The medicinal use of mushrooms dates back thousands of years because of their varied and uniquely adaptive benefits for health. Now, in recent times with functional medicine and holistic nutrition going mainstream, we’re seeing a resurgence of interest in these marvelous superfoods. Medicinal mushrooms contain bioactivenutrients such as polysaccharides and triterpenes that are "locked away" behind a tough exterior made of chitin. By soaking them in alcohol, these bio actives can be released and extracted to make mushroom tincture, which increases the bioavailability of the medicinal compounds. The key active compounds of medicinal mushrooms are:

•  Beta-glucans, which support immunity, and are considered to be antibiotic and antiviral.

• Triterpenoids, which are found to be liver protective, lipid lowering, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and inhibit histamine release.

• Ergosterol, which has antitumor and antioxidant properties, and is a precursor to Vitamin D2.

• Statins, which, in high doses, have the ability to lower cholesterol.

And this is just what we know so far. More biologically active compounds are constantly being discovered, opening up a wide realm of possible therapeutic uses for medicinal mushrooms.

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