Health benefits of mushrooms

Unorthodox vegetable

Despite the fact that many people would not consider it as such, in the greatest majority of cases, mushrooms are actually made proud members of the vegetables' family. However, the proper category they belong to is none other but fungi. On the whole, today there exists around 38,000 different species of mushrooms, but as little as 3,000 are suitable for consumption, whereas approximately 700 are known to pose specific medical characteristics.

A bit less than 1% of all mushrooms are regarded to be quite harmful and poisonous. Out of this reason, buying them only in those already checked and confirmed stores and suppliers represents one of the most, if not the most important factor to have in mind, in relation to mushrooms.

Medicinal usage and nutritive values

Many people are already familiar with a quite lengthy mushroom usage time stretch. They have been regarded as extremely important constituents of Chinese traditional medicine, and rightfully so for thousands of years now. These days, even though medicine has progressed immensely, a great number of people still prefers and relies on natural medicine and its ways due to a simple fact that it represents a safer treatment concept and that, if employed regularly for longer periods of time, it will certainly produce no undesired side effects such as those that tend to occur in the course of modern-medicine treatment.

Having nutritive values in mind, the following should be emphasized in the case of mushrooms – per 100 gm, one mushroom contains: vitamin B, i.e. Thiamine (10 mg), Riboflavin (44 mg), Niacin (4.9 mg), vitamin C (5 mg), Calcium (9 gm), Iron (mg), Phosphorus (115 mg), Potassium (150 mg), (.3 gm), Carbohydrates (4 gm), Protein (2.4 gm), Calories (16).

Phenomenal healers

The three specific varieties of mushrooms that stand out the most from all others due to their extraordinary health benefits and healing properties are maitake (particularly helpful for stomach and intestinal related issues and diabetes), Shiitake (for the treatment of the cold and the flu and nutritional deficiencies) and reishi (for promotion of respiratory health).

The health benefits that mushrooms hold are astonishing, and this is especially valid for the above mentioned mighty ones. Among those most distinct and prominent benefits are the following: