Dr Mushroom: A fun guy who heals

If we eat mushrooms at all, they're probably the button variety. But get off the beaten track, and you'll discover many other types that deliver powerful boosts to our physical and mental health

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We've been eating mushrooms for thousands of years. They're full of antioxidants and a rich source of vitamin D, making them an essential ingredient during the long winter days. Most of us eat button mushrooms, the most common variety found in supermarkets. But there's more to mushrooms than buttons, and their health-giving properties are being harnessed by functional and nutritional medicine, which encourages the use of mushroom supplements and even coffees. One type, psilocybin mushrooms—better known as magic mushrooms—is being used in microdoses to ease depression and anxiety.

When it comes to mushrooms, you can't go far wrong, as all have some health benefit, from balancing blood sugar levels to supporting the immune system and boosting energy. Here are the top seven medicinal mushrooms, according to Real Mushrooms (realmushrooms.com).

Lion's mane

Hericium erinaceus

The mushroom for the mind

The key ingredients in lion's mane are compounds like beta-glucans that protect the brain and nerves. People with mild memory problems saw an improvement when they regularly ate this mushroom, and they fared better on memory tests than those who didn't eat them. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which calls it hou tou gu (monkey head mushroom), uses it to improve spleen function and digestion.

Reishi

Ganoderma lingzhi