Marvelous, Miraculous Mushrooms

Mushrooms are popping up everywhere these days, in everything from chocolate bars and hot cocoa to beauty products, tea, and coffee. While they’ve always been a great addition to pizza, omelets, and veggie burgers, they’ve recently experienced a surge in status, starring in a variety of intriguing beauty elixirs and foods.

Why this present rise in popularity? They’re incredibly versatile, for one thing, with a delicious capacity to blend in with a myriad of flavors. Hearty portobello mushrooms, for instance, provide a great substitute for meat, mixing well with tomato sauce and cheese. They can even change the property of certain foods, transforming coffee into a smoother, less-acidic drink, decreasing the need for additional milk or sugar.

Consuming medicinal mushrooms has long been a mainstay of holistic medicine. It was only a matter of time before they started showing up in novel ways. Many varieties, such as reishi, cordyceps, and shiitake, make our favorite foods even healthier. Lion’s mane is thought to slow the growth of cancer cells. Consider sipping lemon juice tea with mushrooms or munching on mushroom jerky to enhance wellness. Enjoy rich hot cocoa with reishi or cinnamon chaga tea. Powdered mushrooms are also available to enhance drinks or even brush onto your skin for a more vibrant look and less acne, rosacea, and eczema.

Loaded with healthy antioxidants, mushrooms are considered a superfood. These culinary superheroes are able to increase energy, reduce brain fog, and restore skin’s natural beauty in a few brushes or bites. Even the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates considered mushrooms anti-inflammatory and used them to cauterize wounds. There are many books outlining their medicinal properties, which include chaga, for shiny hair and less inflammation; cordyceps for increased energy; and lion’s mane to boost memory and concentration.

Although there are more than 38,000 varieties of mushrooms, only about 20 species are actually edible. They offer a delicious, healthy option no matter how you incorporate them into your beauty regimen or diet.