungus’, Curr Pharm Biotecnol, vol. 10, no. 8, pp. 717-742, retrieved 20th August 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19939212
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your healthcare practitioner before use.
