What is the difference between power mushrooms and edible mushrooms?
Many people may wonder what the difference is between power mushrooms and edible mushrooms, such as button mushrooms. The first difference is that edible mushrooms tend to sprout in moist soil, whereas power mushrooms grow more often on or near trees. This is why power mushrooms don't necessarily look like conventional mushrooms and cannot be eaten without further ado. Power mushrooms are prepared using various methods. They can be boiled in hot water or subjected to a rich alcohol bath before they are finally processed into a powder and taken in drinks or supplements. Power mushrooms have also been traditionally used for thousands of years in China and the Far East, where they are highly valued for their ingredients. Power mushrooms are what are known as adaptogens .
Take-Home Message #1: The power mushroom differs from edible mushrooms in that it possesses adaptogenic properties. Its ingredients are making it a hot topic in the biohacking scene worldwide.
The areas of application of power mushrooms (in the biohacking scene)
All these properties have piqued the interest of many companies that incorporate the mushroom into their products. Power mushrooms are used in a wide variety of industries, for example, as leavening agents and fermentation agents. Power mushrooms also appear to have proven their worth as detergents, as scientists from the Department of Microbiology at Kakatiya University in India have discovered², and they are now even being used in agriculture as environmentally friendly pesticides.
But it's not only in the industry that people know about the high effectiveness of power mushrooms. Biohackers have long since discovered power mushrooms for themselves and are experimenting with recipes and formats to best consume them so that they develop their full effect. Interestingly, power mushrooms develop protective properties against the environment during their growth. One of the best-known biohackers in this field is the Finnish Teemu Arina, whose kitchen must resemble a laboratory. He has been creating crazy mushroom recipes for years and swears by them. For example, he expands tried-and-tested bulletproof recipes with mushroom powder from the Chaga mushroom. Also widely popular in the scene and now available on the market: Mushroom Coffee or Hot Chocolate with the power mushroom Cordyceps sinensis, as a supplement or substitute for Bulletproof Coffee, or various teas brewed with the Reishi mushroom. Of course, medicinal mushrooms can also be taken as supplements, naturally complementing your daily diet. The important thing is that power mushrooms have no negative side effects and are safe even when consumed in large quantities.
Take-Home Message #2: Power mushrooms are no longer just used in industry. Power mushrooms have now become THE functional food of the biohacking scene and are consumed in coffee, tea, or as supplements .
The five most important power mushrooms
1. Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes)
Shiitake mushrooms have an extremely high vitamin C content, which supports the nervous system, and contain various B vitamins that help ward off fatigue. How does this work? B vitamins are essential for your nerve cells. If you're well supplied with these vitamins, your brain also benefits, which you desperately need in demanding situations.
2. The Reishi Mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum)
Studies
1. http://ebm.sagepub.com/content/233/3/259.abstract
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4293863/
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