Should I Take Mushroom Supplements?

I've never taken mushroom supplements before although I did hear about them here and there. The main benefit being brain boosting capacities and nervous system recovery properties, I always thought I could just get that via a good night's sleep. A month ago I stumbled on a chocolate mushroom mix made to go into hot beverages. I'd been looking for a way to change up my morning coffee so I thought I would give it a go. I digged a little deeper to get more info about such supplements.

So what exactly does mushroom supplement do?

First of all there are thousands of mushrooms out there and thankfully, only the most beneficial ones have been made in supplements.

Here are the top 5 of my findings. To get the best results, I looked into my go to fitness websites and then read articles on Pubmed to avoid any over hyped claims.

Lion's mane

Helps protect your nervous system by helping your body produce molecules called nerve growth factor (NGF). NGF helps regulate and maintain your nerves.

Chaga

Has been shown to reduces oxidative stress. This experiment was conducted with white blood cells and was conducted in vitro (in petri dish). Also has been shown to fight cancer cells.

Reishi

Claims to be anti cancer but I couldn't find solid data on this. Some of the studies were inconclusive and further studies were recommended to get a better picture.

Codryceps

Claims to be a good anti inflammatory agent, boost immune function, anti tumor and sexual benefits and anti fatigue but all of the studies where either in vitro or on mice. Further human trials would give these claims more credibility in my opinion.

Turkey tail

There are actual human studies on this one which shows in increase in anti cancer cells when taking turkey tail supplements. Most studies focused on women with breast cancer after chemotherapy. I think this is amazing that it helps in this niche but I am not convince that this is helpfull or necessary for people that don't have breast cancer.