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Mushrooms have long been used as food, medicine and fuel. Medicinal mushrooms are used to treat, cure or prevent a whole host of ailments from heart disease and impotency to depression and insomnia. Reishi mushrooms, nicknamed the ‘mushroom of immortality’, are the most commonly used medicinal mushrooms in the world and can provide a wide variety of benefits including better sleep.
Poor sleep health can and will affect your overall health. Not getting enough sleep at night can cause the immune system to weaken and we all know that a weak immune system can leave you susceptible to all sorts of diseases. A lot of factors can contribute to poor sleep health and while there are many ways to treat sleep problems nowadays, most of them are invasive and prescription medicines could lead to even more damage than good.
A lot more people today are well aware of the ill effects of prescription medication and more and more people turn to alternative, more natural forms of treatment. Herbal supplements are one such form of alternative medicine. Usually made from the leaves, flowers, roots or bark of a particular plant, herbal supplements can also come from other natural sources such as mushrooms.
Mushrooms are not technically plants but fungi. While some fungi can be bad for you, quite a few can be good (and good eatin’). Medicinal mushrooms have been part of traditional medicine in Asia for thousands of years and only fairly recently has it caught on to the West. Mushroom supplements such as reishi, cordyceps, chaga, turkey tail, maitake and lion’s mane have experienced a boom in the natural supplement industry with people finally realizing the many benefits of traditional Eastern medicine.
A little background on Reishi Mushrooms
Reishi or Ganoderma lucidum/lingzhi, is a species of mushroom that has been recognized as a medicinal mushroom in China and Japan for over 2000 years. Easily recognizable because of its fan-like, red varnished cap, reishi mushrooms initially only grew on deciduous trees and fallen logs in the forest, with only 2 or 3 out of 10,ooo trees to have reishi growth. This makes it one of the rarest mushrooms to find in the wild and back then only nobility were said to have partaken of reishi.
Today, reishi can be cultivated on hardwood logs, sawdust and woodchips which is how most supplement companies produce their mushrooms.
Reishi is nicknamed “the mushroom of immortality” due to its adaptogenic abilities. Purported to boost immunity and promote longevity and vitality, reishi is also dubbed as “the spirit mushroom”, for its abilities to help ease stress and support restful sleep. Some studies have also shown reishi to be able to help lower blood pressure, bolster energy levels, improve cognitive function and even increase libido but more research are still being conducted to further confirm the full extent of reishi’s favorable effects.
Usually taken as tea, infusion or capsule supplement, reishi’s popularity is only increasing and with all this ancient mushroom can do, it’s not difficult to see why.
Note: While reishi mushrooms are edible, they are not gourmet mushrooms. They are quite bitter and extremely tough. What’s more, the beneficial compounds can only be extracted through either hot water extraction (ex. tea), solvents such as alcohol or through specialized extraction methods used by manufacturers.
FreshCap Reishi Capsules
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If you are looking for an all-around natural supplement that can also help you sleep better, look no further. Made with the whole mushroom fruiting bodies, reishi mushroom extracts, mycelium as well as the spores, FreshCap’s Reishi mushroom supplement contains nothing but pure, unadulterated reishi.
Quite a lot of mushroom supplements come chock-full of filler such as grain and vegetable starch. This, although not harmful, can mean that you will not be getting the full benefits of the main ingredient. Always look for supplements that are organic and contain no fillers or additives. FreshCap mushrooms pride themselves on providing only the purest quality mushrooms (which they grow themselves, by the way) supplements without fillers of any sort.
Reishi mushroom spores were found to promote liver cell generation in mice but its beneficial compounds are locked within its cell structure and spores need to be “cracked” in order to access these compounds. FreshCap has found a way to crack the spores without compromising the cell structure.
Research also confirms that reishi mushrooms contain both triterpenes and beta glucans – which are known to be cholesterol lowering compounds. On the same note, reishi mushrooms are known to be anti-inflammatory and has been linked to studies about potent herbs and fungi with anti cancer effects.
It seems as though reishi has all the right to reign supreme among all other medicinal mushrooms, and yet there’s one more thing it can definitely do – and that is: promote better sleep. Reishi mushrooms have been used as a tranquilizing agent for the treatment of insomnia, restlessness and palpitation in China for hundreds of years. Recent studies have shown that reishi can even prolong and enhance NREM sleep. While it appears as though lack of sleep seems like a less important issue than say, cancer, poor sleep health can lead to a whole lot of other problems, including, you guessed it, cancer.
