Top 5 Functional Mushrooms for Hormone Balance

Nutrition

Nov 10

The power of mushrooms is unbelievable! I’ve had several guests on the Balancing Hormones Naturally Podcast walk us through the benefits of mushrooms and how they impact various syndromes, diseases, and your overall health.

But recently, we had Desiree Caruso, ND and advisor at Eversio Wellness, take us on a deep dive into how functional mushrooms can help balance your hormones, including how they impact blood sugar balance and sleep quality – both of which are integral to hormone balance!

The Gut-Immunity Connection

But before we dive into all the hormone balancing benefits of functional mushrooms, let's talk about the gut's role in hormone balance (something you may not have heard much about before!). Your gut is home to roughly 70% of your immune system, so nurturing a happy gut microbiome is key! If your gut microbiome is out of sync, it can open the door to all sorts of health issues and unpleasant symptoms. Functional mushrooms come to the rescue with their essential compounds, like beta glucans, which are instrumental in promoting a healthy and flourishing gut microbiome and keeping your digestive system in tip-top shape!

Mushrooms and Hormone Support

Functional mushrooms offer a holistic approach to hormone harmony. They tackle everything from direct hormonal fine-tuning to some clever indirect methods, such as promoting more peaceful sleep, stress relief, blood sugar management, gut health, and delivering a valuable antioxidant boost, all of which are super important to balancing your hormones.

Let’s take a look at the top 5 functional mushrooms to support your hormone health!

Chaga: Mighty Antioxidant Dynamo

Chaga mushrooms are famous for packing an antioxidant punch that surpasses even our beloved blueberries and other berry buddies. Antioxidants, like those found in chaga, are your trusty defenders against free radicals, those pesky cellular stressors. Think of antioxidants as the superheroes that swoop in to extinguish stress-induced fires. By relieving oxidative stress, chaga helps maintain hormonal balance.

Studies have also shown that chaga can give fasting blood glucose levels a reality check, boost glucose tolerance, and reduce insulin resistance. This is music to the ears of those dealing with conditions like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), where blood sugar balance is especially important.

Maitake: Blood Sugar Buddy and Ovulation Wizard

Maitake mushrooms not only bring a whole host of antioxidants but also plenty of ergothioneine – another member of the oxidative stress inhibition team. These magical compounds work together to enhance insulin sensitivity, helping your body better manage blood sugar levels.

A fascinating study with PCOS patients revealed that maitake extract alone could induce ovulation, even when other treatments hadn’t done the trick. This shows the incredible potential of functional mushrooms to join forces with conventional medicine and tackle hormone-related issues.

Cordyceps: Hormone Balancer with a Libido Lift

Cordyceps isn't just your trusty sidekick for an energy boost (although that is a fantastic benefit!); it's also the secret behind an enhanced libido and revived sexual desire, whether you're a man or a woman. It works its magic through the hypothalamic-pituitary function, which bridges the gap between your brain and the reproductive system.

Cordyceps can also help in normalizing the production of estrogen and progesterone (whether it’s currently too high OR too low), helping your body find hormonal balance. This is because cordyceps are adaptogens which means it helps your body respond to stress, anxiety, fatigue by bringing your body back to a steady homeostasis. As an adaptogen, it lends a hand in helping your body cope with the stress-induced hormonal imbalances as well as helping to manage foundations such as stress, sleep, and blood sugar.

Lion's Mane: Mood Whisperer and Hormone Harmonizer

Lion's Mane has a reputation for sharpening your mental edge and brightening your mood. Research suggests that it can activate estrogen receptor beta in the brain, potentially dialing down hormonal moodiness and depression brought about by estrogen and progesterone level rollercoasters.

Reishi: The Versatile Queen of Adaptogens

Reishi mushrooms are the reigning queens of adaptogens, known for so many different health benefits. Reishi also helps to normalize the production of estrogen and progesterone to create hormonal balance. Reishi actually exhibits estrogen-like activity, helping to alleviate symptoms related to hormonal imbalances.

In addition, Reishi has a handy trick up its sleeve – it can lower testosterone levels, which is particularly beneficial if you're dealing with excessive androgens that can lead to issues like unwanted hair growth and pesky cystic acne. Reishi also boasts liver-protective properties and helps manage stress, which is key to healthy, balanced hormones.

To top it all off, Reishi is a sleep savior. Getting quality sleep is essential for hormone production and hormone balance, and Reishi extract has been shown to significantly enhance total sleep time, the quality of sleep, and the time it takes to fall asleep. The best part? It works its sleep magic without the adverse effects or dependence seen in conventional sleep medications – a true gift for those who need that extra help when it comes to sleeping!

As an added bonus, Reishi isn't like most mushrooms, which can take some time to work their magic. Reishi can actually make a noticeable difference from day one!

Embrace Mushroom Magic for Hormone Balance!

Functional mushrooms offer a natural and holistic path to hormone balance, whether you're struggling with painful periods or health issues like PCOS, tackling the ups and downs of menopause, or simply striving for overall hormonal health and balance, functional mushrooms are a great, natural addition to your wellness routine! Embrace the power of nature and explore the transformative effects of functional mushrooms on your hormonal health.