[00:00:05] The Benefits of DIY Mushroom Beverages and Quality Concerns with Commercial Mushroom Coffees

[00:02:23] Exploring Tonics and Adaptogens for Holistic Health

[00:08:11] Introduction to Medicinal Mushrooms: Brain, Body, and Longevity Benefits

[00:09:24] Why Choose Medicinal Mushrooms? Unique Benefits and Extensive Research

[00:10:23] Lion’s Mane: The Multifaceted Mushroom for Brain, Immunity, and Vitality

[00:12:57] Lion’s Mane and Alzheimer’s: Multi-Pathway Support from In Silico Studies

[00:14:59] Lion’s Mane for Immune Support, Cancer Research, and Cardiovascular Health

[00:17:26] Lion’s Mane for Blood Sugar Management and Cancer Prevention Support

[00:19:34] Lion’s Mane as a Powerful Antioxidant: Heart, Bone, and Skin Health Benefits

[00:20:27] Lion’s Mane for Gut Health: Microbiome Support and Digestive Benefits

[00:21:39] Lion’s Mane and Brain Health: Nerve Growth Factor, Neuroprotection, and Cognitive Support

[00:25:17] Lion’s Mane as a Brain Tonic: Enhancing Function, Memory, and Overall Brain Health

[00:25:54] Clinical Studies on Lion’s Mane: Cognitive Improvement and Functional Independence in Aging

[00:28:42] Hericenones and Amyloban in Lion’s Mane: Key Compounds for Brain Protection and Quality Considerations

[00:30:04] Lion’s Mane for Sleep Quality: Supporting Circadian Rhythm and Energy Balance

[00:31:22] Lion’s Mane for Mental Health: Reducing Anxiety, Depression, and Supporting Neurogenesis

[00:32:11] Lion’s Mane Dosage Recommendations and Potential Benefits for Schizophrenia

[00:33:40] Introducing Maitake: The Large, Flavorful Mushroom with Nutritional Benefits

[00:34:25] Maitake D-Fraction: Immune-Boosting Beta-Glucans and Cancer Research Insights

[00:36:36] Oral Bioavailability of Maitake D-Fraction: Effective Immune Support and Cancer Cell Impact

[00:37:15] Maitake D-Fraction’s Key Role in Cancer Prevention

[00:37:59] Maitake D-Fraction and Vitamin C: Enhancing Immune Response and Cancer Cell Targeting

[00:39:27] Genetic Impact of Maitake D-Fraction: Promoting Cancer Cell Apoptosis

[00:40:30] Maitake D-Fraction with Conventional Therapy: Reducing Side Effects and Enhancing Efficacy

[00:42:54] Blood Sugar Imbalance and Lifestyle: Insights on Diet, Insulin, and Health Risks

[00:47:18] Maitake SX Fraction: Supporting Blood Sugar Balance and Insulin Sensitivity without Raising Insulin

[00:48:33] Maitake SX Fraction Studies: Blood Sugar, HbA1c, and Cardiovascular Benefits

[00:51:28] Maitake SX Fraction’s Cardiovascular Impact: Demonstrating Causality in Blood Sugar and Cholesterol Improvements

[00:52:54] Maitake SX Fraction vs. Glipizide: Faster and More Effective Blood Sugar Support

[00:53:20] Maitake SX Fraction: Safe Blood Sugar Regulation Without Risk of Excessive Lowering

[00:53:51] Potential Applications of Maitake SX Fraction: Beyond Blood Sugar to Metabolic and Cognitive Health

[00:54:16] The Importance of Quality in Mushroom Supplements: Ensuring Authentic Ingredients

[00:55:35] Mushroom Quality Matters: Choosing Fruiting Body Products and Natural Growth Methods

[00:59:48] Choosing the Right Mushroom for Health: Cordyceps, Reishi, and Intuitive Guidance

[01:04:49] Mushroom Powders vs. Extracts: Importance of Extraction for Bioavailability

[01:07:13] Adjusting Mushroom Doses for Kids: Bodyweight and Health Goal Considerations

[01:11:20] Optimal Timing for Mushroom Supplements: With or Without Food?

[01:12:44] Mushroom Sensitivity vs. Environmental Contaminants: Identifying True Reactions

[01:14:01] Shiitake for Candida and Fungal Infections: Antifungal, Liver Support, and Microbiome Benefits

[01:15:43] Single Mushroom Supplements vs. Combos: Targeted Benefits vs. General Health Support

[01:18:11] Choosing the Right Form of Vitamin C: Ascorbic Acid vs. Food-Based Options for Supplementation

[01:21:04] Medicinal Mushrooms and Liver Health: No Toxicity, Only Benefits

[01:22:22] SX Fraction for Pre-Diabetes: Proactive Blood Sugar Support Without Risk of Over-Correction

[01:23:34] Shipping Mushroom Wisdom Products: Availability in the U.S. and Internationally

[01:24:26] Mushroom Use for Cancer: Long-Term Consistency vs. Rotation and Top Choices for Breast Cancer

[01:26:45] Combining Mushrooms: Safe to Use Turkey Tail and Cordyceps Together

[01:27:01] Considerations for Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: Reishi, Lion’s Mane, and Polyphenols

[01:28:01] Mushrooms for Trauma Recovery: Lion’s Mane for Nerve Repair, Reishi for Emotional Support, and Chaga for Strengthening

[01:29:30] Maitake D-Fraction for Prostate Cancer: Complementary to Conventional Therapies and Endocrine Support

[01:30:17] Using Mushroom Capsules in Smoothies and Bioavailability: Tablets vs. Liquid

[01:32:07] Reishi for Long-Term Allergy and Respiratory Support: Balancing Immune Response

[01:33:24] Mushrooms for Blood Cancers: Maitake D-Fraction, Reishi, Coriolus, and Shiitake with Professional Guidance

[01:34:11] The Importance of Specialist Guidance and Open Communication in Cancer Care

[01:35:01] Recurrent UTI Support: Maitake D-Fraction and Propolis for Immune and Antimicrobial Action

[01:35:55] Cooking Mushrooms: Health Benefits Remain Stable with Moderate Heat

[01:37:15] Choosing Between Regular Lion’s Mane and Lion’s Mane amyloban: General Support vs. Therapeutic Use

[01:38:13] Maitake D-Fraction and Coriolus: Research Insights for Ovarian Cancer Support

[01:39:23] Post-Surgical Tendon Repair: Chaga for Strength and Vitamin C for Soft Tissue Support

[01:40:01] Supporting Eye Health and Glaucoma: SX Fraction and Carnosine Options

[00:00:05] The Benefits of DIY Mushroom Beverages and Quality Concerns with Commercial Mushroom Coffees

Ryan Sternagel: Dr. Kaylor, now that you’re taking a sip of your beverage there, what are you drinking?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: I’m drinking green tea with a Maitake D-fraction extract.

Ryan Sternagel: Green tea with Maitake D-fraction extract—I love it.

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Seemed relevant for today. What are you drinking?

Ryan Sternagel: Doesn’t look too appealing, does it?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: I’ve drunk things that look like mud before—that’s not an issue for me.

Ryan Sternagel: That’s a guayusa, a Yerba Mate cousin. Do you make mushroom tea and mushroom coffee and stuff like that often? I forget what the company was that popularized mushroom coffee but then charged an arm and a leg for it. When they started doing that, I realized, “Oh, I’ve got all these mushroom products at home—why do I need to be paying someone exorbitant amounts to pack the two together for me when I can have my own choice of tea or my own choice of coffee?” Not that I drink a lot of coffee, but I do it myself.

Dr. Mark Kaylor: I don’t drink coffee at all; for me, it’s a non-starter. I’ve never particularly cared for it. The reality is, though, most of the mushroom coffee products out there have a minimal amount of mushrooms in them. In all honesty, it’s their marketing perspective in that regard. The other issue I would have is, what form is that mushroom taking? Are they extracting it before they put it in? If they’re putting powdered mushroom in—and we’ll talk about that a little later in detail—the body doesn’t digest that particularly well, so you’re not going to get a whole lot out of it. You’re probably better off, like you said, making your own blends and things.

Ryan Sternagel: That’s the other thing I started thinking about—aside from the cost—is, is it even the best stuff in there? With all that we know about what goes into making a good mushroom product, we’ll talk all about it today.

[00:02:23] Exploring Tonics and Adaptogens for Holistic Health

Ryan Sternagel: Dr. Kaylor, the traditional first question for you as folks are logging on—you’re not allowed to talk about mushrooms in your answer. What have you implemented into your health and wellness routine, or what are you looking into lately that you’re excited about for staying healthy and disease-free?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Oh, too many things. We could do another whole webinar on those aspects. I’m becoming a bigger and bigger fan of Ashwagandha. I like tonic remedies as a whole. By tonic remedies, I mean remedies that may have some specific applications—let’s say for disease or symptoms—but they’re all about the body functioning at optimal levels. Most of my focus is on that, first and foremost. Even when I work with clients dealing with serious chronic diseases, I try to make the body healthy first and then go and target from there. I’m a big fan of ashwagandha, and I’m exploring amino acids a little bit, particularly for longevity. NAC seems promising; taurine is showing promise as well. Anything that can help me live longer and live healthier.

Ryan Sternagel: I love it. That’s the cool thing and the hard thing about stuff like ashwagandha and all the adaptogenic types is it gets hard to classify because it does so many different things at once. My German brain has to put everything into categories—this for my immune system, this for my mitochondria, this for detox, this for my hormones, all these different things. It’s funny I started talking about that because that’s what I was writing about leading up to this with mushrooms. It’s hard to classify those guys too because they do so many different things. Especially when you look at a few different ones, it starts to get hard to believe and hard to classify. But the research keeps coming out about how amazing those little guys are.

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Absolutely. We have a tendency, particularly in the West, with the Western mind and framework and the Western way of practicing medicine, to fragment the body into parts and work with it that way. I’ve given tons of lectures—I’ll get up and give a lecture and say, “Feverfew is wonderful for headaches.” Then I’ll talk about reishi mushroom—I call it the tonic for the 21st century—and you can see people start zoning out a little because they don’t have that mentality. Things are changing gradually, but it’s going slow. These tonic remedies are powerful.

