How can medicinal mushrooms help with gut health?

Gut health is the foundation of your overall physical health. We’re becoming increasingly aware of this. Many people try to improve our gut health in natural ways, but can medicinal mushrooms help with that too? They contain many unique active compounds that are good for the gut. In this blog you’ll read more about it.

Using medicinal mushrooms to support your gut health

Your gut (and gut flora) is responsible for a large part of your health. It’s the foundation of your immune system, your energy levels and even your mental well-being. When there’s an imbalance, it can lead to all kinds of different complaints. Many chronic conditions stem from deteriorated gut health.

Unfortunately, digestive complaints are becoming increasingly common. They’re mainly caused by stress, the fast pace of life and poor food choices. Long-term medication use, poor sleep and harmful environmental influences can also have a negative effect on your gut. Ultimately, all these factors and the development of chronic inflammation can lead to conditions like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

The gut contains trillions of microorganisms, including fungi, viruses, bacteria and parasites. These form the microbiome. This is not only important for your gut health, but it’s also linked to mental well-being, the immune system, regulating a healthy weight and blood sugar levels. But how can you support your gut health and what can medicinal mushrooms contribute to this? It turns out that several of these mushrooms contain compounds that can be very useful for microbiome health.

Mushrooms for microflora

Regularly eating mushrooms can help promote your gut health. A recent review showed that consuming mushrooms is good for gut flora diversity and can cause a change in its composition. Medicinal mushrooms are very rich in various compounds with very powerful effects. Below you can see which mushrooms are suitable to use if you want to support your gut health.

Chaga and Maitake

Do you suffer from digestive complaints? Then take Chaga or Maitake as a supplement. They can help relieve gut complaints and support the good bacteria in the gut. They can also be used against viral infections and candida, which can cause all kinds of gut problems.

Reishi

Prebiotics is a good way to provide the gut flora with extra nutrients. They are dietary fibers that bacteria need to grow and thrive. Research shows that Reishi has prebiotic properties. These fibers can serve as food for the good bacteria in the gut. Reishi also has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect, making it very useful for chronic gut inflammation. Reishi may also contribute to maintaining a healthy weight.

Lion’s Mane

Lion’s Mane, also called the Whig Mushroom, is one of the medicinal mushrooms that can also be used to improve intestinal health. It naturally has antibacterial properties that can help protect the intestines from ulcer damage. Many people suffer from ulcers in intestines or stomach. Often behind this is the bacterium H. Pylori, which attacks the protective mucus layer of the stomach. There is then an overgrowth.

When you use Lion’s Mane, the active ingredients prevent the growth of H. Pylori. They also have a protective effect on lining of the stomach and intestines, research shows. This medicinal mushroom is even more effective against stomach ulcers caused by alcohol than regular remedies. On top of that, Lion’s Mane also had no side effects at all.

Shiitake

Shiitake is one of the medicinal mushrooms regularly used in cooking even in our country. But just because it is not exotic does not mean it could not also be particularly medicinal. Shiitake has antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. In addition, the mushroom helps support the immune system. It contains the polysaccharide lentinan which is very potent against fungi and parasites.

A more robust gut health

Your gut health might not be at the top of your priority list. Many people think more about exercising, getting enough rest and just eating healthy. And while that contributes a lot, good gut health ensures you feel better and can age healthily. So it’s definitely worth paying more attention to your gut. You can do this by using medicinal mushrooms, but also in the following ways:

• Eat more fiber: Fiber is food for the good gut bacteria. You get it by eating more fruit, vegetables, beans and whole grains.
• Eat varied: By eating varied, your gut flora also gets more variety and that means better gut health. For example, try eating vegetables for lunch or a salad with your dinner. The more vegetables, the more good bacteria in your gut.
• Fermented foods: This type of food is rich in pro- and prebiotics and enzymes, which support your gut health. Examples include kefir, sauerkraut, pickles and tempeh.
• Use herbs and spices: these also contribute to a varied diet and are rich in micronutrients, which are good for your gut flora.
• Eat healthy and minimally processed foods: Highly processed food is rich in sugar and saturated fats and contains much fewer nutrients. If you often choose this, your microbiome will suffer. So make your meals yourself with fresh products.
  

If you want to take better care of your gut health, you now have enough tips to do something about it. Are you looking for a good medicinal mushroom supplement? Check out our shop!