Should You Take Shiitake Mushroom Supplement?

Author's Bio: Marcie Vaske, MS, LN, CNS

Hi, and welcome back to our channel.

Today we're going to discuss shiitake mushrooms and should you take them in supplement form.

But before we dig into this topic of mushrooms, my name is Marcie Vaske and I'm a licensed nutritionist with Flusso Nutrients. And at Flusso Nutrients, we work really hard to help keep you educated in many different types of supplements so that you can make a good choice for yourself when you see them out and about. And you're thinking, should I do this? Because of course, they all sound great. So coming back into watching some of our videos from Flusso Nutrients can give you more education on making a really good choice for yourself.

Now, of course, if you have questions about certain supplements, it is best to speak with a supplement literate practitioner and to be mindful that if you are taking medications, make sure that there is no contraindications with them in your medications as well as other supplements.

So without further ado, let's dig back into should you take shiitake mushroom supplements.

[Video Transcript Below + Supplement Links Discussed In Video]

Why Shiitake Mushrooms Are Special

Now, as many of you know, shiitake mushrooms are a delicious addition to different types of dishes, especially in stir fries. But it has been used or they have been used traditionally for centuries to help support the immune system and our heart health. So first, let's answer the question of what makes shiitake mushrooms so special.

Key Nutrients & Benefits

And number one, they do contain beta gluons and beta gluon help to stimulate our defense mechanisms or our immune system. They are also high in prebiotic fibers which help to support our gut microbiome. It helps to feed those bacteria that we want to keep a good diversity of. So what research is saying is that shiitake mushrooms can help to support or strengthen our immune system. It helps to fight viral infections, they can help support our cardiovascular health. They'll also provide even antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, which is always good and helpful for our gut health. And then in that way, they can promote our gut health by nourishing and feeding our beneficial bacteria.

So they have many amazing benefits to help support gut health, our immune system and our heart health. But the question still remains,

Should you take shiitake mushrooms in supplement form?

Now in whole form, if you're just going to eat the mushroom, put it in a dish or fry up mushrooms and put it over a steak. They do provide a lot of fiber. They provide those antioxidants. They're high in nutrients like copper and even B vitamins. And in supplement forms, oftentimes you're just getting a more concentrated dose of specifically the beta glucans, which is ideal for targeting that immune and heart health support.

Who Might Benefit from Supplements?

And so if you're not regularly eating mushrooms, doing a supplement form may be your best option. Now, mushrooms are also a high FODMAP food. So if you are struggling with gut health, some people notice that mushrooms don't always feel very good. And so here you can get a really good benefit if you take the supplement form.

Potential Concerns to Be Aware Of

Now, of course, there are things that you need to be cautious about, and one of 'em I just spoke about, that they are a high FODMAP food and they can cause sensitivities for some people if they're already struggling with gut health. But in addition to that, of course there can be allergic reactions, however, very rare, but it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. And then sometimes there is skin sensitivities if you're eating it in the raw form. So this is, again, not always common, but something just to be aware of. And if you are an immunocompromised individual and you're taking immunosuppressant drugs, it's best to maybe make sure you speak with your practitioner about it just so they know what you're taking and if that could not be a benefit to you at that time.

Research-Backed Benefits

But overall, shiitake mushrooms are going to be awesome. So whether you eat the mushroom hole because you love them, go for it. There was a research that was completed that did a study for four weeks for people who actually were eating mushrooms and they found that their immune markers significantly improved. So this might be something adding in a supplement form or upping your intake of these mushrooms maybe during the cold and flu season, right starting in October and just kind of making it mindful can really help improve that immune system so that you're not ending up with cold after cold during the winter when we all tend to get at least one cold probably. So I'm going to link a supplement that has some shiitake mushroom in there that can help you really support that immune system or heart health. And many times you're going to see different mushrooms within different supplements because synergistically, they work really well together.

Supplement Synergy

So oftentimes you may see shiitake mushroom with Rishi mushroom or lion's mane, just this combination. They're very symbiotic and they can really help to improve many different things in the body and give you a better outcome with taking that supplement.

So I'll link one below where you can easily order it if you're interested or feel like you're being called to taking something like this. They're relatively very safe and I think always fun to play around with different foods in supplement form sometimes, because of course for myself personally, I don't really love mushrooms, but I would really like to have the benefits. So supplements are maybe the way to get that.

So if you have questions, please leave them in the comments down below. Otherwise, I will link a supplement there. So if you're interested, please look into it and we'll be back next week sharing another supplement that can help support you or maybe someone you love.

Thanks for watching.

Check out the high-quality supplements we discussed in this video - links below for your convenience!

1) Gaia Immune Mushroom Blend: create an account here, then search the name "Gaia Immune Mushroom Blend" - https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/flussonutrients

2) Real Mushrooms Immune Defenders: create an account here, then search the name "Real Mushrooms Immune Defenders" - https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/flussonutrients

3) ALL PROFESSIONAL QUALITY SUPPLEMENTS: https://flussonutrients.nutridyn.com & https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/flussonutrients