We’re going to talk about that today with the Lion’s Mane mushroom. Everybody thinks about this mushroom for the brain, yet it has all these other wonderful benefits. We tend to classify these herbs—Ginkgo, for example. People call it a brain herb, but Ginkgo is a cardiovascular herb. Many of these things, because they have so many constituents, have more than one action. We need to keep an open mind as far as how these things interact with the human body.

Ryan Sternagel: I love it. Let’s do some housekeeping before we turn you loose here, Dr. Kaylor. What do we have to say about that? One, please don’t take anything you hear here as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment; I’m not a doctor. Dr. Kaylor is a doctor, but he’s not your doctor. We’re sharing good old information today.

Dr. Kaylor, you’ve given a couple of presentations for us in the past on various things, and they are some of the most research-based, common-sense, logical, and practical presentations. I know from looking at your slides that I’m going to be learning as much as everyone else today. I’m excited and appreciate your time.

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Thanks. I want to start by saying I love questions. Don’t hold back, whether they’re challenging questions or questions for more information—I welcome them all.

Ryan Sternagel: Good deal. I’ll turn you loose.

Dr. Mark Kaylor: All right. Let me set up the share.

Ryan Sternagel: There it is. I can see that. Can everyone else see it? It looks like you’re in presenter view or something.

[00:08:11] Introduction to Medicinal Mushrooms: Brain, Body, and Longevity Benefits

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Thanks, everyone, for being here today. Obviously, we’re going to be talking about medicinal mushrooms for boosting your brain, body, and longevity. As we alluded to in our discussion earlier, many of these specific applications have larger implications for overall health, vitality, longevity, and the new concept of healthspan. We’re going to see that as we get into this process. There’s a lot to cover here today, so I won’t be able to go into too much detail on everything, but I want to give you a strong idea of what these mushrooms are about and show you some of the research on them. Keep in mind that there’s a ton of research we won’t cover because there are literally thousands of studies on these mushrooms.

I also want to start off with a disclaimer: I’m not trying to make drug or disease claims here. I used to not be a big fan of these disclaimers, but the reality, especially with the internet nowadays, is that so many people are making, I think, grandiose and incorrect claims for products. I want to be clear that’s not my intention here. I want to share information that’s based on research and traditional use, and we can go from there.

[00:09:24] Why Choose Medicinal Mushrooms? Unique Benefits and Extensive Research

Dr. Mark Kaylor: I want to start with a bit about why mushrooms, versus all the other supplements. You can go to the health food store or go online, and there are tens of thousands, probably hundreds of thousands, of different supplements out there. What I think sets mushrooms apart from other things is that they’ve been around for a very long period of time, and we have a lot of hands-on experience in this regard. They are some of the best-researched natural remedies out there. Reishi mushroom, for instance, has literally thousands of citations. The same is true for Turkey Tail, or Coriolus mushroom. There’s a growing body of research on Lion’s Mane and some of these other mushrooms. I mentioned these tonic actions, meaning they support the health of the body as a whole, but they also have these targeted actions; We’re going to look at the research in that way.  They can do this because they have so many different components in them.

One mycologist said these are the only remedies out there that can affect past, present, and future, which I think gives you an idea of the impact these natural remedies, these medicinal mushrooms, can have on the body.

[00:10:23] Lion’s Mane: The Multifaceted Mushroom for Brain, Immunity, and Vitality

Dr. Mark Kaylor: The first mushroom we’re going to talk about is the Lion’s Mane mushroom. Most of us know it as a brain supplement, but you could call Lion’s Mane the “smarter, happier, healthier” mushroom. We’re going to go into the research on that. As you can see, it’s an unusual-looking mushroom with long, shaggy strands. It grows on dead and living broadleaf trees in North America, Europe, and Asia. It’s fairly widespread, and it’s an edible mushroom—a pretty yummy one with a seafood-y flavor. Its name is Hericium erinaceus, which basically means “hedgehog.” That’s how it translates, likely because of its physical appearance.

In traditional Chinese medicine, where it has been used for a long time, it’s a qi tonic—qi being life force, vitality, and energy. It’s said to strengthen the five internal organs. These qualities all relate to this holistic, tonic action it has. It’s also considered a digestive tonic, which is interesting because when we look at these traditional applications and then look at modern science, I’d say nine times out of ten, maybe even 95 or 99 times out of a hundred, we find that science confirms these traditional applications. That’s a hobby of mine—comparing the two.

Where did Lion’s Mane get some of its names? The Japanese name for it is yamabushitake. It’s named after warrior monks called the Yamabushi, which translates as “one who sleeps in the mountains.” These warrior monks were known for undertaking extreme feats, like hanging off cliffs or standing under snowmelt, basically almost naked. They wore little pom-poms on their robes, which is where the name yamabushitake came from.

As I mentioned, Lion’s Mane has a wide range of benefits, far beyond what it does for the brain and the central nervous system. You can see the list here, and we’re going to go into some of these in detail. It’s antimicrobial—it has been shown to be effective against MRSA and other bugs resistant to pharmaceutical treatments. These resistant infections are becoming a bigger problem, so having these natural remedies that can attack bacteria, fungi, and viruses that Western medicine struggles to treat gives us powerful allies in our healing process. Another benefit of these natural remedies is that microbes don’t develop a defense against them; they don’t become immune to them as they do with antibiotics over time. Very powerful medicines in that regard.

[00:12:57] Lion’s Mane and Alzheimer’s: Multi-Pathway Support from In Silico Studies

Dr. Mark Kaylor: One of the first studies I want to talk about is an in silico study. In silico studies are a new way of researching some of these natural products where they essentially do a computer simulation and predictive analysis. They looked at Lion’s Mane research, examining all the active compounds found in it on one side of the chart, and then the different actions or targets you’d want to hit—in this case, for Alzheimer’s disease. Then, you look at the overlap, and in this case, there are 165 overlaps between compounds in Lion’s Mane mushroom and the actions or pathways you’d want to address. This shows a lot of promise, and the research is confirming it.

It addresses inflammation, improves synapse communication within the brain, and enhances a number of overall functional processes in the brain. Then there are some more targeted effects, such as a negative effect on apoptosis. Apoptosis is cell death, and obviously, we don’t want our cells dying unless we’re talking about cancer cells (we’ll get to that as well). These are really promising studies, and you can see it has a number of genetic interactions, such as with hypoxia genes. Hypoxia refers to inadequate oxygen levels. It also has anti-inflammatory effects through various pathways, and as I mentioned, impacts apoptosis, brain efficiency, and transmissions.

You can see that the constituents in Lion’s Mane work through a number of different pathways, showing promise, particularly regarding Alzheimer’s and dementia. This is another aspect you find true with many natural remedies because they contain so many different compounds. I want to contrast this with a pharmaceutical drug, which is typically an isolated, highly purified compound that tends to either turn something on, turn something off, or kill something—a very linear type of mechanism. As you can see in this case, this is far from a linear response. I think this is one of the promising things not just about mushrooms but about natural remedies in general.

[00:14:59] Lion’s Mane for Immune Support, Cancer Research, and Cardiovascular Health

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Like all mushrooms, or at least most of those in common use here in the West, Lion’s Mane has immune-boosting activities. Mushrooms are potent antifungals, and they have been shown to inhibit tumors. I mentioned apoptosis—we don’t want apoptosis in the brain, but we do want it in relation to cancer cells. Lion’s Mane has been shown to induce cell death in cancer cells, enhance T cells and macrophages, and make your immune system more effective and functional. It also supports the differentiation of T cells, meaning these immune cells develop into the types you want them to be. These precursor cells become the right T cells, depending on what’s going on in your body in this regard,.

We see specific benefits related to cancer research. Just because a type of cancer isn’t listed here doesn’t mean it may not be effective in that regard; it simply means research hasn’t been conducted for it. You can see there are several types of cancer for which it’s showing promise.

I want to make an important note here: these are cell culture studies, not human clinical studies. First of all, it’s virtually impossible to conduct these studies in this country because they must be done in conjunction with conventional therapies, which brings its own set of challenges. Anti-metastatic means it can help stop the spread. Anti-angiogenic means it may slow or decrease the increase of blood vessels that cancers need to survive. It helps protect against the side effects of chemotherapy.

There was a Korean study with leukemia patients showing it significantly reduced the number of leukemia cells. A strong study with gastric cancer showed it protected kidneys against chemotherapy agents. Again, you can see a wide range of benefits and applications here.

Cardiovascular benefits are also seen with various mushrooms. You can see for yourself: lowering cholesterol, lowering LDL, increasing the good cholesterol (HDL), and lowering triglycerides. In fact, one study showed a 27 percent reduction in triglycerides after 28 days, which is pretty significant and pretty fast. I want to make a special note on the importance of triglycerides—not only are they relevant for cardiovascular health, but they’re also an indicator of overall health and can predict longevity. If you’re looking for a blood measure with predictive value for lifespan, get your triglycerides tested.

[00:17:26] Lion’s Mane for Blood Sugar Management and Cancer Prevention Support

Dr. Mark Kaylor: You can also see a range of benefits in reducing inflammation, which is seen throughout the body, including in the brain, cardiovascular system, and other areas. It supports healthy blood sugar levels. There was a clinical study done in a diabetes hospital in Japan, as well as studies in rats, showing significant decreases in blood sugar levels, improved serum insulin levels, and increased insulin sensitivity, which is how responsive your cells are to insulin. We’ll discuss this issue more when we talk about another mushroom.

How well your body responds to insulin is extremely important for chronic diseases, inflammation, aging, and several other conditions. The fact that it’s improving how your body responds to insulin means your pancreas can secrete less of it, leading to fewer related issues. This shows multiple benefits for blood sugar management in a healthy manner.

Ryan Sternagel: You always hear about blood sugar in the context of diabetes and things like that, but knowing what we know about cancer, it’s arguably one of the most important things to monitor for cancer as well. It’s not about thinking that any type of natural sugar is horrible because it’s feeding cancer or whatever, but rather knowing that your healthy cells are going to be utilizing it. This way, there’s not as much free-floating sugar available for cancer cells to consume in the first place. I always have to make that note.

