Shrooms, man
The Magic of Mushrooms
No,
not those ‘magic mushrooms”, I am talking about your regular everyday
mushrooms. Mushrooms are anti-inflammatory,
disease fighting, immune boosting, and have a unique and powerful antioxidant
known as ergothioneine, an “master antioxidant” with unparalleled health
promoting benefits, which include:
·
Reduction of oxidative stress by efficient “scavenging &
quenching” harmful free radicals;
·
Conservation and maintenance
of the levels of other more transitory antioxidants such as Vitamins E, Vitamin
C and glutathione;
·
Increased availability of
cellular energy sources;
·
Increased metabolic
respiration and oxidation of fat;
·
Protection of mitochondria
from oxidative damage by superoxide that is physiologically generated by
mitochondrial metabolism;
·
Reduction of the damaging
effects of environmental UV rays;
·
Protection against the
effects of neurotoxins believed to have a role in cognitive decline.
·
Maintenance of system
homeostasis as a regulator or effector
·
Protection of hemoglobin in
red blood cells
·
Chelation of heavy metals for
removal from the body(1)
Mushrooms are rich sources of not only ergothioneine but
also many other important bioactive antioxidants such selenomethionine,
selenium, polyphenols and glutathione. This combination of several
antioxidants in a single dietary supplement may well provide synergistic
benefits beyond that provided by the individual components in isolation.
(1) Mushrooms are also low in carbohydrates and calories and a good
source of B vitamins, fiber, trace minerals and protein. In Asian countries the medicinal use of
mushrooms goes back generations. New,
recent studies show how biologically active and significantly beneficial to
health mushrooms are.
Published
in 2012 in 3 Biotech by Patel and Goyal, they stated that certain mushrooms can
kill c_a_n_c_e_r by a variety of mechanisms.
Despite the scientific gobblety gook, I want you to see exactly what
they were talking about. “The chief medicinal uses of mushrooms
discovered so far are as anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, hypocholesterolemic
(lowers cholesterol), anti-tumor, anti-cancer, immunomodulatory(stimulates the
immune system), anti-allergic, nephroprotective(protects the kidneys), and
anti-microbial agents. The mushrooms credited with success against cancer
belong to the genus Phellinus, Pleurotus, Agaricus, Ganoderma, Clitocybe,
Antrodia, Trametes, Cordyceps, Xerocomus, Calvatia, Schizophyllum, Flammulina,
Suillus, Inonotus, Inocybe, Funlia, Lactarius, Albatrellus, Russula, and Fomes.
The anti-cancer compounds play crucial role as reactive oxygen species inducer,
mitotic kinase inhibitor, anti-mitotic, angiogenesis inhibitor, topoisomerase
inhibitor, leading to apoptosis(C_A_N_C_E_R CELL DEATH), and eventually
checking cancer proliferation.” I
included exactly what they said so you can forward the exact information to
anyone who needs it. Because mushrooms
absorb and concentrate what they “eat” it is important to eat only organically
grown mushrooms. In a polluted growing
environment, mushrooms have been known to absorb and concentrate heavy metals
and pollutants. So be careful.
In another article from 2005 from
the journal Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, they
found that mushrooms contain compounds that are, “antimicrobial, antiviral, antitumor,
antiallergic(prevents allergies), immunomodulating(boosts immune function),
anti-inflammatory, antiatherogenic(prevents fatty deposits in arteries),
hypoglycemic(lowers blood sugar) and hepatoprotective(protects liver)
activities.” To survive in their
environment, they developed strong antibacterial and antifungal properties. So strong, in fact, that mushrooms are
effective against multi-resistant strains of bacteria and other microorganisms. Of modern antibiotics, penicillin,
streptomycin and tetracycline are all mushroom derivatives.
Mushrooms also protect your cardiovascular
system by keeping fatty deposits from sticking to the arterial wall, lowering “bad”
cholesterol while raising “good” cholesterol.
They contain sterol compounds that interfere with the liver’s production
of cholesterol. The B vitamins in
mushrooms, protect adrenal function, support neurotransmitter function
preventing brain fog and supports thyroid function.
Eating mushrooms several times per
week, promotes weight loss as it is a nutrient dense low-calorie food which has
been linked to less body fat and waist reduction. They also provide a good dose of Vitamin D,
the lack thereof causes everything from heart disease to depression. This can also lead to strengthening of the
bones as Vitamin D is necessary for calcium absorption.
As an esthetician, I would be remiss
if I did not mention how great mushrooms are for your skin! If you have fine lines and wrinkles look for
products containing snow mushrooms, which are better than hyaluronic acid as
the particles are much smaller and penetrate the skin more deeply and
easily. For acne, look for products with
Agarikon mushrooms which reduces oiliness without drying the skin. For sun damage or hyperpigmentation, look for
Songyi mushrooms and kojic acid from shiitake mushrooms. Mushrooms also provide diverse nutrients,
which include antioxidants, B vitamins, copper and selenium. Mushrooms offer benefits for every skin type!
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If the font size, color and type are different
- this happens when I transfer the article to blogger, not sure why it happens,
but it was not created that way. So forgive the craziness, and focus on
the information!! As always, this article
is for informational purposes only and is NOT intended as medical advice!!!
1.
http://www.detoxlab.org/ergothioneine-unparalleled-health-benefits/
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