Mushrooms offer multiple health benefits, supporting sleep quality, muscle recovery, and overall vitality. Incorporating mushrooms into daily meals can help prepare the body for seasonal changes, prevent fatigue, and enhance physical performance. Professor Hiroaki Yoshimoto of Minami-Kyushu University summarizes research into different nutraceutical compounds in mushrooms and how these can help protect against heat-related illnesses during hot summers. As demonstrated by multiple scientific studies, the bioactive compounds present in mushrooms play a significant role in improving sleep, boosting exercise performance, and offering neuroprotective effects.

As Chief Editor of the Japanese Exotic Mushroom Journal, I have written about the topic of mushrooms as a super-food at length, though my biggest interest was and is in beta-glucans. Professor Yoshimoto does an excellent job of summarizing different studied health benefits of mushroom-based compounds and highlighting how they can each help address common seasonal health issues and promote better over all general health as part of a balanced diet. Article two of this four-part series continues with autumn, a time when many infectious diseases begin to spread more widely.

Start adding mushrooms to your diet today for a healthier tomorrow!

The incredible array of diverse mushroom species that decorate our plates help make Japan a “mushroom kingdom” where it is easy for consumers to get their hands on any number of different mushrooms. Not just wild mushrooms, but Japan excels in the artificial cultivation of many different species, and the ability to get such affordable, high quality and safe exotic mushrooms is probably possible only in Japan. Mushrooms aren’t just a food ingredient, but they have also long been the focus of attention for their medicinal properties. 

However, the health impacts of mushrooms are not an immediate, magical fix. Mushrooms improve human health through regular, consistent intake, which offers a range of benefits for one’s constitution and general health. In this four-part series, I focus on how consuming mushrooms in the current season helps to prepare for the unique health challenges of the next season. My main goal is to explain to readers how what they do (and eat) today can impact their health going forward. By lining up mushrooms on their dinner plates today, people can build up the best body possible to meet the next season.

Please note that all health benefits associated with mushrooms that this series covers are not a replacement for proper medical treatment and should supplement, not replace, medical care. For care regarding symptomatic disease and illnesses, readers should consult with a medical institution and endeavor to follow the instructions provided by medical professionals. 

The sharp changes of the four seasons are an important part of Japan’s cultural identity. With autumn, the mountains of Japan take on hues of orange and red, and wild mushrooms shoot up in the forests. At the same time, the season also causes various changes in the body. Figure 1 displays average monthly temperature, precipitation, and air pressure in Tokyo in autumn. The change in environment from summer to autumn is reflected by large changes in the 1) temperatures, 2) humidity, 3) air pressure, and 4) total sunlight time. 

Partitioning the year into spring, summer, autumn and winter, we can see how fierce the seasonal changes are from the peak in August to the transition to autumn through September~November. Whereas last time, I wrote about ways of coping with prolonged heat waves in summer, what is important in autumn is building up a body to withstand this fast-changing and volatile climate. 

In autumn, when both temperature variations increase and the air becomes dryer, is a harsh environment for the membranes in the nose, throat, and trachea. When the membranes of the upper pulmonary system become dry, the body’s ability to resist infectious viruses and bacteria weakens and the damage these pathogens can cause increases. There are a number common preventative measures that people can take against seasonal illnesses, including: 1) Wearing a properly fitted mask, 2) Gargling with anti-viral throat washes after returning home, 3) Drinking fluids frequently, 4) Using a humidifier at home. 

These methods will certainly help protect the membranes of the nose and throat, while reducing your risk of infections, but where do mushrooms fit into this picture? I would like to introduce the preventative effects of mushroom consumption and the risk of developing bronchitis and respiratory illnesses. 