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Cancer cells are very metabolically active. They will basically gobble up the calories that you take in, which is why wasting conditions are often associated with cancers—because your cancer cells are basically overeating and not leaving enough for the rest of your body. Then, as you alluded to, if your body can be more efficient in how it metabolizes sugar, so it gets into the cells where it’s supposed to be, that can certainly be a major preventative factor in this regard as well. Good point.

[00:19:34] Lion’s Mane as a Powerful Antioxidant: Heart, Bone, and Skin Health Benefits

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Lion’s Mane, like many other mushrooms, is a potent antioxidant. Clinical studies show it provides antioxidant protection, particularly for hypertension. It has been shown to increase some endogenous antioxidants—those that your body produces—which are the most potent antioxidants. While it may be helpful to eat antioxidant-rich foods and take antioxidant supplements, the ones your body produces are the most effective and beneficial. These include SOD, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase; These are all part of your body’s efforts to protect itself against free radical damage.

Additionally, you can see it may help prevent osteoporosis, which is related to antioxidant production, protect the liver, aid in wound healing, and slow the aging of the skin, both topically and internally. We’re seeing more and more cosmetics now being formulated with mushrooms in them.

[00:20:27] Lion’s Mane for Gut Health: Microbiome Support and Digestive Benefits

Dr. Mark Kaylor: One of the interesting areas for Lion’s Mane is gut health, which is a growing area of research across the board, not just with mushrooms. We’re now seeing a growing body of research suggesting that health fundamentally begins—and in many ways ends—with how healthy your digestive tract is, how healthy your microbiome is, and how healthy the lining of your gut is. Lion’s Mane has traditionally been used for the digestive tract. This is one of those areas where traditional medicine had it totally right. It has been shown to regulate the composition and metabolism of gut microbes, supporting more of the beneficial bacteria.

It may be beneficial, as research suggests, for Alzheimer’s, weight loss, immune health, and a number of other things. It also has anti-H. pylori activity, which targets the bacteria associated with ulcers, and provides numerous anti-inflammatory benefits.

Clinical studies show it’s useful for gastritis as well. There were 165 patients, I think, in one study for gastric ulcers that showed significant improvement, and it worked better than the leading pharmaceutical in that regard.

[00:21:39] Lion’s Mane and Brain Health: Nerve Growth Factor, Neuroprotection, and Cognitive Support

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Let’s get onto the brain effects of Lion’s Mane mushroom, which many of us are probably looking forward to hearing about. Alzheimer’s is usually one of the top two or three health concerns related to aging. One of the most effective ways Lion’s Mane impacts the body is through the increase in a substance called nerve growth factor. I’ll tell you a bit more about nerve growth factor, what it does, and its role in Lion’s Mane. We’ll go into more detail later as well. Lion’s Mane contains two classes of compounds called hericenones and erinacines. Studies have shown that these compounds can cross the blood-brain barrier and stimulate the body’s production of nerve growth factors.

One of the things they tried years ago was to give people nerve growth factor directly. Ironically, even though the brain needs it, the nerve growth factor doesn’t cross the blood-brain barrier, so taking it in an injected form doesn’t get it into the brain. The scientist who did most of the research and discovered nerve growth factor—her name escapes me at the moment—used to put drops of nerve growth factor in her eyes to get it into the brain. The problem is it can run into six figures on a monthly basis. We’re looking for natural remedies that can cross the blood-brain barrier, get in there, have the benefits for inducing neuronal differentiation, promote the survival of neurons, support regeneration, and decrease neurodegeneration (the breakdown within the brain); The growth factor has all these things.

Basically, nerve factor is a repair mechanism in the brain—very important. It’s one of two key brain repair mechanisms. The other is a substance called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF. I call it “Miracle-Gro for the brain.” It stimulates the production of new brain cells, strengthens brain cells, turns on certain genes, and increases neuroplasticity (the resilience of the brain to respond to certain things, whether they’re attacks, the thinking process, or life stresses). Studies have shown that higher levels of BDNF help you learn faster, improve memory, slow the aging process, and rewire the brain.

There are numerous health benefits related to brain-derived neurotrophic factors as well, and we see Lion’s Mane in both cases. Some specific actions support nerve function, so it’s not only good for the brain but also useful for peripheral nerve issues. One of the first clients I used it with was an individual who had surgery on his hand. During surgery, they severed a nerve in his right hand (he was right-handed). The doctors told him to learn to use his left hand and move on. He started on Lion’s Mane, particularly a specific product we’ll discuss, and over the course of six months to two years, he gradually regained more and more ability in his hand. He can now write and do most of the things they said he would never be able to do.

It stimulates myelination, which can be very important for certain serious brain-related conditions. It also lowers blood sugar levels, and as we mentioned before, Alzheimer’s is in some cases considered type three diabetes, so we can see benefits there. It stimulates the immune system within the brain, which is important. Your brain has cells called glial cells, and they act as janitors in your brain. They go through and clean up waste, garbage, and other things you want to clear out. You can see numerous benefits for Lion’s Mane and nerve health.

[00:25:17] Lion’s Mane as a Brain Tonic: Enhancing Function, Memory, and Overall Brain Health

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Studies show it protects against cell death and improves overall brain function. I see Lion’s Mane as a tonic for the brain. While we’re going to discuss it for specific conditions, my take is that it improves the way your brain works; overall function, thinking, and memory.

An important note here is that it works with and without disease stress on the body. If you’re not suffering from any brain conditions and you just want to maximize your brain health and functionality, it shows benefits in this regard as well.

[00:25:54] Clinical Studies on Lion’s Mane: Cognitive Improvement and Functional Independence in Aging

Dr. Mark Kaylor: This was the first clinical study done on Lion’s Mane; it was a double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving men and women aged 50 to 80, all of whom suffered from mild cognitive impairment. They were tested every two weeks and randomized into two groups—one on Lion’s Mane and one not on Lion’s Mane. They saw significant improvements in memory and various cognitive function tests.

They then switched the groups around. The group that was on Lion’s Mane went off it and saw a decrease in those measures, while the group that was not on it initially went on it and saw these measures improve. This is a good indicator that there’s a causal relationship here, suggesting that Lion’s Mane is causing these improvements in cognitive function.

This study was done at a rehabilitative hospital in Japan. Again, you can see a handful of patients showing improvements in memory, perseverance, and perceptual capacity, which are often significantly affected by dementia. They suggested that it does cross the blood-brain barrier. They looked at something called the Functional Independence Measure. This test assesses things we take for granted—like tying your shoes, dressing yourself, brushing your teeth, and feeding yourself. All of these tasks showed significant improvement.

There were two other studies that followed this same pattern, and we saw similar results. In this study, we saw three patients who had been bedridden become able to get up, go to their meals, and start interacting with life more. Quite a profound improvement in this regard.

My experience with Lion’s Mane, especially the Lion’s Mane amyloban that we’re going to discuss, is that the longer you use it, the greater the benefits.

I would have predicted that if they had continued this study longer, you would have seen even better improvements.

This was a study with 18 patients who were given one and a half grams of Lion’s Mane twice a day. Nine out of 18 saw improvement, which is significant. When you look at it, seven out of 18 saw no change. Many people might say, “That doesn’t seem very impressive,” but when we’re talking about dementia and these brain degenerative conditions, no change is a huge success. If Western medicine could develop a drug that prevented decline in Alzheimer’s and dementia, its sales would skyrocket.

The fact that it can stop the process is extraordinarily promising in this regard.

[00:28:42] Hericenones and Amyloban in Lion’s Mane: Key Compounds for Brain Protection and Quality Considerations

Dr. Mark Kaylor: I mentioned the hericenones and amyloban compounds earlier when we discussed nerve growth factors. The hericenones stimulate the production of nerve growth factor, while the amyloban compounds—fatty acids found in Lion’s Mane—have a protective action on the brain. This creates a twofold supportive action that Lion’s Mane amyloban brings to the table. These compounds have also been shown to prevent something called neurofibrillary tangles, which are knots in neurons. It’s like a hose—if you tie a knot in it, things aren’t going to move through that hose very well.

It works across a number of different mechanisms and pathways. These are the two classes of compounds found in Lion’s Mane. The important point here is that, unfortunately, the vast majority of Lion’s Mane products on the market don’t contain much, if any, of the hericenones and amyloban compounds. The reason for that is that they’re often produced with a simple hot water extraction, and these compounds aren’t water-soluble, so they don’t get pulled out. The only product that guarantees levels of these active compounds—hericenones and amyloban—is the Lion’s Mane amyloban product.

[00:30:04] Lion’s Mane for Sleep Quality: Supporting Circadian Rhythm and Energy Balance

Dr. Mark Kaylor: There’s interesting research from the last few years taking a different approach. I’m never quite sure why they even did this study, but it involved using the Lion’s Mane amyloban product specifically for sleep support, improving overall sleep quality, and balancing the circadian rhythm. There are two or three clinical studies showing improvement in sleep apnea, which affects one in five Americans. This is a promising benefit in a clinical sense. It’s also useful for “long sleepers”—those people you can’t get out of bed in the morning. If given the opportunity to sleep 14 hours, they’ll sleep 14 hours; Lion’s Mane has these benefits. I would argue that the way it’s probably working here is twofold. One is that it improves brain function, which in turn improves sleep quality. The other thing Lion’s Mane does is enhance your qi, your energy, and your life force throughout the day. You go about your day doing more of what you want to do, staying more alert and active, so that by the end of the day, it’s like, “Hey, your brain’s ready. We did a lot today. It’s time to relax, time to go to sleep.” It doesn’t act as a sedative; it works by boosting your day so that, by the end of the day, you’re ready to go to sleep and improve sleep quality in that regard.

[00:31:22] Lion’s Mane for Mental Health: Reducing Anxiety, Depression, and Supporting Neurogenesis

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Mental health improvements—anxiety rates are going through the roof, particularly among young people. Depression rates have also increased. There was a study done at Kyushu University in Japan with 30 women going through menopause, which showed improvements in emotional stability and memory. There was also a study done with the omicinone compound (which includes amyloban) showing it reduced inflammation, depression, and anxiety—in this case in mice—and promoted neurogenesis, meaning the creation of new brain cells. In the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that regulates emotional stability and memory, this has shown some promising effects. A study from last year also suggested it may help with anxiety in patients with Alzheimer’s, which is interesting.

