Mushrooms have been getting a lot of hype lately in the wellness community. What’s so special about them that you can’t get from just plant-based foods? Hint, mushrooms aren’t plants, and they’ve got their own set of unique, nutrient-dense compounds.
1.Immune boosting
Extracts of Chaga mushrooms were discovered to strengthen both the innate and adaptive immune system, by stimulating macrophage cell activity and increasing the number of CD-4 helper T cells. This mushroom has also been proven to reduce inflammation in the digestive system, which can help to maintain the integrity of the stomach and intestinal cell lining.
2.Antimicrobial and anticancer properties
Chaga mushrooms have also been shown to inhibit H. pylori (the bacteria responsible for stomach ulcers), harmful fungi (candida), and even inhibit and kill cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.
3.Enhancing your gut microbiome
The polysaccharides found in Chaga mushrooms act as food (prebiotics) for your gut bacteria, strengthening the community of good bacteria. By feeding the good bacteria in your gut, you are indirectly benefiting your brain, since gut bacteria are heavily responsible for influencing the health of the gut-brain-axis.
4.Blood sugar control
Suffering from diabetes or neuropathic pain associated with it? Chaga mushrooms were shown to reduce blood glucose levels, increase insulin levels, and reduce neuropathic pain in diabetic rats through a mechanism of antioxidant activity.
5.Neuroprotective properties
The biggest benefit that Chaga mushrooms can provide for your health is from its ability to protect against neurodegenerative disease and memory-decline as a result of aging.
Not only can chaga boost your overall mental function and heighten the capacity to focus, but it also exhibits neuroprotective effects against dementia. How does this fungus achieve all of these abilities? Through the action of two special classes of bioactive molecules, hericenones, and erinacines.
Chaga can also play an active role in fighting off hard-to-treat viruses like HIV and Hepatitis C. And most of all, studies are very promising to show that the Chaga mushroom is an effective anti-cancer agent against many different cancer types (including brain cancer), helping to reduce cancer cell growth and enhance the immune system to fight off existing cancer cells.
