What’s all the Hubbub about Medicinal Mushrooms?

Mushrooms are curious munchkins of the plant world. Well, really, they aren’t even plants! Mushrooms are their own Kingdom - the Kingdom Fungi. On the evolutionary tree of life, they are phylogenetically more closely related to animals than they are to plants.

MUSHROOM HISTORY

The ancient Egyptians used mushrooms for health and longevity many thousands of years ago. Traditional Chinese Medicine also used mushrooms medicinally thousands of years ago, and, to this day, still does. Japanese (Kampo) medicine, Tibetan, Siberian and Native American traditions also use mushrooms medicinally. The western world is now just catching on. Mushroom research has exploded and is, not surprisingly, supporting what traditional cultures have known for literally ages.

WHAT CAN MUSHROOMS DO FOR YOU AND YOUR PETS?

Mushrooms are amazing! They are immunomodulatory, stimulating the immune system or toning it down, depending on what the body needs. Mushrooms are anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial (viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites), anti-oxidant, and anti-cancer. They reduce blood pressure and cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, and are prebiotics – contributing to a healthy intestinal microbiome that improves overall health and immune function. Studies have shown mushroom extracts effective for allergies, asthma, COPD, diabetes, autoimmune disease, cancer, obesity, liver disease, gastrointestinal disease, kidney disease, and heart disease. They are neuroprotective, anti-depressant, and anti-anxiety. They are used for chronic fatigue, dementia, improved athletic performance, and to improve sleep quality. In cancer clinical and laboratory studies, the chemical constituents in mushrooms have been shown to enhance the activity of cancer fighting cells and also to prevent chemotherapy and radiation side effects.

BRIEF MUSHROOM ANATOMY

Mushrooms are composed of a fruiting body and mycelium. The fruiting body is the happy cap popping up in the grass or the striated semicircle decorating the bark of a tree - the visible part of the mushroom. The mycelium is a complex web of filaments, similar to the roots of a plant, that provides nutrition and support to the fruiting body. The mycelium gives rise to the fruiting body when the ambient temperature and humidity is favorable. The fruiting body produces microscopic seeds called spores that produce more mushrooms.

MUSHROOMS AS MEDICINE, IMPORTANT CONCEPTS

The fruiting body contains most of the nutrients and medicinal constituents of the mushroom. The mycelia (roots) contain only small amounts of medicinal goodies. The most important, or at least the most researched, bioactive compound in medicinal mushrooms is β-glucan, a polysaccharide contained in the mushroom cell wall. Because β-glucans are extremely difficult to digest, raw mushrooms and dried powdered mushrooms have very little medicinal activity. Mushrooms require processing via decoction, steaming, decocted tinctures, dual extraction, or isolated extracts, to activate the medicinal constituents into a bioavailable form.

HOW TO CHOOSE A MUSHROOM SUPPLEMENT

When evaluating mushroom products, it is important to know what part of the mushroom is used and if the mushroom has been processed. For a functional supplement, mushroom fruiting bodies (not mycelia) that have been processed or extracted are imperative. The lack of processed fruiting bodies in a supplement is a dealbreaker! The following terms are red flags: mycelium, myceliated brown rice, mycelial biomass, organic white milo, full spectrum, whole life cycle, fermented, primordia, exocellular compounds, mushroom complex or mushroom blend. These terms indicate inferior products that are probably not made from the mushroom fruiting body or have much medicinal value.

WHAT’S THE BEST MUSHROOM FOR MY PET’S MEDICAL CONDITION?

Different mushrooms excel in particular situations. For example, Cordyceps mushrooms are great for lung and kidney issues and enhancing physical performance. Turkey Tail mushrooms are great for cancer. Lion’s Mane mushrooms are neuroprotective and helpful with depression and dementia. Chaga is great for gastritis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). For pets with complex medical issues, supplements containing multiple mushroom varieties are available.

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Sources:

Jayachandran M, Xiao J, Xu B. A Critical Review on Health Promoting Benefits of Edible Mushrooms through Gut Microbiota. Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Sep 8;18(9):1934. doi: 10.3390/ijms18091934. PMID: 28885559; PMCID: PMC5618583.

Gianotti, Britt M., et al. "Preclinical evaluation of concurrent medicinal mushroom-based immune-enhancement supplementation in dogs undergoing chemotherapy for various cancers." International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms 11.2 (2009).