A tea made from dried, powdered Agaricus blazei extracted with hot water was given for two months to bronchitis patients who suffered asthma attacks. As a result of raised levels of interferon-γ, the study reported that patients’ symptoms improved. The study suggests that the compounds extracted from Agaricus blazei may have enhanced immunity. Also, the act itself of drinking mushroom powder as tea (hot water extraction) could have potentially contributed to hydration and protected the membrane of the throat. In addition, because the asthma attacks recurred after the ingestion of Agaricus blazei ended, the study makes a strong case that there was a clear causative effect. In Poland, a followup study tested whether similar symptoms would reoccur the following year in 194 pediatric patients with recurrent respiratory infections who had been given a β-glucan syrup derived from oyster mushrooms.

The result of this study found that the patients who had received the β-glucan syrup had a statistically significant decrease in respiratory infections, and the occurrence of bronchitis and pharyngitis was suppressed. Looking at the results of studies like these suggests that through the consistent, ongoing consumption of mushrooms, we can prime our immune systems and reduce the damage done to our respiratory systems by respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis.

Research into the antiviral effects of mushrooms goes back decades now. Over the course of this research, the antiviral effects of mushrooms on everything from human influenza, bird influenza, to all of the varied influenza strains (type A, B, H1N1, H3N2, H5N1, H9N2), parainfluenza, coronavirus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), herpes virus, hepatitis (type A, B, and C), and poxvirus have been confirmed.

Antiviral effects have been reported against vaccinia virus, poliovirus, vesicular stomatitis virus, adenovirus virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), dengue virus, enterovirus, coxsackievirus infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus, feline calicivirus, various infectious viruses, infectious bursal disease virus, tobacco mosaic virus, and Newcastle disease virus.

Of the mushroom species confirmed to have effects against the influenza virus, shiitake is the most well-known variety, while other common edible species with this effect include: eryngii, enoki, maitake, hon-shimeji (Lyophyllum shimeji), phoenix mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius), and common oyster mushrooms. Additionally, mushrooms like reishi, turkey tail mushrooms, Schizophyllum commune, which are used in Chinese traditional medicine also have been found to possess antiviral affects against influenza.

These antiviral affects have also been found in a wide variety of wild mushroom species such as Cryptoporus volvatus, Daedaleopsis confragosa, Datronia mollis, Fomes fomentarius, Phellinopsis conchata, Piptoporus betulinus, Trametes gibbosa, and Irpex lacteus to name a few. This isn’t to say that every single mushroom species is a unique wonder drug, but a few, such as the case of the aforementioned Agaricus blazei, have been tested in clinical trials on humans and found to have potential medicinal properties. For my purposes, I will be happy if readers will keep in mind that edible mushrooms commonly found in Japanese supermarkets, such as shiitake and enoki, also have antiviral properties. 

To introduce a portion of these, in studies investigating the effects of shiitake mycelium on influenza A and B viruses, it has been reported that: 1) shiitake mycelia directly suppresses the proliferation during the early stages of influenza infection; and 2) that oral administration of shiitake mycelia prevented bronchitis by enhancing immune function in mice. Point 1 suggests that it might be beneficial to develop habits such as drinking a cup of shiitake tea immediately after gargling upon returning home.

While point 2 would suggest that regularly consuming shiitake can enhance immune function and suppress viral proliferation after influenza infection, I believe that we can also expect similar effects of other mushroom species.

There have been similar reports regarding maitake as well. In a double-blind human clinical trial (this is a particularly rigorous scientific method for conducting human trials) using capsules of dried maitake powder, effects were confirmed. In the results, the group that consumed approximately 7 grams per day (equivalent to about 50_endash_70 grams raw) for three months displayed enhanced antibody production from the influenza vaccine and a reduction in cold symptoms. In other words, 1) it enhanced the effectiveness of the vaccine, and 2) at the same time, boosted immunity and alleviated cold symptoms.

By incorporating mushrooms into your daily diet, the symptoms of bronchitis, the common cold, and other infectious diseases that spread as a result of the harsh climate changes that autumn brings, can be moderated. By all means, I recommend that people respond the start of cold weather by proactively eating more mushrooms and helping their bodies to prepare. I’ve been drinking teas made from dried mushroom powders for many years now, but autumn is probably the ideal time for mushroom teas.