[00:32:11] Lion’s Mane Dosage Recommendations and Potential Benefits for Schizophrenia

Dr. Mark Kaylor: For dosing, the recommended dosage for the Lion’s Mane amyloban product is two tablets three times a day or three tablets twice a day. I know it’s hard to take some things three times a day, so I prefer the three tablets twice a day; it seems to work as well. Some doctors in Japan using it for schizophrenia found that certain individuals who were constitutionally weak or depleted responded strongly, even at lower doses. So you can start with a lower dose and gradually increase it to see what works best for you.

I should also mention that the research on this specific product, Lion’s Mane amyloban, includes some clinical work with schizophrenia, showing some remarkable results. For instance, one individual diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 18 was experiencing hallucinations and other severe issues and was no longer able to function in the world. He went on the product and was able to regain his life, even going back to work at the doctor’s office that provided the amyloban product. Other psychiatrists started using it as well. It’s an intriguing area showing some promising results. That’s it for Lion’s Mane.

[00:33:40] Introducing Maitake: The Large, Flavorful Mushroom with Nutritional Benefits

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Next up is the maitake mushroom. This is also an unusual-looking mushroom. It’s edible and can grow quite large—generally around 20 pounds, but there have been examples weighing 90, 100, or even 110 pounds. If you ever find one growing in the wild, it’s a delicious and substantial mushroom. It grows in temperate forests in eastern North America, Europe, and Asia. It’s relatively widespread and typically grows at the base of broadleaf trees, especially oak. It’s more edible when younger, as it tends to get tougher as it ages, and has a sweet smell. It’s rich in that umami flavor, similar to mushrooms like shiitake.

[00:34:25] Maitake D-Fraction: Immune-Boosting Beta-Glucans and Cancer Research Insights

Dr. Mark Kaylor: We’re going to look at two particular compounds in the maitake mushroom.

The first is a compound called maitake D-fraction. This involves a fairly elaborate extraction process to concentrate the D-fraction from the maitake. The reason for that is, again, based on clinical research, we know you need a significant amount to achieve the physiological changes and adjustments in the body.

The maitake D-fraction is essentially a water-soluble, protein-bound beta-1,3/1,6-glucan found only in the fruiting body of the mushroom. What makes it important here is its high degree of branching. This branching allows it to interact with immune cells in the body, as all those little branches act like fingers reaching out to the immune system. Its size allows it to survive the digestive tract, and being water-soluble means it can pass through the digestive system, get absorbed, and, being protein-bound, further enhances absorption.

All of this is important because, while we’ve known beta-glucans are beneficial for the immune system for about 75 years, the challenge has been that, when taken orally, they tend to get digested and broken down, with low absorption rates. It’s reassuring to know that we have studies showing the maitake D-fraction is effective and orally absorbable.

Some of the research includes a study comparing maitake to Lentinan (a pharmaceutical from the shiitake mushroom), PSK (another pharmaceutical, in Japan specifically, derived from the Coriolus mushroom), and the reishi mushroom. You can see on the chart on the left that the tumor inhibition rate for maitake D-fraction was significantly higher than for the other products. Even when the reishi mushroom extract was given at a dose 50 times higher, the maitake D-fraction still had a higher tumor inhibition rate.

If you look at the chart on the right, it’s also compared to reishi and a type of brown seaweed, showing that it was cytotoxic to PC3 cells. PC3 cells are an aggressive type of prostate cancer cell. These were some of the first studies comparing it to other remedies out there.

[00:36:36] Oral Bioavailability of Maitake D-Fraction: Effective Immune Support and Cancer Cell Impact

Dr. Mark Kaylor: I mentioned that it’s orally bioavailable. This is important, first of all, because that’s how we’re going to be taking it. Secondly, beta-glucans generally aren’t particularly effective when taken orally. The fact that we’re seeing these studies—some comparing injected use versus oral use—and you can see in some cases they’re fairly similar, in others oral is a bit better, and in some, injected is better, but the fundamental point here is that it’s effective orally. The same holds when you look at its effect on cancer cells—oral administration has been shown to be effective.

[00:37:15] Maitake D-Fraction’s Key Role in Cancer Prevention

Dr. Mark Kaylor: To me, the number one and best thing about it—and I could talk about the maitake D-fraction and just show this one slide—is its role in prevention. Having worked with cancer patients for almost 40 years, I can tell you that the name of the game is prevention.

Once these cells get into the body and start to take over, it becomes a much more difficult and often much more painful process to eliminate them. The fact that it can be useful as a preventative is significant. Both the maitake mushroom itself and, in particular, the D-fraction have been shown to be more effective in a preventative manner.

[00:37:59] Maitake D-Fraction and Vitamin C: Enhancing Immune Response and Cancer Cell Targeting

Dr. Mark Kaylor: We’ve seen that it boosts the number of immune cells within the body. For the longest time, people thought mushrooms—especially maitake and its D-fraction—worked primarily by increasing immune cells. What we’re finding is that it has some direct actions, as well as genetic actions. This study showed that it induced breast cancer cell death, meaning it killed breast cancer cells when taken with vitamin C. It increases apoptosis, or the kill rate of cancer cells. This particular study was done with breast cancer cells, but there are also studies with prostate cancer cells, as you see here, and kidney cancer cells.

It seems to be effective across several types of cancers. This study, as I mentioned, was done with prostate cancer cells. Again, it’s dose-dependent—the more maitake D-fraction you take, the greater the kill rate of prostate cancer cells. The challenge is that the higher dose required can be difficult to achieve. However, by adding vitamin C to the mix, you get similar results with much lower doses. When you take maitake D-fraction, take it with some vitamin C. In fact, when taking any beta-glucan or polysaccharide product, like echinacea, vitamin C can improve its overall efficacy.

Ryan Sternagel: Taking vitamin C anyway. There you go.

[00:39:27] Genetic Impact of Maitake D-Fraction: Promoting Cancer Cell Apoptosis

Dr. Mark Kaylor: This is an interesting study by a researcher in Argentina. Unbeknownst to Mushroom Wisdom, she came across the product, bought it online, and conducted a study showing that it induced pro-apoptotic gene changes. Apoptosis is cell death—in this case, it caused breast cancer cells to “commit cell suicide.” It also turned off anti-apoptotic genes, which are the genes that allow cancer to keep growing instead of dying. Cancer cells, for all intents and purposes, are immortal, which is the problem—they don’t die like the rest of our cells. This study turned the tables on cancer cells, encouraging them, so to speak, genetically to die and go through the process that all other cells do.

This was the first study to show these genetic changes, going well beyond merely boosting the body’s immune responses.

[00:40:30] Maitake D-Fraction with Conventional Therapy: Reducing Side Effects and Enhancing Efficacy

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Another benefit of maitake D-fraction is that it works well with conventional therapy, significantly decreasing side effects like hair loss, pain, nausea, and vomiting—the all-too-familiar symptoms of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

It’s also been shown to potentiate certain chemo agents. It’s now been tested with at least three or four different chemo agents, showing that the chemo agents become more effective. It can decrease negative side effects while making chemotherapy work more effectively in the body.

One of the areas that does that is through the bone marrow. Chemotherapy and radiation tend to attack, first and foremost, fast-reproducing cells in the body, with bone marrow being among those cells. One of the ways that maitake fraction can protect against these treatments is that it’s been shown to enhance bone marrow cell production and increase cell differentiation—meaning, in this case, cells becoming bone, blood, or immune cells—and it can enhance recovery.

So again, it’s working on a number of levels: on the immune system, working genetically, working directly, and even working with conventional treatments as well, which makes it a promising remedy. You can see, summing up, it works in a number of ways, with direct actions like activating NK cells (natural killer cells) and macrophages (the “Pac-Man” immune cells in the body), potentiating conventional therapies, and helping with recovery from all of these treatments.

Then it has these holistic or supportive actions. We’ve talked about blood sugar and insulin, which we’ll go into a little more with the next compound, and about protecting the liver, since a lot of these therapies are very toxic to the liver. That’s an important process, as well as balancing the endocrine system.

There are a number of benefits, both direct and holistic, in this regard.

Ryan Sternagel: Too much to believe, but there it is.

Dr. Mark Kaylor: That’s one of the things you often hear when I show charts like this. I made a chart on the benefits of reishi mushroom, which I’m a huge fan of, and there are like a hundred benefits to it. People look at it and say, “Snake oil salesman,” that type of thing—how can it do all those things? Keep in mind that these mushrooms often have dozens, if not hundreds, of compounds in them. It would be like taking hundreds of different pharmaceutical drugs that all have different effects on the body.

[00:42:54] Blood Sugar Imbalance and Lifestyle: Insights on Diet, Insulin, and Health Risks

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Next up, we’re going to look at a different compound from the maitake mushroom as well. It’s a different constituent in there, and it’s related to blood sugar and insulin levels, which we’re going to talk about. Average sugar consumption today, to me, is a frightening number—22 teaspoons a day on average.

I believe this is a gross underestimate because nobody wants to admit how much sugar they’re taking in. When they eat a lot of these sugars, blood sugar becomes way more important than just diabetes; it affects insulin levels, as well as factors related to cancer, inflammation, aging, cardiovascular disease, and various other aspects.

The American Heart Association recommends no more than seven teaspoons a day, five for kids. I think that’s still too high. Honestly, I believe—and I know there’s a trend among dietitians to say, “Don’t eliminate any foods”—but I’m all for eliminating sugar altogether. I don’t think it belongs in the diet in any way.

There was a study showing that this level of regular sugar consumption is associated with brain damage similar to that of someone who has been abused. There’s a significant impact on the brain itself. Why is all this happening? It’s happening because we were designed to be hunters and gatherers.

With that came a certain lifestyle, a certain activity level, and certain dietary patterns. Our bodies were designed and built physiologically in this regard. The problem is, for far too many of us, the only hunting we do is from the recliner or the couch with a bag of chips, and the only gathering we do is from the local 7-Eleven or the chip aisle in the grocery store.

