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Top Medicinal Mushrooms for Hormonal Health
Medicinal mushrooms can be so appealing, but often confusing. There are so many, and each come with their own set of benefits. So how do you choose one that’s just right for you?
First off, medicinal mushrooms are a class of edible fungi that are used to help the body adapt to stressors of all kinds ~ physical, chemical, and biological. Each type of medicinal mushroom has its own unique properties and benefits to support homeostasis.
Most commonly, medicinal mushrooms are utilised to enhance immune, hormonal, & cognitive health due to their high antioxidant content & adaptogenic properties.
If supporting your hormonal health is one of your health goals, read on.
When it comes to hormones, the ideal way to approach this area of health is to think of them as your chemical messengers. Their job is to respond to the environment that you provide for them, and keep things in equilibrium. The environment they are responding to includes how and what you eat, quality of your sleep, your gut health & levels of inflammation, your ability to detoxify, and your capacity to mitigate stress. We can’t compartmentalise hormones because they work synergistically and are mutually dependent on each other.
The reason I love using medicinal mushrooms for hormonal support is because they have a positive effect, due to bioactive compounds, such as terpenoids and polysaccharides, on all root causative factors of hormonal disharmony. Let’s break down how we can choose the best mushrooms for our hormones!
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Reishi
Reishi mushroom has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years and is known as the mushroom of ‘immortality’. One of the key areas of focus for hormonal health is nourishing the adrenal glands, which are incharge of our stress response and the release of cortisol and adrenaline. Since cortisol is our ‘life and death’ hormone, it takes precedence over the function of all other hormones in the body, especially if there is too much stress, inflammation or toxins. High cortisol in the evening shunts melatonin production, leading to poor sleep. Reishi mushroom helps to calm the nervous system & reduce inflammation, which in turn helps us get a deeper, more restful sleep.
Another key area of hormonal health is our ability to detoxify. Environmental toxins, especially ones classified as endocrine disruptors, like BPA found in plastics, can cause over or under production of hormones and mimic our natural hormones, leading to disease. Reishi mushrooms help to support the detoxification from environmental exposures, therefore leading to better hormonal health.
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Lion’s Mane
Lion’s Mane is best known for its nootropic factors, meaning it helps with more focused cognitive function. This mushroom is a superb nervous system tonic as it helps to repair the function of our neurons & has a regenerative effect on our peripheral nerves, which are in charge of the communication between your brain cells & your body. This is also important for hormonal health because when we experience cognitive decline or brain fog, we are naturally more stressed, which initiates the fight & flight response, and increases stress hormones. More stress leads to lower levels of progesterone & higher levels of estrogen, which can cause symptoms related to PMS or menopause, anxiety, and poor sleep.
Lion’s Mane also helps to support our hormonal function by reducing inflammatory markers in our digestive system. This is important because a healthy digestion is a necessity for hormonal health by making sure we digest & assimilate our nutrients properly for hormone production, plus many hormones are produced in the digestive system, including ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and motilin (in charge of digestive motility).
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Cordyceps
Cordyceps are mainly known for helping to lift fatigue and increase stamina. The benefits can be expanded to include support for healthy blood sugar levels, especially when consuming the fruiting body of cordyceps. Healthy blood sugar levels are needed for optimal hormone function, as increased insulin levels (the hormone that helps glucose from the blood into cells) lead to higher cortisol levels, which disrupts the rest of our endocrine function.
Another benefit of cordyceps is their anti-inflammatory properties. While acute inflammation is a necessary part of the immune response, chronically elevated inflammation levels can lead to problems such as weight gain, pain, depression, increased allergies/food sensitivities, and elevated cortisol.
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How to Take Medicinal Mushrooms
They are often taken orally as a liquid extract, capsule, powder, or tea form. Stimulating mushrooms, like cordyceps, should be taken during the day to prevent them from potentially interrupting your sleep pattern or making it difficult to fall asleep at night. Relaxing mushrooms, like reishi, are generally better taken in the evening.
You can add medicinal mushrooms to cooking, like dressings, sauces, or soups. Add them to your favourite crackers or energy balls, coffee, smoothie, or make a fun elixir.
To get the therapeutic benefits, use a company that has guaranteed potency for efficacy through proper extraction methods, such as hot water and/or alcohol. You’ll also want to understand how the mushrooms are grown; ideally organically or wild harvested. Because mushrooms have an affinity to store heavy metals, you’ll want to make sure they are tested for contamination. And lastly, look for a brand that uses only the fruiting body of the mushrooms, as that’s where the most benefits lie.
Start slow, and take consistently for 2-6 weeks to see best results. Make sure to check for contraindications while on medications, if you have a mushroom allergy, and if you’re pregnant/nursing.
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