My Morning Dance with a Wild Mushroom!
Every mid-morning, an hour or so after my delicious breakfast and drink, I pour myself a cup of hot coffee and stir a dark, earthy secret into it! I anticipate the rush my body feels and I lovingly sip away until all the rich liquid is gone! *Swoon*. What a wonderful ceremony to look forward to!
You may or may not have heard about the extraordinary benefits of medicinal mushrooms. If you have, then you probably know that these mushrooms have been studied for years and that the research is overwhelmingly positive! If you have never dabbled in these wild goodies, then please hold my hand and I’ll guide you to a new world…
Let’s talk about the Reishi mushroom… or Ganoderma lucidum, if you want to be fancy! I won’t go deep into the potentially dry statistics, as that academic information is just a click away on PubMed or in many reputable books. I could go on for days about all of the uses of this fungal kingdom superstar, which are far-reaching, but instead, let’s just get you excited about the easy and fun part of using this mushroom!
Reishi, meaning “divine, or spiritual mushroom” in Japanese tradition, was once used only by those who were fortunate enough to have access to this mushroom. This brown beauty was somewhat rare once upon a time, although now it can be cultivated quite easily. Lucky us!
Reishi is a gorgeous looking thing! When dried it appears to have a varnished finish, but don’t be fooled, this is just its natural shiny glow.
Here’s a thought-provoking fact, Reishi looks very similar to a human kidney. Why is this significant? In the herbal world, we like to play with the “doctrine of signatures” which is an ancient Chinese herbal philosophy of looking at a plant’s physical form or colour, or “signature” and then comparing it in relation to the human body. For example, think of how walnuts greatly resemble a brain, and how they contain essential omega 3 fatty acids that directly nourish your brain! There are many examples of signatures and they’re easy to find. Reishi is just one more illustration of this. No surprise here that Reishi is traditionally used for kidney ailments. But let’s not completely judge a book by its cover! It is also well known for helping with ailments of the lungs, nerve pain, insomnia, the immune system, and energy.
Did someone say energy?
You bet. This is why my morning ritual is so important to me. I love the way Reishi balances me out and gives me sustainable energy. I have found that adding a ½-1 teaspoon to my daily coffee in the morning really rounds out the caffeine effects. I’m not getting the crash that can sometimes occur with regular coffee, and let’s face it, I like my coffee strong! The innate bitterness of Reishi blends well with the flavour of coffee and doesn’t change the taste much at all. If you are not a coffee drinker, no worries, you can always make a tea, or get creative and blend the powder into foods such as soups or stews!
We have a wonderful collection of powdered and solid mushrooms in Kolya Naturals Botanical Apothecary!
Visit us here to view our selection.