This is what healthy blood sugar should look like: a gradual increase. The body takes care of it by producing insulin, followed by a gradual decrease, creating this nice, gradual flow throughout the body, so it’s not causing a lot of disturbance. You can think of it like waves—this is low tide, with not many issues in this regard.

You should get a correspondingly similar pattern with insulin. So, you take in blood sugar, and your body says, “Hey, there’s sugar; let’s produce insulin so it can enter our cells and be burned for fuel.” Again, it’s a gradual rise. Once the body uses up that sugar, insulin levels start to decrease and work their way down again. This is, again, a natural, healthy cycle.

Unfortunately, what’s happening with blood sugar today, because of the amount of refined carbohydrates we consume, is that you get this massive spike (way beyond what it should be), with levels well above the healthy range. I’ll add that a spike like this, within 15 to 20 minutes, decreases the number of immune cells and their activity. That’s just one example of how this can impact more than what we think of as blood sugar-related conditions. We see a similar pattern with insulin.

There’s a spike in insulin, a gradual drop-off, then it rises again, rather than the steady pattern we’re supposed to be getting. This leads to premature aging, inflammation, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and a range of other conditions. How does this all happen? It’s the refined carbohydrates, combined with too much sitting and not enough exercise. Again, we were hunters and gatherers—we went out and wandered the world; we didn’t sit at desks or on couches for 8, 10, or even 14 hours a day. Our diet is disorganized, and stress levels are much higher, which also raises blood sugar.

All of these factors contribute to elevated blood sugar levels, creating an increased demand for more blood sugar. We eat more, and then we experience a drop-off, leaving us with no desire to exercise. This becomes a vicious cycle. Over time, this elevated blood sugar raises insulin levels, and those higher insulin levels lead cells to stop responding to it.

It’s like anything: if you bombard the body with something, it stops responding. I’ll use an example: I don’t know if anyone here lives in New York City or has spent time there. If you’re not used to New York, it’s so loud and noisy. But after a week or so, you don’t hear the noise anymore.

The same thing basically happens with our cells. When they’re constantly bombarded with insulin, they stop responding to it. And guess what that means? Your body has to keep secreting more and more insulin. Again, we get this cycle going round and round, which leads to the problems we’re dealing with.

[00:47:18] Maitake SX Fraction: Supporting Blood Sugar Balance and Insulin Sensitivity without Raising Insulin

Dr. Mark Kaylor: What can we do? The SX fraction, which is a different compound than the D fraction found in maitake, works on both levels. It can lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity. It can decrease that resistance and related issues. The important part here is that there are a number of natural remedies out there that can lower blood sugar levels. However, the way they lower blood sugar is by increasing insulin production. As you saw in the previous chart, increasing insulin production is one of the factors causing this problem in the first place. Be careful when choosing remedies to lower blood sugar levels; make sure they’re not working through a mechanism that increases insulin levels in the body.

We see that the maitake SX fraction has shown additional benefits with obesity, lowering cholesterol, improving HDL levels, lowering blood pressure, blood sugar, and insulin levels. These are all signs that it’s improving insulin sensitivity. These are markers when you’re doing clinical tests, these cardiovascular benefits serve as indicators of improved insulin sensitivity. There is a lab test for insulin resistance, but it’s extraordinarily expensive and not widely used.

[00:48:33] Maitake SX Fraction Studies: Blood Sugar, HbA1c, and Cardiovascular Benefits

Dr. Mark Kaylor: This is one of the first studies conducted. It was done on mice by Dr. Kono at New York Medical College. You can see the mice given maitake mushroom experienced significant reductions in blood sugar, insulin, and triglycerides, along with a significant decrease in weight. This is interesting because it led to the first human trial with the maitake SX fraction. Dr. Kono, who had conducted the study on mice, was ironically diagnosed with type 2 diabetes not long after. He went on glyburide, a pharmaceutical drug, and decided to add SX fraction to his regimen.

You can see that while the glyburide helped lower his levels initially, the SX fraction helped maintain those lower levels at healthier ranges over a longer period. It’s interesting that he decided to try it himself after conducting his research.

Again, here you can see some of the measures over a longer period—nine months—showing improvements in fasting blood glucose and HbA1c, which is a long-term measure of blood sugar and is a much better measure than just serum blood sugar tests. HbA1c measures average blood sugar over about two months, making it a more relevant measure.

Dr. Kono also conducted a clinical trial, marking the first human trial with five patients. You can see fasting blood glucose levels decreased significantly—anywhere from 30-63%, the average decrease in fasting glucose was from 196 to 137 after using the SX fraction. This was the first human clinical trial to show a significant impact on HbA1c. High HbA1c levels lead to increased free radicals, blood cell membrane damage, clotting, blood thickening issues, increased inflammation in the cardiovascular system, and plaque buildup.

This demonstrates a profound and far-reaching impact, indicating cardiovascular benefits in this clinical study, particularly showing a lowering of LDL levels. And it increased HDL, the so-called “good cholesterol.”

Another study was done with 12 cases, where fasting blood glucose decreased in 10 out of the 12 participants. The fasting blood glucose dropped from roughly 203 to 179 in one month and then to 171 in two months. A similar pattern was observed with HbA1c—a moderate decrease over time. This is one of those measures that takes time; the longer you do it, the better.

In these studies, unfortunately, no dietary adjustments were made. If dietary adjustments were added, I would imagine even more dramatic results.

[00:51:28] Maitake SX Fraction’s Cardiovascular Impact: Demonstrating Causality in Blood Sugar and Cholesterol Improvements

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Cardiovascular benefits were also observed. The maitake SX fraction showed total cholesterol going down, HDL (good cholesterol) going up, LDL cholesterol decreasing, and triglycerides lowering. In two clinical studies, you can see improvements in HDL cholesterol within a short period of time.

One of the things you want to show is causality. One of my pet peeves with our industry—and the natural products industry to some extent—is that we tend to see a study showing association but then make claims of causality. I think we always need to be careful about doing that.

What we wanted to do with the SX fraction was to show that it’s causing these improvements, not just associated with these improvements that we were seeing. In this study, you can see they measured blood glucose. In the green line, when participants were on the maitake SX fraction, their blood sugar stayed low; When they went off it, blood sugar levels went high. Conversely, in the group not initially on maitake, high blood sugar levels dropped when they went on the SX fraction. This is a good indication of causality in that regard.

The same effect was seen with serum insulin levels. When they were on SX fraction, they experienced benefits; when they went off, they lost those benefits, showing that SX fraction is indeed causing these improvements in the body. The same pattern was observed with triglycerides.

[00:52:54] Maitake SX Fraction vs. Glipizide: Faster and More Effective Blood Sugar Support

Dr. Mark Kaylor: One interesting aspect here is that a common belief about natural remedies is that they don’t work as well and as quickly as pharmaceuticals. In this study, they compared SX fraction to glipizide, a common pharmaceutical used for blood sugar issues. You can see that SX fraction worked on blood sugar better and more quickly. Similarly, it worked more effectively and quickly on serum insulin levels. Here, we have a natural remedy that outperforms pharmaceuticals.

[00:53:20] Maitake SX Fraction: Safe Blood Sugar Regulation Without Risk of Excessive Lowering

Dr. Mark Kaylor: One of the things that comes up when people start looking at this is, “Is it going to lower my blood sugar too much?” Studies show that it will not; if your blood sugar is in the healthy range, it’s not going to lower it below that healthy range. I will add a little caveat to this: the standard measures for what is considered a healthy blood sugar level, I think, are too high and should be lower. I believe the general target is around 85 or so. If you can get it down below that, you’re even better off in terms of long-term health, lifespan, and longevity.

[00:53:51] Potential Applications of Maitake SX Fraction: Beyond Blood Sugar to Metabolic and Cognitive Health

Dr. Mark Kaylor: What can it be used for? I mentioned that insulin and blood sugar conditions relate to things far beyond diabetes—obesity, cancer, atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, lack of motivation, brain fog, tiredness, and endothelial function (related to the arteries in the body). I think SX fraction may show some benefits in these areas.

[00:54:16] The Importance of Quality in Mushroom Supplements: Ensuring Authentic Ingredients

Dr. Mark Kaylor: That’s it for Lion’s Mane, the D fraction, and the SX fraction. A real brief note on the importance of quality: I’ll mention an independent study from a couple of years ago. In this study, researchers went into health food stores and ordered reishi mushroom extract online. I think they tested 19 or 20 products, and 75 percent of those reishi products did not contain any reishi mushrooms whatsoever. Quality is an important issue industry-wide, and here we have a study showing specific issues within the mushroom category. Unfortunately, the best-seller in this category was one of the products that failed, showing it contained no reishi at all.

Ryan Sternagel: I’ll just say, it’s not like you went to Walmart and got a Walmart brand—I don’t know if they sell mushrooms at Walmart, but you get the idea. It’s like the big brands at Whole Foods and places like that. It’s pretty sad.

Dr. Mark Kaylor: These were from regular, conventional health food stores; they weren’t from mass-market venues.

Thankfully, needless to say, Mushroom Wisdom was one of the products tested, and it did contain reishi mushrooms.

[00:55:35] Mushroom Quality Matters: Choosing Fruiting Body Products and Natural Growth Methods

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Another issue to consider is what mushrooms grow on naturally. If you look at this, most of them grow on various types of trees—hardwoods or pine trees. The poria mushroom grows on the roots of pine trees. Agaricus is the exception; it grows in soil.

What you’ll notice here is something’s missing from this list—rice. Unfortunately, a lot of companies grow their mushrooms on rice because they’re producing mycelium products. Mycelium is the root structure of the mushroom, while the fruiting body is the above-ground portion. When you go into a grocery store and buy shiitake or button mushrooms, what you’re buying is the fruiting body. A number of companies use mycelium-based products. The reason is, first of all, it’s cheap. It’s very fast—you can turn these things around in a couple of weeks versus several months. It’s a lot easier, but you have to grow it on something that’s edible because you can’t separate that mycelium from the grain it’s grown on (as I’ll show you in a minute).

Mushroom Wisdom grows its mushrooms from their natural food sources. We go so far as to use pine logs, for example, because poria grows on the roots of pine trees. We take pine logs, put the poria spores into them, and then bury them before we dig them back up to harvest those mushrooms. That’s the degree and the lengths we go to in order to grow these mushrooms in a way that mirrors their natural habitat.

