How Reishi Mushrooms Help Ease Anxiety, Reduce Stress and Improve Slee

In today’s fast-paced world, many of us struggle with stress and anxiety. These feelings are not only difficult to manage, but they also lead to poor sleep and sometimes create a cycle that’s hard to break. This can be a draining and exhausting experience, but medicinal mushrooms like Reishi offer hope.

Valued for its calming properties, in Eastern cultures Reishi mushrooms have been used to manage anxiety and poor sleep for millennia. In this article, we explore historic evidence alongside the emerging scientific research supporting Reishi’s ability to improve your health and wellbeing today.

Anxiety, Sleep and Wellbeing

Feeling anxious now and again is normal – it’s your natural reaction to stress or perceived danger. It’s part of your body’s “fight or flight” response and includes feelings of worry, apprehension or unease, which can bubble up at any stage of life. Anxiety can affect us all to one degree or another.

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health challenges we face today. A study of over 6,000 UK adults by the Mental Health Foundation found that 1 in 5 people feel anxious most or all of the time.[1] Another study by Mental Health UK also found that 1 in 5 weren’t getting enough sleep and an increasing number of people report severe sleep disorders like Insomnia.

Anxiety becomes problematic when feelings:

become persistent
stop us from doing things we want or need to do
affect our sleep

Researchers have investigated the connection between anxiety and poor sleep.[2], [3] To maintain health and wellbeing, adults should be getting 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Getting less sleep doesn’t just make you feel groggy – long term, it can lead to serious health problems. [4], [5] Maybe you’ve noticed your own sleep quality deteriorate during challenging or busy times in your life? If you have, you’ll know that it affects how you feel physically and mentally and, in turn, that then affects how you sleep. It’s a vicious circle!

That’s why addressing anxiety and sleep together is a good idea. A growing body of people are turning to holistic methods such as medicinal mushrooms like Reishi to manage anxiety and/or improve their sleep.

More than just a mushroom …

Reishi is becoming an important tool for those looking to adopt a proactive approach to their health. Regular use, as part of your wellness routine, could provide longer-term benefits too. Reishi is great if you want to:

feel calmer
sleep more soundly
improve your overall wellbeing
promote skin health

Reishi: A Long History of Healing

Known by its Latin name, Ganoderma lucidum, Reishi has been a cornerstone of Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 2,000 years. In its natural habitat, this glossy, reddish-brown mushroom can be found growing on the bases of trees in both northern temperate and tropical regions.

First documented during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), it was revered by emperors for its supposed ability to extend life and promote inner peace. The ancient text, Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (circa 100 CE), described Reishi as a superior herb, believed to calm the mind, strengthen the body and promote longevity.

Due to its rarity, Reishi was initially reserved for royalty and the elite, but its benefits became widely appreciated as traditional medicine evolved in China, Japan and Korea. Reishi was often used to improve sleep quality and maintain long-term vitality. As its benefits became better known, its cultivation expanded. Today it has worldwide popularity as a medicinal supplement, particularly for its calming properties.

The Science behind Reishi

Reishi’s common use in Traditional Chinese Medicine has led modern scientists to investigate its makeup, in order to better understand exactly how it helps various conditions and interacts with the human mind and body.

Findings have shown that it may have many benefits:

Reishi promotes deeper and more restorative sleep

When suffering from poor sleep, many turn to supplements like melatonin or prescribed sleeping tablets. Unlike sedatives or melatonin, Reishi does not make you feel drowsy. Reishi’s natural compounds instead work to promote calmness and help you manage stress.

One animal study found that after taking Reishi extract for three days, total sleep time and non-rapid eye movement sleep time had significantly increased. The exact mechanism remains unclear, but it may be related to the activity of cytokines (proteins that help control inflammation in the body).[6]

Another study found that Reishi may act like benzodiazepine, a class of medication that slows down activity in the brain and nervous system, used to treat anxiety and related mental health conditions. Reishi decreased the amount of time it took to fall asleep and increased sleeping time (both non-REM and light sleep time and some test subjects showed a reduction in anxious behaviours.[7] Future research will investigate how Reishi can be used alongside other natural sleep aids or medicines.

