The Power of Mushrooms - Beta Glucans from Cordyceps Mushroom
Posted on March 21, 2016
There is a lot of exciting new science on the possible benefits of edible mushrooms for human health. A friend and partner of ours at Laird Superfood has noticed a huge trend in the natural foods and supplement market as the demand for mushroom products has skyrocketed recently.
For eons, humans have been consuming mushrooms and many cultures have literally worshiped them for their medicinal and psychoactive properties. In Europe, a rare natural mummified human was found to be traveling with mushrooms. This mummy, called Otzi, was traveling with two types of mushrooms. One type used by this ancient traveler helped to keep fire embers going over long distances (a neat trick of our ancestors). The other type is thought to have been used for medicinal uses due to its know antimicrobial action. Did this human relative living five thousand years ago know something we are only now rediscovering?
Mushrooms and Beta-D-Glucans
Several varieties of mushrooms that we are excited about contain key molecules that have demonstrated benefits in a growing body of scientific research*. One such molecule is Beta d-glucans. This polysaccharide molecule is one of the key constituents in the Cordyceps mushroom. This molecule may prove to have a positive effect on the immune system* For more science on this compound check out this link - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=beta-d+glucan+cordyceps
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