This is important because mycelium-based products, in many cases, are grown in plastic bags or sometimes bottles. You can see that white material, which is the mycelium. In this case, it’s grown on wheat, and it looks like a lot of mycelium. But when you shake it up, this is what you see—mostly the grain it’s grown on, not the fruiting body that people typically seek in mushroom products.

Another point I’ll add is that most of the research done on mushrooms has been on the fruiting body. Research on mycelium-based products has been on mycelium grown in a fermentation process that is completely free of any grain—no rice, no wheat. However, the products on the market aren’t manufactured this way; they’re grown on these grain biomasses.

So what do you want to look for in a good mushroom product? Look for “fruiting body” or “sclerotium” (which is the Chaga version). The one exception to this rule is cordyceps mushroom, a fungus that grows on caterpillars at high altitudes in the Himalayan mountains. Again, it’s the part that has been used traditionally, the part that’s best researched and doesn’t contain biomass. You get nothing but mushrooms this way, allowing it to grow on its natural food source.

Think of it like a hothouse tomato. If you grow a hothouse tomato, it tastes different, has a different consistency, and the nutrition is different compared to an heirloom tomato grown in a garden. It’s very different in terms of both energetic and nutritional qualities, and the same is true for mushrooms.

That’s a quick overview of why we need to be attentive, particularly with mushroom quality issues in this industry. I’d like to thank everyone for being here. I look forward to your questions. If you want to find out about the products, go to mushroomwisdom.com, or you can email them at  [email protected]. I also have a website called Radiant Health Project, which is a not-for-profit where I share information on natural remedies and this tonic approach.

I’m focused on maximizing our health, vitality, longevity, and health span. You can contact me at my email, [email protected]. Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you and answering your questions.

Ryan Sternagel: There it is. As promised, a great presentation from Dr. Kaylor, and I believe we’ve delivered on that promise. Thank you so much, Dr. Kaylor.

[00:59:48] Choosing the Right Mushroom for Health: Cordyceps, Reishi, and Intuitive Guidance

Ryan Sternagel: Dr. Kaylor, we’ll get to Q&A here. I saw a lot of related questions come through in the chat, and I think this might be a good one to kick things off.

Going back to that good but sometimes confusing aspect with mushrooms—each of the three mushrooms you talked about today, and those are just three of them—Mushroom Wisdom has all the ones we know about, and they all seem to do so many different things. Originally, when I was first researching cancer, you’d hear a lot about Coriolus, or turkey tail, and it seemed like the go-to, at least as the “cancer mushroom.” But then you see all this new research on other mushrooms, and they’ve all got anti-cancer properties and studies behind them. How do you go about finding out what’s the best mushroom for you at this point in your life? I always say, if you’re working with a good integrative, functional practitioner and they recommend a specific mushroom, that’s the one you should be on. But when it comes to general health and wellness, I’ve kind of thrown my hands up, stopped trying to decide, and instead of trying to figure out which mushroom to take, I just know we should be on mushrooms. So, it becomes a question of who’s doing it the best—Mushroom Wisdom. We rotate through the different mushrooms.

Any guidance you could give? Is that the best strategy, or is there something better to figure out? I guess with the SX fraction, you talked about blood sugar, and SX seemed to be the primary blood sugar mushroom, but I don’t know. Any guidance you could provide on figuring out what’s best for each person?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: A couple of things. You mentioned overall health and vitality. Two mushrooms we didn’t talk about today—my favorite basic combination that I think almost everyone could benefit from—are cordyceps and reishi mushrooms. Start your day with cordyceps; it increases your yang, your fire, your drive, and your motivation, along with a number of other benefits.

At the end of the day, take reishi—it’s calming, relaxing, and nourishes what’s called the “Shen,” the emotional center of the body. It’s also a detoxifying mushroom. For overall health and vitality, I like that combination: cordyceps in the morning and reishi in the afternoon or evening.

When you start talking about how to apply these, especially for specific types of cancers, and so forth, you basically have to do a little research because some mushrooms tend to target certain types of cancers better than others. You mentioned turkey tail or Coriolus mushroom. Coriolus mushroom is particularly effective for cancers along the digestive tract—from mouth to anus.

You can go to PubMed or do a Google Scholar search. Search the specific mushroom you’re looking at, and then add “cancer” or other keywords. You can see which types they’ve been studied for. I know it can get confusing, so it takes a little extra time to look into what the research suggests for a specific mushroom in terms of which types of cancer or other concerns it might be most relevant for.

For general health, though, you really can’t go wrong with any of the mushrooms. Mushroom Wisdom has 11 different mushrooms. If you wanted to take a mushroom for general health and vitality, any one of them would be beneficial. If you have an intuitive sense, like “I think shiitake would be good for me,” I encourage people to listen to that inner voice, too. If you’re trying to apply it to specific situations, it takes some research, but for overall health, you can’t go wrong. Again, that cordyceps and reishi combo, in my opinion, is unbeatable.

Ryan Sternagel: I love it. Thank you for pointing out the intuition. That’s good for deciding on a type of mushroom, and really, for anything. If you feel drawn to something, pay attention to it—that’s probably the best research you could do.

[01:04:49] Mushroom Powders vs. Extracts: Importance of Extraction for Bioavailability

Ryan Sternagel: “Is there a way to test at home for purity?” A lot of questions on mushroom powders, Dr. Kaylor. For example; “Must the powders we buy be exposed to heat to release their beneficial properties?” “How can we test for the purity of powders at home?” “Is it okay to mix powders from different mushrooms and take them all at once?” There are quite a few powder questions here. Mushroom Wisdom products are mostly tablets, so what’s the deal with buying a big bag of powder versus tablets?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: It depends on what you mean by powder. When you look at a mushroom product, what you want is a mushroom that’s been extracted. The reason for that is mushrooms contain a fiber-like compound called chitin, which is why they’re so woody. Chitin gives the structure of the cell. The enzyme that breaks down chitin is called chitinase, and the human body produces virtually no chitinase.

When you take a raw mushroom or a mushroom powder that’s just a dried mushroom ground into powder, your body does not break those down. They need to be extracted. Hot water is the most common extraction process. Some mushrooms, like reishi, require both hot water and alcohol. Extractions like the Maitale D fraction have even more elaborate extraction processes.

If you want to access those key constituents at what I would call therapeutic levels, they need to be extracted and freed from that chitin (the cell wall) so that your body can access them. It’s important to have them removed, and Mushroom Wisdom extracts their products to make them more bioavailable in that regard.

Ryan Sternagel: I would say that probably clears it up.

Dr. Mark Kaylor: You can find powders that are extracted; make sure whatever mushroom powder you get says it’s extracted.

[01:07:13] Adjusting Mushroom Doses for Kids: Bodyweight and Health Goal Considerations

Ryan Sternagel: The next question was: “How much Lion’s Mane for kids, ages 10 and 7. Or rather, Ryan, how much would you give your kids of those ages?”

For kids, or really for anyone, it’s about figuring out what adult dose you’re aiming for. Are you looking for a general health and wellness dose, or are you aiming for a more intensive, active dose? Maybe “intensive dose” is the best way to say it. Can you speak a bit to that, Dr. Kaylor? I know you mentioned that some of these studies are dose-dependent—the more you take, the more benefit you may see. When it comes to kids, you figure out what exact dose you’re actually shooting for; Are you shooting for the general health and wellness stuff or are you shooting for whatever you decide is the intensive dose, and then you just do a bodyweight conversion, and figure out what percentage of the 150 pounds the kid is. That’s what we do for our kids. We calculate what percentage of 150 pounds their weight represents, then apply that percentage to the dose and round up slightly for good measure. That’s what we personally do for our kids. Dr. Kaylor, can you expand on that, like how people might interpret the dose on the bottle based on their health goals?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: That’s an important point you’re making. First and foremost, though, if we’re talking about children and using some of these products, the first question I would ask is: why does a seven-year-old, a ten-year-old, or even a five-year-old need a supplement of this sort? Perhaps there are other adjustments to consider first.

Kids tend to be very responsive when you make subtle dietary and lifestyle changes. That would be my first step—try to look at what’s going on and work from that point. I’ll take the maitake D-fraction as an example; kids tend to respond well to it and can often use a much lower dose of the maitake D-fraction.

There are a couple of different maitake D-fraction options. There’s the standard version and one called the Pro 4X. I like the Pro 4X because that’s the one used in all the clinical research. The dosing on the bottle is the dose for overall health maintenance. I believe it’s five drops twice a day—a very small dose a couple of times a day is all you need. However, research uses a much higher dose for more therapeutic applications.

That therapeutic dose is based on body weight, at one drop per kilogram of body weight (a kilogram is 2.2 pounds). You take the body weight, divide it by 2.2 pounds to get the number of drops, and then divide that into two or three doses, depending on how you’re dosing it. That’s how you would dose it based on the level of activity you’re looking for, whether it’s for acute cases or for health maintenance to maximize health and vitality. You mentioned weight considerations. The standard adult weight is generally considered 150 pounds, though statistically, it’s now about 165 pounds. We use 150 pounds as a measure, so a 75-pound child would take about half the adult dose.

[01:11:20] Optimal Timing for Mushroom Supplements: With or Without Food?

Ryan Sternagel: Dr. Kaylor, before I forget, this has been driving me crazy—should it be taken with or without food? Whenever I click around with this, I see mixed opinions. I usually do once on an empty stomach and once with food to cover my bases, but what’s your take?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: For everything except the SX fraction, I would recommend taking them on an empty stomach for the simple reason that you don’t want to dilute it with whatever you’re eating, whether it’s a salad, a Big Mac, or anything else. If you take it with a larger meal, it can get lost in that meal, and your absorption rate tends to go down a bit.

If you experience any stomach upset, then, of course, take it with some food. The exception to that rule is the SX fraction. I’d recommend taking it ideally 20 to 30 minutes before meals so that you can prime the cells and the body’s blood sugar response.

That would be one I’d take before a meal, or even right after or during a meal. The other ones, ideally, I’d take away from food. It’s not that it will hurt them, but you’ll probably lose some of the benefits in the food, so to speak.