Although it seems as though reishi mushroom supplements can do no wrong, it is important to consult with your physician before taking any type of herbal supplement, especially if you are pregnant or under prescription medication. Some reported side effects of reishi mushrooms include extremely low blood pressure, headaches and dizziness. Recommendations can only go so far but everyone’s needs vary greatly.
Ingredients:
Organic Reishi Extract (standardized to contain 27% Beta-Glucan and 1.4% Triterpene)(Ganoderma lucidum)(Fruiting Body), Pullulan Capsule
Recommended use:
Each bottle contains 120 capsules (60 servings). Take any time of the day, with or without a meal.
Buy: FreshCap Reishi Mushroom Supplement, $34.99 (120 capsules) from Freshcap.com
FreshCap Unwind Reishi Elixir
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Bored of the usual chamomile tea but still want the same effects? FreshCap took their mushroom elixir game a step further by combining reishi with chaga, another type of medicinal mushroom.
Inonotus obliquus or chaga, is a mushroom that typically grows on birch trees and can only be found in colder climates – think Siberia (in the United States, most chaga mushrooms come from Maine). Long recognized for its medicinal properties by the Russians and Chinese, chaga was introduced to the West around the ’70s when the preoccupation with health and wellness was just kicking off. Considered to be one of the most powerful adaptogenic ‘herbs’ there is, chaga also contains a full range of antioxidants. By now we all know the importance of an antioxidant rich diet.
Adaptogenic plants and mushrooms help bring the body back into balance and provide beneficial effects to keep various systems running such as the immune system and cardiovascular system. Adaptogens also help keep stress levels down and has been proven to help combat depression.
By combining chaga mushroom extract with reishi, along with a blend of other sleep-inducing plants and herbs such as chamomile, peppermint and passionflower with some l-theanine thrown in for good measure, FreshCap’s Unwind Reishi Elixir can help provide a gentle, more relaxing pathway to better sleep.
Each box of FreshCap Unwind Reishi Elixir contains 20 sachets.
Ingredients:
Organic Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) Fruiting Body Extract, Organic Chaga (Inonotus obliquus), Fruiting Body Extract, Albion® Magnesium Bisglycinate Chelate, Organic Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) Flower Extract, Organic Peppermint (Mentha haplocalyx) Leaf Extract, L-theanine, Organic Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata) Extract, Organic Monk Fruit (Momordica grosvenorii) Extract
Recommended use:
Mix one packet with 8-10 fl oz of hot water, stir and drink, preferably before bed.
Buy: FreshCap Unwind Reishi Elixir, $37.99 from Freshcap.com
FAQs
How long does it take for reishi mushrooms to work?
The calming effects of the mushrooms can be felt almost immediately after ingestion but its other benefits that help immunity, cognition and energy can only be fully realized after 6-8 weeks of continued use. Results may vary depending on age, weight and metabolism.
Are reishi mushrooms safe?
Ganoderma ludicum are deemed to be completely safe for human consumption and has been used for thousands of years.
What are the benefits of reishi mushrooms?
All parts of the reishi mushroom contain beneficial compounds. The whole fruiting body along with the mycelium and spores can be used to extract the full benefits of reishi mushrooms. These benefits include a stronger immune system, improved cognitive function, increased energy, lower blood pressure levels and improved sleep.
Are reishi mushrooms psychedelic?
Ganoderma lucidum mushrooms do not contain any hallucinogenic properties and are not psychedelic.
About FreshCap Mushrooms
You can definitely tell FreshCap are passionate about mushrooms. They grow their own, brew their own and produce their own. All of FreshCaps mushroom products are vegan, non-GMO, organic and paleo-friendly.
Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, FreshCap mushrooms started out as a small gourmet mushroom business until they became more aware of the medicinal properties of the mushrooms they were cultivating. Thus, FreshCap mushroom supplements were born. Run by Tegan and Tony Shields, they have a very hands-on approach to everything they do and are more than happy to share their love and awareness for mushrooms with the world. They even have a YouTube channel where they share tips on how to grow your own mushrooms as well as yummy mushroom recipes to try.
As of this writing, FreshCap mushroom supplements have 4.5 out of 5 stars and reviews have been nothing less than stellar.
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Michelline loves nothing more than a cozy bed, with a stack of books at her side. She loves getting lost when she travels, can bake an entire British afternoon tea from scratch, is obsessed with all things analogue and does calligraphy on the side. She currently suffers from mild insomnia and is more than happy to be your guinea pig, so you won’t have to go through all the trouble of finding out what works best for you.
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