Health

Are Medicinal Mushrooms What's Missing From Your Diet?

Are functional mushrooms for you?

by Sharon Feiereisen | COMMENT

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Benefits of medicinal mushrooms Let say that you're healthy and get your hands on reliably sourced mushrooms — Four Sigmatic, Moon Juice and OM Mushrooms are the leaders in this space — how much do you need to consume to boost your wellness game and which types should you opt for? "Traditional practitioners recommend 0.5 to 1 gram per day for healthy people and between 2 and 5 grams for chronic illnesses for reishi mushrooms (the most popular), but each variety can have a different recommendation," say The Nutrition Twins. "Be very careful to stick to the serving size as overdoing it has been linked to toxic effects on the liver, upset stomach, nosebleeds and more."

Here's a breakdown of the top four fungi and what their purported benefits are, according to Tero Isokauppila, the founder of Four Sigmatic (all of the brand's mushroom products are tested in a third-party lab for heavy metals, allergens, bad bacteria, yeasts, molds, mycotoxins and pesticides and they're USDA Organic certified):

· Reishi helps you to chill out by providing stress and sleep support. It's a powerful adaptogen and a key part of Isokauppila's bedtime ritual.

· Chaga is your skin's and immune system's best friend due to its antioxidant properties. It's native to Isokauppila's home of Finland, and Finns have been brewing chaga tea for years.

· Lion's Mane helps you to focus and concentrate. Whether you're tackling a huge to-do list at work or really honing your creative side-hustle, Lion's Mane is there for you.

· Cordyceps helps support athletic performance, endurance and stamina. Cordyceps got Isokauppila hooked on functional mushrooms when he was first training for marathons.

It's also important to remember that consistency is key. "Medicinal mushrooms have a cumulative effect and typically it takes around two to three weeks to see results if they're taken on a daily basis," says OM Mushroom founder Sandra Carter. "You need to allow time for your body to make the adaptation naturally, which will then result in greater benefits over time."

Try: OM Mushrooms Core 4, $90

SEE NEXT PAGE: But how do they taste?

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