Reishi aids relaxation, calms an overactive mind and reduces anxiety

Scientists have shown that some sleep disorders can be related to an imbalance in the neurotransmitters that carry signals between nerves, muscles and glands in your body. [8],[9] It’s thought Reishi may help to restore that balance because helpful compounds called polysaccharides release:

Serotonin – which gives an uplifting feeling and induces sleepiness
Tryptophan – which reduces wakefulness, promotes relaxation and induces sleepiness
Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) – which calms and relaxes your nervous system whilst reducing anxiety
Reishi reduces fatigue and increases a sense of wellbeing

In one study, 132 patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Neurasthenia) were treated with an extract of Reishi called Ganopoly or a placebo for an eight-week period. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is characterised by irritability, emotional disturbance, weariness and fatigue. Those taking the Reishi showed significantly lower scores for fatigue and reported an increased sense of wellbeing.[10]

Reishi offers neuroprotection

There is growing scientific interest in how Reishi may protect nerves. One study looked at subjects suffering brain injury caused by an ischemic stroke (when a clot blocks blood flow to the brain). The study found that pre-treatment with Reishi offered neuroprotection through its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory actions.[11] Another study looked at the way Parkinson’s Disease develops and concluded that Reishi may be a promising treatment for Parkinson’s Disease, again because of its anti-inflammatory properties.[12]

Reishi supports skin health

Traditionally, Reishi has been taken to help various skin conditions and modern scientists have been investigating its benefits for healing various skin diseases, even cancerous ones.[13] Particular interest has been paid to Reishi’s ability to help wounds heal, potentially by activating the body’s healing pathways.[14]

Other Reishi benefits under investigation:

blood pressure regulation
cholesterol-lowering properties
cardiovascular, liver, kidney and respiratory health
fighting viral infections
pain management
improvement of stamina
cancer-fighting properties
inflammation reduction

As science begins to uncover the mechanisms behind Reishi’s positive effect on our health, you may like to look deeper into the research yourself. The National Library of Medicine is a helpful place to begin your research into Reishi.

Not so strange – fungi are part of us!

Newcomers to medicinal mushrooms may feel that the idea of consuming mushroom supplements is a bit unusual or alien. It’s worth remembering that our bodies are already providing a home to a variety of very helpful fungi. For example, Candida albicans and other yeast species live naturally in our gut, helping to balance our microbiome and support digestion. Another, Malassezia, exists on our skin, helping to keep the skin barrier healthy.

Just like beneficial bacteria, these fungi contribute to our wellbeing in complex, interwoven ways. A balanced ecosystem within us supports our immunity, nutrient absorption and mood stability. Considering we are host to almost 200 different members of the fungal kingdom already, it’s not such a big surprise that the helpful compounds found in functional mushrooms like Reishi have been shown to support and complement our overall health.

How to take Reishi

Reishi supplements are easy to incorporate into your daily routine. Common forms include capsules, powders and tinctures, which can be taken directly under the tongue or added to teas, smoothies or other drinks. Be sure to look for suppliers that use Ultrasonic-Assisted-Extraction to ensure the supplements have optimal potency. Also, take time to look for organic products (accredited by the Soil Association) to ensure that they don’t contain any nasties! You can find out more about the provenance of Medshrum supplements here.

When it comes to sleep, a healthy bedtime routine is vital and good habits can go a long way. A little extra support from Reishi is a complementary way to support your health. It’s well worth finding out about the various types of functional fungi that can support your health. But the key, like with all complementary medicines, is taking them with consistency to achieve your goals and maintain health.

More than just a mushroom, Reishi is a powerful adaptogen and a wellness ally that will help regulate how you respond to stress, before it spirals into anxiety or into those dreaded sleepless nights!

So, if you’re seeking to maintain balance in a hectic world, wind down your mind and body with Medshrum Reishi supplements.

[1]https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/about-us/news/new-research-reveals-anxiety-gripping-uk-many-people-struggle-cope

[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667343623000070

[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0301051183900583

[4] https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.9476

[5] https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.4950

[6] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22207209/

[7] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17383716/

[8] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17383716/

[9]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291376617_Influence_of_Tryptophan_and_Serotonin_on_Mood_and_Cognition_with_a_Possible_Role_of_the_Gut-Brain_Axis

[10] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15857210/

[11] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25317156/