HEALTH TALK/ Nutrition

Chinese Mushrooms & TL bouillon paste

New Earth Organics has a great selection of products of the fungi kingdom and incorporating them into our daily diet will support our health and well-being.

Ancient Greeks believed that mushrooms provided strength for warriors in battle, and the Romans perceived them as the “Food of the Gods.” For centuries, the Chinese culture has treasured mushrooms as a health food, an “elixir of life.” They have been part of the human culture for thousands of years and have considerable interest in the most important civilizations in history because of their sensory characteristics; they have been recognized for their attractive culinary attributes. Nowadays, mushrooms are popular valuable foods because they are low in calories, carbohydrates, fat, and sodium. Besides, mushrooms provide important nutrients, including selenium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D, proteins, and fiber. All together with a long history as food source, mushrooms are important for their healing capacities and properties in traditional medicine. It has reported beneficial effects for health and treatment of some diseases. Many nutraceutical properties are described in mushrooms, such as prevention or treatment of Parkinson, Alzheimer, hypertension, and high risk of stroke. They are also utilized to reduce the likelihood of cancer invasion and metastasis due to antitumoral attributes. Mushrooms act as antibacterial, immune system enhancer and cholesterol lowering agents; additionally, they are important sources of bioactive compounds. As a result of these properties, some mushroom extracts are used to promote human health and are found as dietary supplements.

The nutritional value of edible mushrooms

is due to their high protein, fiber, vitamin and mineral contents, and low-fat levels. They are very useful for vegetarian diets because they provide all the essential amino acids for adult requirements; also, mushrooms have higher protein content than most vegetables. Besides, edible mushrooms contain many different bioactive compounds with various human health benefits.

Liver Life – Five Mushroom Blend

is the powder which I use in the bouillon paste. It is a blend of Reishi, Turkey Tail, Shiitake, Mesima, and Poria Cocos. Ganoderma lucidum, also known as Lingzhi or Reishi, is a bitter mushroom with remarkable health benefits. The active constituents found in mushrooms include polysaccharides, dietary fibers, oligosaccharides, triterpenoids, peptides and proteins, alcohols and phenols, mineral elements (such as zinc, copper, iodine, selenium, and iron), vitamins, and amino acids. The bioactive components found in Reishi have numerous health properties to treat diseased conditions such as hepatopathy, chronic hepatitis, nephritis, hypertension, hyperlipemia, arthritis, neurasthenia, insomnia, bronchitis, asthma, gastric ulcers, atherosclerosis, leukopenia, diabetes, anorexia, and cancer.

Reishi mushroom extract can have a strong effect on reducing irritation and eliminating allergic reactions by preventing the release of histamine from mast cells in the body.

Chinese mushrooms have an endless range of health benefits, most of them can be used as immune enhancer, detoxifier, and inflammation fighter, but certain types have shown to be specifically useful for specific health issues such as cancer.

Turkey Tail mushrooms have strong anti-viral and anti-microbial properties. They can fight away various infections caused by microbes, including the common cold and flu. The anti-cancer role of turkey tail mushroom has been under research for a long time. Some patients who are undertaking chemotherapy have been adding turkey tail mushroom to their diet to support the immune system and avoid the weakness after chemotherapy. A strong immune system also helps in fighting against deadly cancer cells, thereby turkey tail mushroom is a potent anti-cancer food.

Shiitake, also known as Lentinula edodes, originally grew wild on fallen trees—especially the shii tree—deep in the forests of Japan. In fact, the name “shiitake” translates to “mushrooms of the shii tree.” These wild mushrooms were so highly prized that only Samurai warriors were allowed to collect them. Beside the common benefits to fight infections, inflammation and boost the immune system shiitake is also supporting heart health by lowering LDL levels, as well as bone health by aiding in absorption of calcium and inhibiting bone resorption. One cell study found that a combination of shiitake, maitake, and turkey tail mushrooms inhibited the break down of bone (osteoclast). Shiitake has shown is that study to increase bone mineralization and the production of a bone building compound (osteocalcin).

Mesima mushrooms are popular in Asia and in the Western world for their medicinal properties. They contain beta-glucans, amino acids, lectin, polysaccharides, amongst other substances. Similar to other mushrooms they also have antioxidant, antiviral, anti-tumor, anti-angiogenic and anti-bacterial properties. Studies about Mesima mushroom extracts have shown following benefits: Immune system regulation thus amongst other benefits, controlling allergic reactions, lowering cytokine levels and thus boost in fertility level, general health improvement of breast cells, killing colon and prostate cancer cells, while protecting healthy cells from the side effects of chemotherapy, and lowering blood glucose levels which supports diabetes regulation. Mesima mushroom extract is also used to treat excessive menstrual or intestinal bleeding.

Porio Cocos is a sclerotium. Not really a mushroom as we imagine it. A sclerotium is essentially a hardened fungal mass that holds food reserves. An amazing aspect of sclerotiums is to survive in extreme environments. Another well known sclerotium is Chaga. It is a wood-decay fungus that grows subterranean. Poria cocos is an underground sclerotium that resembles a small coconut and has a long history in traditional Chinese medicine.  Besides its anti-tumor, adaptogenic and immune-supporting properties Porio Cocos has shown in studies to be helpful for pancreatic cancer, urinary and mental health.

Besides these health-supporting Chinese Mushrooms in powder-form TL Bouillon paste does also contain fresh organic mushrooms. The champignon or “white button” mushroom is the most popular cultivated mushroom and adds a nice mild flavour.

You don’t like mushrooms? No problem. Most people who don’t like mushrooms have usually a problem with the texture of mushrooms and actually like the taste. The mushrooms in TL bouillon paste are a part of the whole flavour package.

My whole family doesn’t really like mushrooms but they do like the flavour of them in meals and sauces made with TL bouillon paste. Eventually, that way they benefit from all the amazing health-supporting properties of mushrooms.

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