Author: Peyton Burruss
The term “superfood” has grown in popularity in recent years. Often a fruit or a vegetable, a superfood can do it all. It’s healthy, easy to obtain, and has a variety of benefits. Mushrooms, or fungi, is a food that is not only good for our bodies but for the environment as well. Fungi is its own kingdom, and the various fungi species are all unique with their own characteristics. Since fungi possesses both animal and plant properties, it is now classified as its own kingdom. With their abundance and affordability, fungi are some of the best organisms to include in your diet.
Dr. Isaac Eliaz, a respected holistic clinician, has years of research on the properties and powers of medicinal mushrooms. Dr. Eliaz explains exactly how medicinal mushrooms protect and heal your body, along with their different classifications and properties in his article, “Medicinal Mushrooms: Nature’s Smart Drug” on his website. Medicinal mushrooms are natural healers and have many antiviral properties. Not only can they improve your health for the future, but they can also repair past damages to the body. By absorbing dead toxins and tissues, mushrooms then repair those damages with health promoting compounds. Mushrooms can also protect your body from future damage, and are very beneficial for the immune system. They train and balance the immune system to quickly act against bacteria or infections, while also optimzing immune response for future incidents. Medicinal mushrooms are densely packed with active compounds and micro nutrients that don’t diminish over time, so they can be used again and again with the same results.
Different types of fungi are just as densely packed with healthy compunds. In the film “Fantastic Fungi” by Louie Schwartzbert, different classifications of fungi are examined and detailed with their many benefits. One of which is edible mushrooms, which are filled with protein and antioxidants that is beneficial for gut health and the digestive system. Different types of medicinal mushrooms are also useful with mental health and self-realization. With so many different varieties, mushrooms provide many benefits when incorporated into a diet. Fungi is also great for the environment, and with it’s porous nature it can filter water, clean up oil spills, and more. With their abundance in many ecosystems, they are proving to be a useful tool in fighting climate change.
More information about mushrooms can be provided on a local level regarding the specific species. In Arizona, the Arizona Mushroom society provides events and lectures on the fungal species in the desert. Along with where to find the mushrooms, there is also information on the classifications and it’s properties. Different states have their own mushroom society as well, along with the fungi that is native to their land.
Fungi are essential organisms that has countless benefits. Incorporating mushrooms into your diet or partaking in medicinal mushrooms can not only help your body for the future but can repair damage of the past. With the many different varieties and properties, it’s easy to find a fungus that works best for you.
Credit:
https://www.livescience.com/53618-fungus.html
https://www.arizonamushroomsociety.org
https://www.dreliaz.org/2020/04/medicinal-mushrooms-natures-smart-drugs/
Picture Credit: Pexels