Magical Power Of Mushrooms

Mushrooms are magical because they have innumerable benefits to mankind. Mushrooms are fungi. Fungi are uniquely different from plants as plants are different from animals. Mushrooms are not so invited by many of us onto the dinner table—due to their smell or the shape or the general feeling that they grow in an unhygienic environment—but that is not the truth. Mushrooms have rich vitamins and minerals and offer nutrition to human bodies in various ways. Let us know how:

• Mushrooms have been used for centuries in the Far East to treat arthritis, allergies, bronchitis and other serious diseases.
• They can boost our immune system. A study tells us that they can fight cancer cells in humans.
• Mushrooms are amazing vitamin D carriers.
• One Mushroom type called Kombucha is popular worldwide for its anti-ageing effects while improving skin tone and reducing wrinkles.
• Mushrooms are a great source of anti-oxidants. They contain amino acids and proteins in abundance. For those who suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure they act as medicine.

• TB patients and those who are very weak can have mushrooms boiled with milk and sugar.
• For kidney stones, heart ailments, those who suffer from edema can add mushrooms to their diet to get good improved results.
• Those who are obese can have mushrooms to get enough proteins for the body. At the same time their weight is not increased.
• Selenium in Shitake mushrooms plays an important role in regulating thyroid function.
• A study done by Stamets tells us how mushrooms can help save the world. They are useful not only as food and medicine but also used in bioremediation to absorb and digest dangerous substances like oil, pesticides and industrial waste in place where they threaten the environment.
• Mushroom producing fungi can serve as game changers in fields as disparate as medicine, forestry, pesticides and pollution control.

• Fungi recycle plants after they die and transform them into rich soil. If mushrooms and fungi had not been there, the earth would have been buried in several feet of debris and life on planet would soon have been disappeared.
• Stamets proved that petroleum eating Oyster mushrooms can remediate soil contaminated by oil spills.
• Mycelia mushrooms help in waste water filtration system. Stamets dumped Mycelium infused wood at the mouth of the fecal bacteria infested water source. After an year mushrooms grew and cleaned the pollutants. The water was tested hundred times less polluted.
• It is not recommended to eat these mushrooms as they absorb all the pollutants.

There are various recipes to make you start loving mushrooms for good. There are many varieties of mushrooms but all are not edible. Button mushroom, shiitake, crimini are some of the popular culinary mushrooms used around the world. Select the ones which are white and fresh. Wash them thoroughly and boil them before you start your recipe.

By Nibhanapudi Suguna