What’s All The Fuss About Medicinal Mushrooms?

Medicinal mushrooms are mysterious and complex organisms comprising of 150 bioactive compounds that facilitate 126 medicinal functions. They are made up of alpha and beta-glucans, terpenoids, polysaccharide-protein complexes, phenols, sterols, peptides and proteins (1). Beta-glucans (a type of polysaccharide) are the most versatile of the bioactive compounds. As immunomodulators, they play a role in maximising the capabilities of the immune system, having the capacity to modify or modulate an immune response, which helps to promote immune system balance. Beta-glucans are found in all medicinal mushrooms with different mushrooms containing their own unique combination and therefore unique healing properties. Beta-glucans are biological response modifiers (BRMs) which unlike pharmaceutical drugs (which usually treat one symptom and have potential side effects) are adaptogens and are said to be able to adapt to our bodies specific needs, working synergistically on different body systems at the same time, optimising its physiological functions. This allows the therapeutic benefits to be wide reaching with the potential to help with a wide variety of conditions and help keep the body in balance.

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