Medicinal Mushrooms for Allergy Season
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10 November 2022
Medicinal Mushrooms for a Festival Comedown
How to Recover After All That Fun in the Fields
Festival season is in full swing and for many of us that means flamboyant weekends filled with friends, flexing, and feral fun in the fields. But as the party winds down and we find ourselves faced with the stark reality of another working week (ft. a to-do list as long as your arm and a mild case of existential dread), the ol’ festival blues can start to take a hold pretty fast. Luckily for us, medicinal mushrooms may just hold the answers to some of our comedown woes! In this blog post we will discuss how different types of medicinal mushrooms can help us recover from that savage hangover after a hedonistic festival weekend, and start feeling ourselves again.
The media is currently popping off with talk of pills that claim to be the first scientifically-backed hangover cure. However, the truth is that we have been turning to nature for back-up from the moment we decided to start fermenting hops for a jolly good time. None other than England’s very own Nicolas Culpepper advised sniffing ivy in the 17th century, or rather “stuffing the nasal passages with the juice of tree ivy” to cure a pesky hangover. For centuries, the Scots have revered a concoction called the ‘highland fling‘ to abolish the next day headache, consisting of heated buttermilk with corn flour and salt & pepper – and in Ireland, legend has it that in order to cleanse yourself of a heathen hangover, one should simply go to the nearest river and bury yourself up to your neck in wet river sand… Think we’ll be sticking to the medicinal mushrooms, thank you kindly.
Lions Mane is our hangover go-to, every time. Lions mane contains two important compounds called hericenones and erinacines that have a low enough molecular weight to cross the blood-brain barrier and induce NGF synthesis in nerve cells. NGF is a protein that binds to specific cell surface receptors on the nerve terminals and is retrogradely transported to the cell bodies of the neurons which can improve clarity, cognition, and memory. Plus, if you indulged in any other provisions, research suggests lions mane may have the ability to stabilise blood serotonin levels, as well as levels of other neurotransmitters, such as dopamine.
Long touted for their cognitive-enhancing properties, if you’re feeling a little fuzzy after a weekend of fun, these mushrooms can help you get your head back in the game. As well as leaving us fatigued, alcohol also creates inflammation in the gut, so Lion’s mane’s capacity to protect the stomach lining from damage while fighting inflammation is a big win.
Our liver takes about 8hrs to remove the toxins after a night of drinking, so it has it’s work cut out for it after a few double-dabauched days in the fields. As this is happening, it affects our central nervous system which causes us to feel jittery and anxious. Enter Reishi! Able to calm an overactive nervous system, support the adrenals, reduce anxiety, and maybe even provide antidepressive effects.”Reishi has also been shown to positively up-regulate liver enzyme systems used to detoxify harmful substances in the body, so it’s a helpful ally all-round.
If you’re feeling a little worse for wear after a big weekend, try reaching for some chaga mushroom extract. This medicinal powerhouse is known for it’s anti-inflammatory properties, which can help to ease the pain of a hangover. In addition, chaga mushrooms are also full of antioxidants and vitamins that can help boost your immune system and fight off those pesky festival bugs. In fact. Chaga is one of the most potent antioxidant sources on planet earth, able to decrease cell damage after large intakes of alcohol. One 2020 study notes that antioxidants may even play a simple role in helping treat or prevent migraine headaches! The diuretic effects of drinking booze from breakfast time depletes minerals like zinc & magnesium. Chaga is one of the most alkaline food sources in the world due to their high mineral content!
4. Cordyceps
And last but by NO means least – if you’re struggling with anxiety or feeling a little down after the fun of the weekend – meet cordyceps mushrooms, just what you need to boost both energy and spirits! These mushrooms have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine to help alleviate anxiety and improve mood. Cordyceps are also known for their energising properties, so they really can help you get through a Tuesday bluesday.
It’s a good idea to pre-game these medicinal marvels for peak effect, but including them in your post-festival routine is a great way to start feeling human again nonetheless.
So there you have it! If you’re finding yourself struggling to recover from a weekend of festivities, medicinal mushrooms can be a great way to help ease the comedown blues. From relieving hangovers to fighting anxiety, you’ve got a friend in fungi. So next time you’re feeling rough after a big weekend, reach for some mushrooms and give them a try!
