09-15-20

The Wisdom of Mushrooms

As we enter fall, it’s natural to start focusing on the immune system and what we can do to support it. During times like these, it’s always best to turn to nature. Actually, mushrooms, to be more specific. 

Did you know that forests have an immune system? And, it’s remarkably like yours. Within weeks of a devastating forest fire, the first sign of a recovering habitat is the growth of a variety of fungi. As they mature and release spores, insects and animals are attracted to a new food source. Leaving behind seeds and taking new spores with them to their next location sparks the beginning of the regeneration process. It’s a miracle of life that research is just starting to catch up to, and this regeneration is mirrored in your own body.

Scientists call fungi “the forest’s immune system,” because, in addition to recycling and regenerating, they nourish the trees and protect them from invaders and disease. 

Nutrient-dense and enzyme-rich, mushrooms pass on sophisticated information about how to cope with and adapt to pathogens and other environmental stressors. Much like how your immune system develops antibodies to protect from future infections and stressors.

And, there are a few mushrooms that sit at the top of our list…

  • Reishi is known as the “mushroom of immortality” and “spirit mushroom.” It has been used medicinally for millennia, revered for its health-promoting effects.
  • Maitake, also known as “Hen of the Woods” is valued as a gourmet culinary mushroom. It has excellent nutritional value, containing a variety of beneficial phospholipids, unsaturated fatty acids, and vitamin D2. Maitake offers medicinal properties comparable to those of reishi and cordyceps, showing a range of positive effects and immune-stimulating properties.
  • Cordyceps has been shown to be a powerful immunomodulator, with the ability to both boost a depressed immune system and downregulates an overactive one.
  • Shiitake has been used in Japan and China for its benefits for thousands of years. This mushroom has been extensively studied for its health-giving properties. It’s among the most popular and most studied medicinal mushrooms.

New Earth brings the world’s most revered and sought-after mushrooms to you because what they do for the planet, they can also do for you. They embody the wisdom of nature at its most versatile and adaptable—and they deliver that resilience and cellular intelligence to you! Look no further than the unique mushroom blend found in Defend as you work to support your immune system this fall.