A MUSHROOM SUPPLEMENT WITH A DIFFERENCE

It has been said that bad supplements are like a bad diet and I have to say I agree. Every day I get bombarded by supplement companies with products that promise to be the true elixir for a better life and increased health. The truth is that a good supplement should be supporting a busy lifestyle where someone already has a great diet and way of living.

The landscape of supplements is also changing and food supplements are becoming more important. This is because we are calorie laden and nutrient poor. The soil our crops are grown in can be deficient in essential minerals and nutrients and fast food has become a fast way to poor health.

Convenience is not convenient if it’s costing you your energy, vitality and essential lifeforce. As we now know nature provides us with everything we need the world of plant based food supplements becomes an area of interest and intrigue. The question is how do we harness the best that nature can provide?

For thousands of years mushrooms have been used in healing and medicines and they are being increasingly researched today to assess their importance and health benefits. There are edible, inedible, magic and poisonous mushrooms. Currently there are over 10,000 known types of mushrooms and scientists reckon about 2,000 of these are edible. Although that may seem like a lot, mycologists suspect that this is only a fraction of what’s out there!

For a long time now I have been using mushrooms for medicinal teas and supplementing with good quality supplements that I have found like shitake and reishi in my smoothies. Mushrooms have long been known to boost immunity and overall health. Some of the other benefits that you can expect include increased energy, improved muscle recovery, heart health, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and concentration or cognition. In trials many mushrooms also contain powerful ingredients that have been found to neutralize free radicals.

A new product that I am a proud Brand Ambassador for, Phytality, which means for ‘plants for life’ has a new product called Super Six. It contains six different active extracts from six different types of mushrooms. Each “vegan friendly” capsule contains 300mg of concentrated extracts from the mushrooms, God’s Mushroom (Agaricus brasiliensis), Maitake (Grifola frondosa), Cordyceps militaris, Shiitake (Lentinus edodes), Turkey tail (Trametes Versicolor) and Reishi- “Mushroom of Immortality” (Ganoderma lucidum).

All six of these mushrooms and their extracts have been used for 1000’s of years all over the world by traditional herbalists to promote and support good overall health and wellness. Also, within the past several years, these mushrooms have also been of great interest to many research scientists.

For example, in a 1995 study,* Reishi showed ‘the greatest antihepatotoxic activity and the greatest free radical scavenging activity.’ In other words it helps to reduce free radical activity. At high levels, free radicals damage various structures in your body’s cells. This cellular damage contributes to an increase in your risk for developing many health problems, including those related to aging. This is why decreasing or inactivating free radicals can lead to huge benefits for your health.Reishi is Known in China as the “spirit plant,” as it is believed to relax and fortify both mind and body.

CORDYCEPS

In a 2012 study (2), Cordyceps have been shown to “improve the antioxidation activity in immunosuppressed mice (and to) significantly increase… total antioxidant capacity.”

The great news is that Cordyceps not only helps to neutralize harmful free radicals, it also enhances the activity of your body’s innate antioxidant systems.

Compounds from Cordyceps have been shown to help support balanced blood sugar levels. For example, a study (4) in the journal Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin found that a Cordyceps polysaccharide showed “potent hypoglycemic (blood sugar lowering) activity in genetic diabetic mice,” while “plasma glucose level was quickly reduced in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice.” The study also found that this same Cordyceps-sourced polysaccharide contributed to lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

SHITAKE

Shiitake is probably one of the best-studied mushrooms in the world today. These mushrooms contain a polysaccharide known as Lentinan, (3) which Cancer Detection and Prevention Journal has described as “a unique class of immunopotentiator” that helps to improve the quality of life and extend survival.

TURKEY TAIL

Turkey tail contains a wide variety of phenol and flavonoid antioxidants which help promote your immune system health by reducing inflammation and stimulating the release of protective compounds. In fact, one study (5) detected over 35 different phenolic compounds in a sample of turkey tail mushroom extract, along with the flavonoid antioxidants quercetin and baicalein. Reducing stress and inflammation is so important in today’s world. Let’s face it most of us are stressed even when we don’t even feel it.

The busyness epidemic means that our bodies need better support backed by science and research. We need to understand our needs better and a lot of plants have the intelligence to work synergistically with our bodies to help us navigate the modern world with greater ease and pleasure.

We don’t always have to fight life and battle with our health. Knowledge truly is power and when you begin to educate yourself about food and the plant world, you can begin to make smarter choices for yourself.

PHYTALITY Super Six stockists https://www.greenlightsupplements.com/

Boots Ireland
Duggan’s Pharmacy , Renmore , Galway
Salthill Pharmacy , Salthill
Matt O Flaherty , William Street , Galway
Matt O Flaherty , Barna , Galway
Matt O Flaherty , Moycullen , Galway
Matt O Flaherty , Eyre Square , Galway
Matt O Flaherty , NUIG , Galway
Matt O Flaherty , Terryland , Galway

REFERENCES/STUDIES

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