Reishi mushrooms have long been revered in Asian cultures for their healing benefits, often called Ganoderma lucidum or Lingzhi in Chinese. Reishi mushroom extract is considered an all-natural beauty aid.

Reishi helps combat hyperpigmentation, dark spots and discolouration on your skin. Furthermore, Reishi supports skin elasticity to keep your complexion youthful as well as enhance immune system functions while relieving fatigue.

Reishi

Reishi mushrooms can be found growing on logs and stumps of deciduous trees – particularly maple trees – across Asia, Europe and North America in temperate regions. Renowned for its healing properties and widely used from improving sleep to cancer treatment, Reishi boasts over 400 bioactive compounds reported through scientific studies that may offer health support benefits.

Reishi may help to improve immune health and protect the body against illness by stimulating white blood cells that fight viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Reishi is also widely thought to possess anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and anti-diabetic properties as well as being an adaptogen (meaning it helps the body respond better to stress), providing overall wellness benefits.

Reishi has the adaptogenic capacity that makes it a potency stress reliever, helping to ease tension and anxiety while improving sleep quality. Furthermore, Reishi may help those suffering from chronic fatigue to balance hormone levels and enhance quality sleep; additionally it has also shown to positively influence GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric acid) pathways which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter known for decreasing neural activity and encouraging restful restful slumber.

Reishi may offer several cardiovascular-healthy advantages, including its ability to lower blood sugar, triglyceride and cholesterol levels while increasing good cholesterol levels. However, due to possible increased bleeding risk for people with low platelet counts or during pregnancy or breastfeeding women. Reishi should therefore be avoided.

Reishi has been found to possess anti-tumor properties in small clinical studies, inhibiting colorectal tumor growth and increasing chemotherapy’s efficacy for ovarian cancer patients. Furthermore, Reishi stimulates white blood cells that target abnormal — including cancerous — cells.

Reishi is an exceptionally potent herb with multiple health benefits. Before adding Reishi to your diet, be sure to seek advice from a medical provider first and start off slowly to assess how it affects you; gradually increasing dosage according to individual wellness goals and individual responses.

Cordyceps

Cordyceps is a fungus widely utilized by traditional Chinese medicine to strengthen and enhance physical performance. It has been utilized to treat conditions ranging from impotence and other sexual dysfunctions to backache, exhaustion, chronic fatigue as well as increase athletic performance and stamina. Cordyceps is also widely known to support immune system health as well as provide sexual stimulants with positive side effects including sexual potency or even sexual enhancement effects.

Cordyceps contains numerous bioactive molecules, such as nucleosides, polysaccharides, proteins, sterols, vitamins (Vit E, K, B1 and B12) and trace elements. Differing extraction methods and solvents produce extracts with different concentrations of bioactive compounds, each extract having unique biological activities; for instance, cordyceps aqueous and alcoholic extracts exhibit neuroprotective qualities. These bioactive compounds have been associated with increasing synaptic plasticity and decreasing memory-related neuronal degeneration, in addition to anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory activities that could protect against oxidative stress, modulate cell signaling pathways, and strengthen mitochondrial functions.

Studies have demonstrated that cordyceps can activate genes associated with neuron proliferation, differentiation, survival and neurite growth. Furthermore, it enhances neurite growth and brain-derived neurotrophic factor secretion, as well as protecting against DNA oxidative damage caused by lipid peroxidation, protein glycation and protein glycation oxidation; additionally lowering levels of pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines such as TNF-a, IL-6 COX-2 and p38 MAPK.

Cordyceps can also help inhibit tumor cell development while simultaneously increasing hematopoiesis by increasing stem cell numbers. Furthermore, cordyceps has been shown to reduce triglycerides levels in blood and hepatocytes, inhibit hepatic fibrogenesis, reduce lipid peroxidation in hepatocytes and serum, as well as alleviate liver injury caused by acetaminophen and LPS treatments.

Cordyceps should be taken with caution by those with diabetes and other autoimmune disorders, as it could interfere with certain medications’ efficacy. Although no known interactions exist between cordyceps and any medications or supplements you are currently taking, it’s wise to notify your physician.

Lion’s Mane

Lion’s Mane mushroom takes its name from its shaggy appearance. More formally known as Hericium erinaceus, this mushroom can now be found everywhere from raw mushroom caps to powdered extracts that can be sprinkled on smoothies or mixed into hot beverages. With its subtle seafood-esque flavor, Lion’s Mane mushrooms make great ingredients in recipes like vegetarian crab cakes and soups.

Lion’s Mane mushrooms contain beta-glucans that have prebiotic properties. When digested by gut bacteria, these compounds help promote the growth of good microbes that reduce inflammation and support an optimal immune system. Furthermore, Lion’s Mane has also been demonstrated as neuroprotective; protecting nerve cells against damage as well as supporting regeneration of nerves regenerating itself and slowing progression of Parkinson’s disease in mice through reconnecting neurons in both brain and spinal cord regions.

Studies have demonstrated that lion’s mane can help alleviate anxiety and depression by stimulating nerve growth factor (NGF), an important molecule which regulates automated processes like breathing. Furthermore, research indicates it may even provide some protection from Alzheimer’s disease damage.

Lion’s mane is also a great source of vitamin B12, helping balance our hormone levels. A recent study on people living with ulcerative colitis discovered that just three weeks of treatment with lion’s mane extract reduced symptoms and enhanced quality of life significantly.

Lion’s mane may be an excellent supplement to boost brain health, but before adding any new supplements to your regimen, it is important to assess both diet and lifestyle factors. When taking any new medication or supplement it is always wise to consult a nutritionist first in order to get an appropriate dosage as well as to avoid interactions between medications or supplements that you are already taking and the new additions.

Turkey Tail

Turkey tail bracket fungus can often be found at the bases of trees and is one of the more prevalent species found there. It often forms clusters and boasts an array of colors including browns, yellows, greys and purples with different-sized rings of color spanning its spectrum of hues. Turkey tail can be found worldwide and boasts one or multiple heads as well as flat caps – making it one of the more widely used medicinal fungi worldwide – particularly within Asian cultures.

This fungus has been proven to be an effective antimicrobial and immune booster. Packed with polysaccharides that support immune activity, its presence inhibits pathogen growth, has anti-viral properties and antiviral activity against pathogens as well as being proven beneficial in chemotherapy treatments for cancer patients. Studies also demonstrate its use to enhance chemotherapy treatments.

Turkey tail mushroom extracts offer many health advantages due to its ability to stimulate the immune system. The polysaccharides found within this fungus help increase macrophage activity, triggering an upsurge in immune-related cytokines production. Furthermore, these polysaccharides have also been proven to activate dendritic cells and natural killer cells involved in immune responses.

Turkey tail extracts have been shown to do more than boost immune systems; they’ve also been found to reduce pain and enhance overall quality of life in cancer patients. Studies conducted with these fungi show increased long-term survival for gastrointestinal cancers and lung cancer, and reduced chemotherapy side effects such as leukopenia, nausea and diarrhea.

Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of this fungus at reducing cancer risks, particularly esophageal and colon cancers, by shrinking tumor sizes and inhibiting cancerous cell division. Additionally, numerous studies indicate it can treat liver diseases while helping prevent fatty liver syndrome.

NOW’s Turkey Tail tea blend features rooibos leaves (Aspalathus linearis), reishi mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum/Lingzhi), lemongrass leaves (Cymbopogon citratus) and eleuthero root (Eleutherococcus senticosus) to support immune health, enhance wellness and support overall well-being. It makes an ideal solution for anyone looking to boost immunity.