jesse bulman

LONG FORM

[[INTRO]]

Do you have any idea what this is?

I don’t! And that’s because there are an estimated three million different species of mushrooms on Earth. For all I know, this could be a brand-new species, never before discovered by science!

Okay, that’s not very likely. Out of those millions of species, only about 14,000 have actually been discovered and named by scientists. And of those, only about a dozen have passed the insanely high bar to be considered functional mushrooms.

A functional mushroom is defined as a mushroom that is used for a specific benefit. These could be gourmet mushrooms that also have medicinal properties or purely medicinal mushrooms that wouldn’t be fit for the dinner table.

Overall, only about 0.0004% of all mushrooms are considered functional. No matter how you slice it, that’s an exceedingly exclusive club.

To put it into perspective, in order to be part of this elite group, each of these special mushrooms had to beat out millions of others.

And within that already small team of a dozen or so functional mushrooms, there are five that truly stand out—the cream of the crop. Some of these mushrooms have been the subject of hundreds of studies, revered for thousands of years, and are now used by millions of people all over the world.

In this video, we’re going to explore each of these five super mushrooms. We’ll cover how they grow, what makes them special, and, most importantly, what they might be able to do for you.

Let’s jump into it.

[[REISHI]]

Mushrooms have been used for thousands of years—that’s something you’ll often hear when learning about functional mushrooms. While it’s not true for all functional mushrooms, it is certainly true for the mushroom of immortality, also known as reishi.

This mushroom has stood the test of time as one of nature’s most powerful healers. It’s bitter to the taste and has a woody texture, so it’s certainly not prized for its culinary qualities. But you can’t blame it for being brutally bitter—because that bitterness comes from the very compounds that make it so beneficial.

The bitterness is due to powerful compounds within the mushroom, specifically triterpenoids known as ganoderic acids. These compounds are unique to reishi and are responsible for its effects on sleep, relaxation, and overall calmness. In scientific literature, this is often described as a hypnotic effect, but in reality, the effects are more subtle. Rather than acting acutely, reishi works best when taken consistently over time to support restful sleep.

Reishi is also no slouch when it comes to immune support—which is really the hallmark of all functional mushrooms. That’s because it’s packed with fungal beta-glucans, compounds known for their immune-boosting properties.

Finally, reishi is often used to help combat seasonal allergies, likely due to its immune-balancing, or immunomodulating, effects. These benefits come from the beta-glucans within the mushroom.

The Latin name for reishi is Ganoderma lucidum. Ganoderma comes from the Latin words gano, meaning shiny, and derma, meaning skin, referring to its varnished surface. Because of its glossy appearance, it’s sometimes called the varnished conk. While this one might look a little dull, some specimens can have an incredibly shiny, almost lacquered appearance.

When it begins to grow, reishi starts as small, finger-like projections that eventually expand into dinner-plate-sized conks—kind of like this one here. Reishi is a polypore mushroom, meaning that instead of gills, its underside contains tiny pores that release billions and billions of spores.

The sheer amount of spores that a reishi mushroom can produce is remarkable. In commercial reishi farms, it’s not uncommon to see a full inch of spores coating the tops of the mushrooms.

Reishi grows naturally on hardwood logs, and when cultivated, logs are inoculated with reishi culture and partially buried underground to help retain moisture. This mushroom takes its time—it can take upwards of nine months to fully mature. Unlike many mushrooms that thrive in cool conditions, reishi actually loves the heat, making summer the best time for its growth.

As mentioned earlier, reishi produces an enormous number of spores. Fortunately, these spores are just as packed with powerful compounds as the fruiting body itself. The most beneficial reishi supplements contain dual-extracted versions of both the spores and the fruiting body.

That’s exactly why, in FreshCap reishi products, we include both.

SHORT FORM

“Poisonous mushrooms… magic mushrooms… edible mushrooms… and functional mushrooms: here are the types of mushrooms that you need to know.

In general, if you pick a random mushroom, about one percent will have psilocybin, one percent are deadly, twenty percent are poisonous, sixty percent of them might be edible, and about twenty percent of those are too tough or bitter to be eaten and enjoyed!

Only 0.0004 percent are considered functional.

Now, these numbers will vary, depending on where you live and what time of year it is, so be sure to learn your mushrooms before you pick them!”