Interested in a mushroom immune supplement? Well, there are options for you, because a variety of mushrooms may help support human immunity.
Today we share information on our mushroom immune supplements, in both powdered and liquid form.
The mushroom immune supplements we have available that we want you to know about are:
Powdered reishi mushroom supplement
Liquid reishi mushroom extract
Powdered mushroom blend (which include reishi, maitake, and turkey tail, among others)
Chaga mushroom liquid extract
Powdered lion's mane supplement
Liquid lion's mane extract
We will be sharing information on each mushroom, its mushroom immune benefits, and the mushroom immune supplements that are available for you to help support your well being.
Studies on mushrooms and immune system boosting support
According to the study Immune Modulation From Five Major Mushrooms, “Few studies examining immunological outcomes have been conducted within the clinical trial framework. That framework is the key to moving the knowledge of mushroom immunology out of the lab and animal models and into both physically well and diseased human populations.”
The Discussion section of this study continues as follows:
“Many researchers are working to purify and study individual constituents of mushrooms to understand their effects on apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and immune modulation. This research is allowing researchers to move from lab bench to bedside. As this review has demonstrated, mushrooms show great promise as adjunctive treatment used in conjunction with typical care for patients with cancer, as well as treatment to stimulate the immune response to cancer. Research to date has shown a high safety profile for mushrooms and a lack of negative interactions. As the science continues to emerge, it is likely that the efficacy and safety will justify medicinal mushrooms as an adjunct treatment.”
I highly recommend reading this study in more depth if you are interested in mushroom supplements for immune system boosting support.
Looking at mushrooms that are good candidates as a mushroom immune supplement
Lion’s mane mushroom: Much of our immunity comes from gut health, and this is one of the areas that lion’s mane may help support. In animal tests, lion’s mane has been shown to support healthy activity in the intestinal immune system. This study postulates that the lion's mane immune support comes from “effective regulation of intestinal mucosal immune activity.”
Reishi mushroom: Reishi mushroom is another popular functional mushroom that has been used in Asian countries for thousands of years. Ganoderma lucidum and Ganoderma tsugae are two of the most-commonly used species of reishi. In addition to mushroom supplement powders, people often consume reishi in tea form or as a tincture.
A study entitled Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition has its 9th chapter dedicated to Ganoderma lucidum and refers to this mushroom as an immunomodulator. The study being referred to was conducted on mice. Here is an excerpt from this study: “There is considerable evidence to support the immunostimulating activities of G. lucidum via induction of cytokines and enhancement of immunological effector (Wang et al. 1997; Zhu and Lin 2006).”
Chaga mushroom: Chaga mushroom is a black mass which primarily grows on birch trees. It is easiest to find in the winter when the leaves are no longer on the trees. It is best to look for chaga along streams and rivers where birches are abundant, and along old logging roads where trees may have been scraped. Chaga is consumed in three different forms: as tea, as chaga tincture, and as chaga powder supplement. The chaga tincture has a more complete profile of compounds found in chaga than tea because it uses both hot water and alcohol to extract.
Chaga is a powerful mushroom that is mostly found in northeastern US, Canada, and Siberia. In Siberia the Khanty people have used it for hundreds of years as a cure all. Chaga can support the immune system by creating more killer T-cells and macrophages which hunt down harmful intruders.
Maitake mushroom: Also known as hen of the woods, maitake mushroom (Grifola frondosa). Its name is a Japanese word meaning “dancing mushroom”, and perhaps with good reason. Maitake has been shown to have immune supporting qualities. According to the study A phase I/II trial of a polysaccharide extract from Grifola frondosa (Maitake mushroom) in breast cancer patients: immunological effects, “A polysaccharide extract from Grifola frondosa (Maitake extract) showed immunomodulatory effects in preclinical studies and therefore the potential for clinical use.”
Turkey tail mushroom: The study Immune Modulation From Five Major Mushrooms: Application to Integrative Oncology mentions that turkey tail mushroom (Trametes versicolor) contains the constituents PSP and PSK, which are both polysaccharide peptides. The study also mentions that, “Turkey tail extract was well-tolerated and was immunomodulatory at higher doses (6 g or 9 g).”
Overall, if you are interested in a mushroom immune supplement, look for the mushrooms we mentioned above, and consider the mushroom powders and tinctures that we sell because these mushrooms are included in them. We have some of these mushrooms in both liquid extract and powdered supplement form as well.