Are Medicinal Mushrooms the Answer to Dementia?
What can we do to prevent dementia from happening? One way is by using medicinal mushrooms.
Are Medicinal Mushrooms the Answer to Dementia?
Dementia is a syndrome that leads to a sharp decline in thinking and memory abilities. Many people are fearful of getting dementia as they grow older.
The thought of forgetting how to take care of yourself or recognize loved ones is genuinely frightening. Of course, mental decline is a part of natural aging, but severe decline like dementia is anything but ordinary.
However, what can we do to prevent dementia from happening? One way is by using medicinal mushrooms.
After all, researchers are finding out that functional mushrooms might be able to help keep our brains in top shape. If you'd like to know about how medicinal mushrooms can help dementia, then continue reading below.
What Is Dementia?
Dementia isn't just one type of disease, but many. The term is used to describe a wide range of illnesses that cause abnormal brain changes.
What these illnesses have in common is that they set off a decline in thinking skills that can impact a person's daily life. Not only that, but they often affect a person's behavior, emotions, and personal relationships.
Worldwide, dementia affects about 55 million people, and the number is rapidly growing. The leading cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, which makes up 60-70% of cases.
However, there are other causes such as stroke, brain damage, and overuse of alcohol. That means that the cause of dementia is specific to the type of illness that one has.
How Can Medicinal Mushrooms Help Prevent Dementia?
It turns out that medicinal mushrooms may have the power to keep dementia at bay. That's why many people are turning to medicinal mushrooms to keep their brains in peak shape.
Researchers have also taken an interest, and professional studies are taking a close look at many different mushrooms. Typically, researchers focus on medicinal mushrooms like Lion's Mane, Reishi, and Chaga.
Alzheimer's Disease
Since Alzheimer's is the leading cause of dementia, it's being researched the most. However, Alzheimer's disease is still poorly understood.
Scientists believe that Alzheimer's can happen from genetics, environmental factors, lifestyle, or by pure chance. What they do know is that one of the main problems is from something called an amyloid plaque.
These amyloid plaques are natural proteins that become misshapen and then build up in the spaces between the brain cells. As they build up, they begin to interfere with the neural connections—leading to problems with thinking and memory.
That's where medicinal mushrooms come in. It turns out that mushrooms like Lion's Mane and Reishi can help reverse the damage caused by these amyloid plaques.
One paper states that an extract of these medicinal mushrooms can help manage and treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. That's because Lion's Mane and Reishi both reduced the negative effects of the amyloid plaques.
Not only that, but Lion's Mane can increase the release of something called nerve growth factor (NGF). NGF is responsible for stimulating growth, repair, and the protection of brain cells.
Scientists think that declines in thinking skills might be related to NGF. As we age, the brain produces less NGF.
However, Lion's Mane might be able to help the brain produce more NGF—keeping our brains younger and healthier. Furthermore, NGF might be able to create new neurons and connections—delaying or stopping the damaging effects of Alzheimer's.
It turns out that Reishi mushrooms have something similar to NGF. Researchers found that polysaccharides from Reishi mushrooms help new neurons grow—reversing the damaging effects of Alzheimer's.
Inflammation
Scientists also believe that inflammation may be a key factor in dementia. In fact, inflammation in the brain may be responsible for causing amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's.
Not only that, but inflammation in the brain may be the leading cause of damage from strokes and alcoholism. One study has found that extracts of Lion's Mane may be able to protect the brain from inflammation.
However, both Reishi and Chaga mushrooms are also known for their anti-inflammatory properties. That means that each of these mushrooms may be able to prevent the root cause of dementia.
One Mushroom Extract Is All You Need
Now before you go rushing off to buy all the medicinal mushrooms, we want to let you know there's a better way to use medicinal mushrooms.
That's by using a spagyric mushroom extract. A spagyric is a special extraction technique, which doesn't leave any beneficial compound out.
Spagyric mushroom extracts are natural, balanced, effective, and potent. That's why we recommend Micro Soul's Functional Mushroom Elixir.
This elixir perfectly balances many medicinal mushroom extracts, such as Lion's Mane, Reishi, Chaga, Shiitake, and Maitake.
Get the benefits of medicinal mushrooms in one simple to use and effective package by trying the Functional Mushroom Elixir—your brain will thank you.