Native to Asia, reishi mushrooms are on the list of the top cancer-fighting foods around the world. They can be consumed in the form of a tea, powder, or extract to help reduce inflammation, improve energy levels, balance hormones, and more. Reishi mushroom benefits also include the ability to improve liver health, boost heart health, reduce the risk of infection, and even protect the body from tumor growth. Like the other medicinal mushrooms, it truly is a knockout superfood!
Reishi Mushroom Tea
Drinking reishi mushroom tea can improve your overall health and well-being. While it may sound strange to drink a tea made from reishi mushrooms, or any mushroom, for that matter, it's actually a common practice, one you should consider adopting. After all, you drink tea made from herbs--why not try reishi mushroom tea, as well? Once you get used to the idea it isn't so strange. And as the health benefits of these mushrooms are outstanding, it's hard to find an argument against eating them or drinking them as a tea.Here's how to make reishi mushroom tea:
- Add 1-2 large reishi slices to a quart of water.
- Bring the water and reishi mushrooms to a boil. (Tip: try adding licorice root or ginger. This will help add a sweet note.)
- Let boil for 15 minutes.
- If water evaporates, add more.
- Strain and drink your reishi mushroom tea when it's cool.
- Alternatively, add a tea spoon of reishi mushroom powder to one mug of hot water and stir.
Reishi Mushroom Benefits
1. Helps Protect the Body From Cancer
Reishi mushroom benefits include the ability to protect the body from cancer and prevent tumor growth. They contain plenty of anti-cancer nutrients that work to strengthen the immune system and fight inflammation, including antioxidants, amino acids, beta-glucans and polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are known for their anti-tumor abilities. They help stop cell mutations and to protect DNA from damage. Studies have shown that reishi mushroom benefits include the ability to help fight breast, prostate, liver and lung cancer. (1)2. Improves Liver Function and Supports Detoxification
Along with healthy diet, exercise and stress-relief techniques like medication, adaptogen foods like reishi can help your body maintain a proper balance. This includes items such as helping you manage stress, but it also includes helping your liver do a proper job of of detoxifying. While your liver does indeed detox on its own accord, it can only do as good of a job as the quality of food you feed it. That's where adaptogens like reishi come into play. Indeed, reishi mushroom benefits include the ability to improve liver function and support the body's detox process. Reishi mushrooms help strengthen the digestive system and reduce the risk of liver disease, by promoting the detoxification of waste and other toxins from the body. Furthermore, a 2013 study found that reishi mushrooms have hepatoprotective effects on acute liver injury, thanks to their powerful antioxidant properties and their ability to fight harmful immune responses. (2)3. Promotes Heart Health
Reishi mushroom benefits include the ability to promote heart health by reducing blood pressure levels. The mushrooms contain triterpenes, which help prevent blood clotting, lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation in the blood vessels and arteries. Reishi mushroom benefits also include the ability to balance hormones. This is important for many reasons, but one of them is to improve the health of your heart. High blood pressure issues can sometimes be linked to an hormonal imbalance. So, then, by improving circulation, restoring hormonal balance and naturally reducing blood pressure levels, reishi mushrooms help improve overall heart health. Some research indicates that taking a supplement of reishi can help unclog arteries. Furthermore, these studies suggest that reishi may reduce chest pains as well as shortness of breath.