Ergothioneine (or Ergo for short) is a powerful antioxidant that humans can only obtain in large quantities by adding mushrooms to their diet. In nature, Ergo is almost exclusively produced by fungi, which some plants then uptake from the soil in small quantities. Scientists like Dr. Robert B. Beelman have discovered that Ergo is the only known antioxidant with dedicated transporters already encoded into our DNA. This discovery suggests that humans have evolved eating mushrooms for millions of years and that Ergo could very well contribute to the longevity of human health, perhaps being a brand new viatmin.

Lion’s Mane mushrooms are now known to contain compounds which have neuroprotectants properties. In many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and the prion diseases, Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress is reported to be the cause of neuronal cell death. This paper isolates a compound, DLPE, present in the Lion’s Mane mushroom that is responsible for the protection against this ER stress. This study was conducted using mouse brain cells in tissue culture, not in living mice or in humans.

Reishi has been an important mushroom in Chinese medicine for two millennia and is considered by many to be the “mushroom of immortality”. In this practice, it is used to prevent all sorts of illnesses, including hypertension, cancer, and immunological disorders. Scientists have now discovered the compounds and mechanisms responsible for these effects. The terpenes and polysaccharides that are present in both the fruiting bodies and the spores work synergistically to protect your body from disease. This paper specifically looks at these compounds effects on inhibiting tumors proliferation and inducing tumor cell death.