[01:12:44] Mushroom Sensitivity vs. Environmental Contaminants: Identifying True Reactions

Ryan Sternagel: “If you have a food sensitivity to mushrooms, will the powders, tinctures, or tablets affect you negatively?”

Dr. Mark Kaylor: That’s a tricky question because a lot of people think they have a sensitivity to mushrooms, but what they actually have is a sensitivity to what’s on the mushroom. Think about where mushrooms grow—most of them grow in dark, damp environments. Guess what else grows in those environments? Yeast, fungi, bacteria, and all sorts of other microbes that thrive in those conditions.

A lot of people who think they have a sensitivity to mushrooms are actually reacting to what’s on them. If you have a legitimate sensitivity to mushrooms, there’s no way around that; you need to stay away from them. But if your reaction is due to what’s on the mushrooms, these products are cleaned, so you don’t have to worry about those other microbes that like the same environment.

[01:14:01] Shiitake for Candida and Fungal Infections: Antifungal, Liver Support, and Microbiome Benefits

Ryan Sternagel: For recurring candida and fungal infections, are there specific mushrooms that would be effective? I don’t want to take liver-risk drugs again, like terbinafine, for candida or fungal infections. Any specific recommendations, Dr. Kaylor?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Not to confuse matters but a lot of mushrooms have some degree of antifungal action. The reason for this is where they grow—they compete with other fungi in those environments, so they develop a natural response to it.

The mushroom I find most effective, and one I use as a natural remedy, particularly for candida treatment, is shiitake extract. It’s antifungal, supports the liver, and is what I call a “constitutional strengthener.” Many people with serious systemic candida infections tend to be constitutionally weak and depleted. Shiitake works holistically; it targets the liver, which plays an important role in the detoxification process. Once you kill off the candida, the body needs to eliminate it, and supporting the liver helps with that.

Shiitake also has prebiotic properties, feeding the good bacteria and supporting the microbiome, which is another important element. To me, shiitake is one of the wonderful remedies. Shiitake can be used as a natural remedy for candida treatment or even preventatively if you have a history of it coming and going.

[01:15:43] Single Mushroom Supplements vs. Combos: Targeted Benefits vs. General Health Support

Ryan Sternagel: Here’s a good one: “Is there a supplement that includes all the mushroom types, or do you need to take multiple mushroom supplements?” There are certainly combo products out there with five different mushrooms, seven, or even twelve different types. I believe Mushroom Wisdom is mostly single mushrooms, but they do have a combo product. I guess it depends on the goal. For overall health and wellness, the combo products might be okay. But if you’re going for something more targeted, maybe a single mushroom is better. Although, single mushrooms can work well for general health and wellness, too. Can you walk us through combo products versus singles?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: This one always gets me in a little trouble, because I’ll be quite frank about it. I’m not a big fan of the combo products. The reason is that research suggests you need a certain amount of mushrooms to get the benefits you’re looking for.

My preference would be to find the specific mushroom (or mushrooms) that targets what you’re trying to achieve and take them individually. You can still take them in combination; for general health, I’m probably taking at least six mushrooms regularly, along with—you don’t want to know how many other supplements I take!

I prefer people find the targeted mushroom they feel drawn to or that seems to work on the different levels specific to what’s going on in their body. Often, that may be two or three mushrooms. If you want to simplify the process of health maintenance, though, combination products can be useful. The Mushroom Wisdom product called “Mushroom Emperors” includes proprietary extracts, not just individual mushrooms; it also contains some SX, amyloban, and D-fraction, which sets it apart.

My preference would still be to find the mushrooms that work best for you and go from there.

Ryan Sternagel: I’m pretty much on the same page.

[01:18:11] Choosing the Right Form of Vitamin C: Ascorbic Acid vs. Food-Based Options for Supplementation

Ryan Sternagel: Side question—it’s not really a side question: “What form of vitamin C is most effective?” We could spend the next two hours talking about ascorbic acid versus ascorbate versus the so-called “whole food” form of vitamin C. Dr. Kaylor, do you happen to know what form of vitamin C they were using when combining it with mushrooms? And any thoughts on the ascorbic versus whole food debate?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: They use ascorbic acid in the studies. Remember, these are researchers; they prefer purified, isolated compounds—that cleaner, almost pharmaceutical approach and mentality. So, in the studies, they use ascorbic acid. If you’re looking to increase absorption, 6,000 milligrams of vitamin C can help improve that.

As for the overall issue with vitamin C, I agree with you. For general support—not talking about therapeutic applications—I like food-sourced vitamin C. You’re basically getting foods that have been extracted, concentrated, and put into a powder, capsule, or tablet, sometimes even liquid. In general, I like supplements that are food-based or as close to food as possible.

Regarding ascorbic acid versus ascorbate, a lot of people use chewables or gummies, which are popular right now. I’m not a fan of ascorbic acid in those forms. Guess what? Ascorbic acid is an acid that corrodes the teeth. You don’t want to be taking ascorbic acid in any form that’s held orally for any period of time. The ascorbates are buffered, so they get around that issue. But for general supplementation, I prefer the food-based options. In therapeutic situations, I’ll sometimes mix in ascorbates when I’m looking to get vitamin C content up to very high levels.

Ryan Sternagel: The gummy supplement craze drives me crazy in general, and you’re paying so much for so little of the actual supplement. I guess if it’s the only way to get your kid to take it, then fine—better than nothing—but overall, gummies are maddening.

[01:21:04] Medicinal Mushrooms and Liver Health: No Toxicity, Only Benefits

Ryan Sternagel: “Do these mushrooms have liver toxicity?”

Dr. Mark Kaylor: They do not. In fact, most of these mushrooms are beneficial to the liver. I mentioned shiitake before; reishi is also a wonderful liver remedy. Reishi has been shown to help regenerate the liver and acts similarly to milk thistle, which is well-known for liver support. Reishi is comparable to milk thistle in its ability to protect and help regenerate liver cells.

Most medicinal mushrooms have beneficial effects for the liver. I don’t know of any commonly used medicinal mushrooms with negative effects on the liver. Now, if you’re going out in the wild and gathering mushrooms, picking the wrong one could lead to liver issues, but when we’re talking about these medicinal mushrooms that are grown and prepared specifically, liver toxicity is not an issue. In fact, they’re very good for the liver.

Ryan Sternagel: Someday, I need to figure out the whole mushroom foraging thing and get into that. Then again, in Utah, you’ve got to really want them; it’s a bit too dry here.

[01:22:22] SX Fraction for Pre-Diabetes: Proactive Blood Sugar Support Without Risk of Over-Correction

Ryan Sternagel: “Would the SX fraction be a good choice for someone who has been told they’re pre-diabetic, or is it possibly too strong, making it better to start with another product?”

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Definitely, I would use the SX fraction for pre-diabetes. Why not hit it hard and strong so you don’t progress to a more serious condition with more severe side effects and consequences? By all means, as I mentioned, the studies show you can’t overdo it. It’s never going to lower your blood sugar so much that you feel dizzy or lightheaded like some pharmaceuticals can.

Anytime you think you have blood sugar issues—whether it’s high blood sugar or low blood sugar—the SX fraction is useful. Think of it as improving the way the body manages blood sugar and insulin. If you think of it in that regard, it’s useful for a wide range of related conditions, including metabolic syndrome, which is unfortunately rampant in our society. We tend to ignore it, like an ostrich with its head in the sand.

[01:23:34] Shipping Mushroom Wisdom Products: Availability in the U.S. and Internationally

Ryan Sternagel: Now I’m seeing a bunch of questions about shipping, which I should have asked earlier. Dr. Kaylor, I know you’re not a Mushroom Wisdom employee, but regarding shipping, where can people get these products? Is it U.S. only, or can they ship internationally?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: As far as I know, they ship almost everywhere. Maybe some countries that won’t allow it in, but they’ve shipped to Latin America and Europe. Shipping internationally takes a bit more effort, but as far as I know, they can ship virtually anywhere.

[01:24:26] Mushroom Use for Cancer: Long-Term Consistency vs. Rotation and Top Choices for Breast Cancer

Ryan Sternagel: “In the presence of breast cancer, would a potential strategy be to rotate mushrooms, or is it safe to use them for longer periods?” Back to the idea of figuring out what’s best, Dr. Kaylor—you mentioned digging through the research and finding specific mushrooms with particular benefits for specific cancers. Where does the concept of rotation come in? If you identify a couple with the most research for a specific cancer, do you stay on those, or is it still a good idea to mix them up? Any additional guidance there?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: The idea that we need to rotate some of these things has gotten a bit out of hand. I think there are some supplements where rotation might be useful. However, research with some mushrooms suggests that the longer you take them, the greater the benefits.

These mushrooms have been around for centuries, and there’s no evidence—either traditionally or in research—that you start losing the beneficial aspects of them with long-term use.

In that regard, there’s no need to rotate any of these mushrooms. Find the mushrooms that work for you and stick with them. For the most part, the longer you take them, the better off you are. I’ll add that there are many other mushrooms we didn’t get to discuss.

One of them is Mishima, which would be one of my first choices, particularly for breast cancer. I always say that if I were designing the perfect breast cancer remedy, there are about ten things I would want it to do. Mishima mushroom does nine of those ten things. It’s very holistic in that regard, and the research is extraordinarily promising. Mishima and the maitake D-fraction would be my top choices in that situation.

[01:26:45] Combining Mushrooms: Safe to Use Turkey Tail and Cordyceps Together

Ryan Sternagel: “Can you take turkey tail and cordyceps at the same time?”

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Yes, all of these mushrooms can be combined. There are no contraindications for any of these mushrooms used together.

Ryan Sternagel: That’s what I figured.

[01:27:01] Considerations for Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: Reishi, Lion’s Mane, and Polyphenols

Ryan Sternagel: This might be a long shot, but maybe not: “Do you know anything about idiopathic intracranial hypertension? My sister has it. It’s similar to a brain tumor; spinal fluid builds up in the brain, messes with the eyes, and causes retinal swelling.” Any thoughts?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: I’m familiar with it, but I don’t know of any mushroom research related to that condition. Flavonoids and polyphenols are dietary or supplemental options I would consider. I would also think about reishi mushroom, Lion’s Mane, and amyloban. I can only speak in general terms to that issue. Obviously, you’d want to sit down with the person and get specific details of what’s going on with them, but I’m not aware of any mushroom research specifically addressing that condition.

