How Can Medicinal Mushrooms Support Your Immune System?
Read on to discover 3 main ways that Hifas da Terra’s Medicinal Mushroom supplements can support your immune system to function optimally, in order to promote yours and your family’s health and vitality.
- Medicinal Mushrooms as Immunomodulators and Adaptogens
- Medicinal Mushrooms for Allergies
- Mycotherapy for Viral Prevention
- Medicinal mushrooms as Immunomodulators and Adaptogens
Medicinal mushrooms are powerful adaptogens, meaning that they can restore harmony and balance within multiple systems of the human body and mind! Such as, bringing balance to our digestive system by acting as pre-biotic foods for the beneficial bacteria in our guts to thrive on. Because approximately 70% of our immune cells are located within the lining of our gut, our microbiota is heavily involved in supporting our immune system.
Although, medicinal mushrooms have even more of a direct effect on supporting our immune health and this is because they contain powerful immunomodulating fibres called B-d-glucans. B-d-Glucans are known as efficient and safe immunomodulators, this means that you can safely apply them many immune system disorders, from overactive immune conditions such as, allergies and autoimmune diseases, or for to support an underactive, low immune system which may be making you vulnerable to infections like seasonal colds, flu and viruses. The B-glucans help to improve our immune cell signalling, communication and thus they support our immune system to function correctly, as it is designed to do. Think ‘balance’ rather than ‘boosting.’
- Medicinal Mushrooms for Allergies
Allergies cause an exacerbated reaction of the immune system to substances that for most people are harmless. They are considered chronic conditions which can affect quality of life. The incidence of many inflammatory such as asthma and allergies, has increased dramatically in Western countries in recent conditions and
decades. Sensitisation rates to one or more common allergens among school children are approaching 40-50% worldwide.
The Sun mushroom (Agaricus blazei Murill): a medicinal mushroom studied as a regulator of the immune system. It is effective in cases of allergy, autoimmune conditions and infectious processes. The Sun mushroom (Agaricus blazei Murill) has the highest concentration of beta-glucans of any known medicinal mushroom and is considered the best immune modulator. Its immunomodulatory capacity is particularly useful in allergies and autoimmune conditions, as well as in other situations where the immune system needs to be regulated.
Sun mushroom (Agaricus blazei Murill (AbM) intake is associated with a significant enhancement of the immune response and modulation - both innate and adaptive, and improvement of efficiency of overall immune function has been demonstrated in vivo. Clinical studies show that AbM extract not only stimulates weakened immunity but also promotes the balance between Th1 and Th2 immune responses. Thus, AbM acts as a potent antihistamine due to the presence of active biomolecules that inhibit histamine release by mast cells and reduce allergy-specific IgE antibodies. Activation of Th1 cells via AbM use will lead to inhibition of the antibody-mediated immune response, and consequently to alleviation of allergy symptoms.
AbM mushroom extract can be more effective at allergy prevention when used in conjunction with Reishi mushroom extract. The triterpene content of Reishi extract possesses antioxidant, antihistamine and anti-inflammatory activity, which can histamine secretion by mast cells and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which complements the immunomodulatory action of AbM. Hifas da Terra have a concentrated Reishi extract called Mico-Rei and a concentrated Sun mushroom (Agaricus blazei Murill (AbM) extract called Mico-Sol which are suitable for children from 14 years plus and adults. Both Reishi extract and AbM extracts are found in Dr Immune Five (suitable for children from 3 years plus) or Mico-Five suitable for children from 14 years plus and adults.
Do Medicinal Mushroom have a direct antiviral or antibacterial action? The answer is a definite yes, different Medicinal Mushrooms have demonstrated antimicrobial and antiviral action against various bacterial and viral pathogens which can make us ill. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) commonly incorporates Medicinal Mushrooms as a first line therapy otherwise known as ‘Mycotherapy’. Mycotherapy is proving a vital tool for the control of COVID-19 in Asia, where it is being used in almost 90% of cases. Those patients treated with Medicinal Mushrooms tend to have a better prognosis and fewer complications.
In 2019, during the COVID-19 outbreak in Spain, elderly residents of a nursing home were supplement with Hifas da Terra’s Mico-Corio (Organic extract of Turkey tail) and Mico-Sol (Organic extract of Agarics blazei). The residents were extremely vulnerable as the average age was 87 years old, many also had co-morbidities and were taking other medications. Thankfully nobody who tested positive for Covid who was taking the Medicinal Mushrooms required admission to ICU, plus the nursing home had a much lower fatality rate of just 1.4% compared to the Spanish National average at the time which sadly was 24%.
With further research and study on COVID-19, including the common symptoms and the viral mechanisms, Hifas da Terra scientifically designed Mico-Vir. Mico-Vir is a combination of two concentrated extracts of medicinal mushrooms - Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) and Cordyceps sinensis. Cordycepin is a unique triterpene compound from Hifas da Terra’s concentrated Cordyceps sinensis extract which inhibits the copying of viral material and reinforces antiviral actions. The similarity between cordycepin and nucleic adenosine allows the incorporation of cordycepin into viral DNA and RNA chains.
In vitro studies have demonstrated the antiviral capacity of Reishi extract against different types of viruses. Following SARS CoV-2 infection, whether mild or severe, many patients have an incomplete recovery characterised by the persistence of symptoms in the weeks and months following infection. Although the clinical manifestations are diverse, the most common symptoms include fatigue, dyspnoea, impaired attention, concentration, memory and sleep, anxiety and depression. An observational study conducted by Hifas da Terra in 2019 showed that the ad- ministration of Mico-Rei (Reishi extract used in Mico-Vir) in patients with anxiety, stress and insomnia improved symptoms in 100% of cases.
Hifas da Terra invest 62% of their profits into research and as a result of the scientific revolution that occurred in the 2020 pandemic, the usefulness of natural active ingredients with anti-COVID-19 activity in adjuvant to standard treatments is being investigated. These include the study of medicinal mushroom extracts or active biomolecules that can be isolated from these fascinating organisms, as carried out by Hifas da Terra for more than 20 years.
In summary, medicinal mushrooms can support your family’s immune function all year round whether to prevent seasonal allergies, such as hay fever or to support you to fight viruses and to minimise viral symptoms. Be careful to choose a good quality brand that has research and a high concentration of pure medicinal mushrooms, such as Hifas da Terra.