The Healing Powers of Mushrooms

I am a woman with a strong family history of breast cancer. My mother had it when she was 45, both of my grandmothers had it, and so did my maternal Aunt. Luckily, all of these strong women survived the disease, but after genetic testing, I found that I am at especially high risk for breast cancer.  I need to be diligent about how I treat my body and mind so I don’t become another statistic.

I am always interested to learn ways to lower my risk of breast cancer, and be generally healthier, through natural ways,so I was excited when I learned that there is a lot of research suggesting mushrooms may lower the risk of breast cancer, especially in pre-menopausal women. Turns out that mushrooms not only can decrease cancer risk, they contain so many positive side effects they are considered one of the most powerful super foods the earth offers, and have been used by healers and spiritual awakeners in many cultures for generations.

I think it’s really cool to learn how much the earth offers natural remedies for ailments, and how instrumental the natural world can be in healing, if we just respect it and try to understand it more. In our modern culture I feel like we look so often to technology and Western medicine for quick fixes, but overlook how much Mother Nature offers. Read this article in Livestrong (and use common sense!) to understand why just a walk outside once a day, breathing fresh air, can lower your risk of disease. Or think about how cool it is that Blueberries contain antioxidants which protect you from sickness. Going barefoot on the earth and connecting with the earth’s electrical energy, called Grounding, can decrease stress. It’s amazing, really.

So it’s not surprising that mushrooms, these magical little house-like fungi that pop up in the forest and rich soil, amongst leaves and trees and earth, have powers to heal us. (But don’t forget not to pick them unless you are well informed- some are so powerful they are poisonous!)

My sons and I like to go walking in the back woods upstate and we often look for mushrooms, which we all call “elf houses”, along with looking for frogs and salamanders. I told the boys elaborate stories of the elves when they were smaller, and my youngest, now 7, still half believes that when we see a mushroom on our path in the woods, there might be a tiny elf nearby. Mushrooms are magical!

To get more specific: Mushrooms have numerous medicinal qualities, and are especially known for strengthening the immune system. My husband and son and I drink Chaga tea for anti-cancer benefits, increased immune function, and balancing blood sugar, amongst other benefits. Mushrooms such as Reiki and Shiitake can decrease tumor size, decrease effects of radiation and chemotherapy, are heart healthy and decrease high cholesterol, reduce plaque build up on the arteries, and overall boost your immune system to promote a healthier life.

Mushrooms contain aromatase inhibitors, which block the production of estrogen naturally. They also contain anti-angiogenic and anti-proliferative compounds which can fight not only breast cancer, but colorectal, stomach and prostate cancer. A recent study in China found that women who ate the equivalent of just one white button mushroom a day had a 64% reduced risk of breast cancer.

Since discovering the power and health benefits of mushrooms, I buy bags and boxes of mixed mushrooms every week and incorporate them into meals for myself and my family. So far, out of my 4 boys, only one of them seems to love them, one will tolerate them, and the other two still pick them out of their food, but we are working on it!

It turns out that most all edible mushrooms have the power to fight cancer and health benefits, although the common white button mushroom and portobello seem to have less benefits, so I encourage you to mix them up and see what you like! Try them in their powdered form in your coffee and smoothies, try mixed wild mushrooms, grill them, sautee them and marinate them. Keep in mind that the health benefits of cooked and dried mushrooms are actually much better than eating them raw, so check out my other blog post called Mushroom Recipes for ways to include them easily to your meals.

“Consuming mushrooms regularly has been associated with decreased risk of breast, stomach and colorectal cancers.”

-Dr. Joel Fuhrman

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

Read here Here for an article on the general health benefits of mushrooms.

This one, by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, explains specific foods to prevent anti-cancer, including mushrooms.

This interview in Goop talks about all sorts of mushrooms- including medicinal mushrooms- and explains how beneficial they are.

Check out my MUSHROOM RECIPES blog!


x0x0x0 katia