[01:28:01] Mushrooms for Trauma Recovery: Lion’s Mane for Nerve Repair, Reishi for Emotional Support, and Chaga for Strengthening

Ryan Sternagel: “If someone went through accident trauma, which mushroom would be best for broken bones, muscle, nerve damage, and so forth?”

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Lion’s Mane would be my first choice by far. There are a number of studies, although they’re mostly animal studies, showing that it can stimulate the repair and regeneration of nerves after they’ve been severed. For that, without a doubt, Lion’s Mane would be the choice.

Working holistically, I’d also consider reishi. Depending on when the accident or trauma occurred, reishi is beneficial for the “Shen,” or emotional center of the body, which can be supportive in recovery.

My experience, both personally and with others, is that when people go through a particularly dramatic or traumatic event, like a car accident or other trauma, there’s often a “shen” disturbance that needs to be addressed. Reishi is good for that. It serves as a short-term remedy to bring the body back into emotional balance.

Then, for long-term strengthening of the body, I think of the Chaga mushroom, which helps build the body up as a whole rather than isolating or targeting specific areas. So, I’d use Lion’s Mane or amyloban for the nerve injury issues, reishi for the emotional balance if it’s a recent situation and chaga for the strengthening element.

[01:29:30] Maitake D-Fraction for Prostate Cancer: Complementary to Conventional Therapies and Endocrine Support

Ryan Sternagel: “Any particular research, like one mushroom with more research than others for prostate cancer?”

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Maitake D-fraction has some clinical work specifically for that. We’ve seen it for direct and indirect actions, and it has also been shown to work therapeutically with therapeutic treatments as well. It works well with many conventional therapies and adds its own benefits as a whole.

My preference would be the maitake D-fraction, but I would also take the whole maitake because it has some endocrine support aspects, which I think are beneficial when addressing any type of organ-related issues.

[01:30:17] Using Mushroom Capsules in Smoothies and Bioavailability: Tablets vs. Liquid

Ryan Sternagel: I have two related questions. One is, can the mushroom capsules be opened up and put in a smoothie for those who can’t swallow pills?” I know most Mushroom Wisdom products are tablets, so that might involve grinding. The other question is about capsules and tinctures: “I see both on the website. Is there a difference in bioavailability?” Can you speak to both of those things, Dr. Kaylor?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Certainly, if you have a capsule of the extract, you can open it and mix it into things. Mushroom Wisdom primarily makes tablets, but they also make a maitake D-fraction capsule, which you could open if needed. Personally, I prefer the maitake D-fraction liquid, and it’s easy to use because you can squirt it into drinks. In fact, I’m drinking it now in my green tea. It’s easy to dose that way.

Bioavailability gets tricky. People often assume capsules and tablets aren’t as bioavailable as liquids, but that’s not necessarily true. If manufactured properly, they can be just as effective. Mushroom Wisdom ensures their tablets break down within 20 minutes in the digestive tract, so in terms of bioavailability, it’s six of one, half a dozen of another.

With the maitake D-fraction liquid, I like that it can also be held orally. I’ve used it with patients unable to swallow due to esophageal cancers and had them hold it in their mouth. You can still see some systemic immune response from holding it orally, as the mouth is rich in immune cells that communicate with one another. If you can get them activated, it can also stimulate a broader systemic reaction.

[01:32:07] Reishi for Long-Term Allergy and Respiratory Support: Balancing Immune Response

Ryan Sternagel: Allergies and respiratory issues.

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Reishi mushroom—one of the best remedies for allergies. The ideal way to use it is long-term; don’t wait for the allergies to show up. Start taking reishi ahead of time. The whole approach here is to balance the body’s mechanisms and pathways, getting it to function as it should.

When you breathe in pollen, whether from flowers or pine (we get a lot of pine pollen here, it’s like it snows pine pollen), the body’s natural response shouldn’t be to go into overdrive with an autoimmune reaction, which we experience as allergies, seasonal allergies, or rhinitis. The goal is to balance that immune response because reishi does so many other things, working with the liver and other things, and also anti-inflammatory.

Reishi is my best long-term remedy because it does so many things, especially with the liver, and it has anti-inflammatory properties. If you have problems in the spring, start taking Reishi as early as you can—don’t wait for the symptoms to show up. For acute allergies, my favorites are butterbur and nettles.

[01:33:24] Mushrooms for Blood Cancers: Maitake D-Fraction, Reishi, Coriolus, and Shiitake with Professional Guidance

Ryan Sternagel: Anything to say on blood cancers or CLL?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: I mentioned one study done with leukemia, in cell culture and animal studies, where maitake D-fraction showed some benefits. Reishi has also shown benefits, along with Coriolus and shiitake, which have a bit of research in that area. Blood cancers, though, can be tricky, so there’s a balance to it. In this case, I highly recommend working with someone knowledgeable about these types of remedies because of that delicate balance, especially when dealing with blood cancers.

[01:34:11] The Importance of Specialist Guidance and Open Communication in Cancer Care

Ryan Sternagel: In an active cancer situation, please, for the love of God, work with an integrative, functional, naturopathic, or holistic doctor who specializes in cancer—not just any ND that’s close to you. Find someone who truly specializes in cancer.

Dr. Mark Kaylor: If I can add one thing—if you’re seeing an alternative or natural practitioner and also undergoing conventional treatment, let your conventional doctor know what you’re doing. You don’t want them to be unaware of the supplements and other treatments you’re using. They need all the information available.

[01:35:01] Recurrent UTI Support: Maitake D-Fraction and Propolis for Immune and Antimicrobial Action

Ryan Sternagel: “Recurrent UTI, reacting poorly to antibiotics and running out of options.” I know we talked about infections earlier, but is there anything different you’d suggest for UTIs?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Maitake D-fraction, because it boosts the body’s immune response, would be helpful. We also did a whole webinar on propolis. Propolis would be one of my first choices as a defense or treatment for UTIs. Propolis and garlic are two of the best antimicrobial products out there. Natura Nectar’s propolis would be high on my list for UTIs.

Ryan Sternagel: Good ol’ code STERN gets a discount with Natura Nectar, one of my favorite companies.

[01:35:55] Cooking Mushrooms: Health Benefits Remain Stable with Moderate Heat

Ryan Sternagel: For mushrooms in cooking, not supplements but whole mushrooms—does cooking mushrooms like shiitake, maitake, and others alter their health properties?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Mushrooms are very heat-stable to a reasonable degree. If you’re frying them at 550 degrees, not much will survive that, but if you’re baking them, doing a light sauté, or flash-sautéing with a bit of water instead of oil, they’re heat-stable. These compounds tend to be quite resilient to cooking.

There’s also a large population study done in Japan, where I believe women who ate mushrooms about five times a week had a 66% lower risk of breast cancer—or it might have been cancer in general, I’m unsure. But eating mushrooms cooked does have its benefits, and we have strong population evidence that it’s safe to cook them and still gain health benefits.

[01:37:15] Choosing Between Regular Lion’s Mane and Lion’s Mane amyloban: General Support vs. Therapeutic Use

Ryan Sternagel: “Lion’s Mane—regular Lion’s Mane versus Lion’s Mane amyloban?”

Dr. Mark Kaylor: That question comes up a lot. The regular Lion’s Mane product is a hot water extract, so it’s rich in polysaccharides and has some benefits. If you’re looking for higher, more therapeutic levels of activity, though, you’re not going to get a lot of hericenones and amyloban compounds because those are not water-soluble. But if you’re looking for immune benefits, overall health, or general brain support where you’re not really at risk, you just want to make sure your brain stays healthy, then the Lion’s Mane product is fine.

If you’re at high risk, showing signs, or getting older, I would ideally switch to the Lion’s Mane amyloban product.

[01:38:13] Maitake D-Fraction and Coriolus: Research Insights for Ovarian Cancer Support

Ryan Sternagel: I think you mentioned ovarian cancer when we talked about prostate cancer, but just to be sure—any specific research on ovarian cancer?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Maitake D-fraction and Coriolus mushroom both have some research related to ovarian cancer. There may be other mushrooms that are beneficial as well, but those are the two I’m familiar with showing promise.

Keep in mind, a lot of these studies are cell culture or animal studies. Doing human clinical studies in this area is extraordinarily difficult. The medical society and other powers in this country place a lot of obstacles in the way of this type of research.

Oftentimes, the best you can do are these lab studies, animal studies, and now these growing efforts with in silico studies, which we’re seeing more and more of.

Ryan Sternagel: I wasn’t even familiar with that term until this presentation, but it makes a lot of sense.

Dr. Mark Kaylor: They’re doing some interesting in silico studies—even with COVID—that are showing some promising results.

[01:39:23] Post-Surgical Tendon Repair: Chaga for Strength and Vitamin C for Soft Tissue Support

Ryan Sternagel: “Would your post-surgical tendon repair recommendations be any different from your car accident recommendations earlier?”

Dr. Mark Kaylor: If you’re dealing with tendons, we’re not talking about nerve issues in this case. I would think of chaga again for that constitutional strengthening. Also, vitamin C—anytime you’re dealing with soft tissue injuries, load up on vitamin C, polyphenols, and flavonoids, as those are all important in that regard.

[01:40:01] Supporting Eye Health and Glaucoma: SX Fraction and Carnosine Options

Ryan Sternagel: Let’s make this the last one; I have to jump off a bit early. Any recommendations for glaucoma or eye issues?

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Blood sugar issues are often part of that process, so I think the SX fraction would be a good choice in terms of mushrooms. There are also carnosine supplements and carnosine eye drops that have shown some promise for eye health, but mushroom-wise, I’d go with the SX fraction.

Ryan Sternagel: Dr. Kaylor, I appreciate your time, and thanks to the folks at Mushroom Wisdom for lighting this up.

Dr. Mark Kaylor: Thank you. It’s been a pleasure.

Ryan Sternagel: All right, everyone, good job showing up. See you on the next one.