We've all been exposed to or cooked with a few of the most common culinary mushrooms like portabella white button, etc.
But, there's a whole class of mushrooms called medicinal mushrooms, and these healing medicinal mushrooms aren't intended for flavor-enhancement, though certain of them may be utilized in recipes. They are often taken in tea form, in tinctures and extracts, and also in capsules in the form of powders.
These medicinal mushrooms are reishi mushroom, agaricus mushroom (or the agaricus blazei mushrooms), maitake, shitake and coriolus mushroom. There are many more, but these are some of the most well-known.
Medicinal mushrooms such as these have a lot in common with human beings in terms of their chemical and genetic structure. Numerous scientists believe that mushrooms are closer to human beings genetically than almost any other plant.
Based on this, certain "higher level" mushrooms, often called the "medicinal mushrooms" (NOT magic mushrooms! ) They can be extremely healing and impact the body, emotions, mind and soul of people who consume them.
Reishi mushroom is among the most famous healing mushrooms in China (though it is also found throughout the world too). Reishi mushroom is often called "the mushroom of immortality" because it is able to be consumed everyday as an tonic "herb" and it useful in prolonging life.
Reishi mushroom is frequently used (in the East) to boost the immune system for people with HIV or cancer. Reishi is also purported to reduce inflammation, help with fatigue, aid in healing viruses in the body, as well as to aid in relaxing and calming the spirit, helping people be more mindful and connect with Spirit easier.
Maitake is another of the most powerful medicinal mushrooms in the world. Maitake is used culinarily as well as medicinally, and is a very powerful source of beta-glucan polysaccharides--potent immune system healing chemicals.
Maitake mushrooms are used for the prevention of cancer and also in helping to control high cholesterol and diabetes. Maitake increases the activities of the natural killer cells in the body, thereby helping to get rid of the body's immune system problems.
There are several more common varieties of medicinal mushrooms and I've written full descriptions of them in my blog, which is linked below.
A final thought, if you are contemplating a look at the healing potential from medicinal mushrooms, If you supplement them with an Mushrooms chocolate bar Vitamin C source (preferably a natural plant-based Vitamin C source) You can double the efficacy of both medicinal mushrooms AND triple the efficacy of Vitamin C! The most effective information to have the best health ever!