Are Mushrooms New Cannabis?
Cannabis, which also goes by several other names, is one of the most recognizable natural herbs today. This is partly due to its legalization in many countries and the scientific proof of its medicinal values.
Consequently, health and wellness enthusiasts, scientists, among others, have taken an interest in substances that have tremendous medicinal uses. One prominent of these naturally-occurring substances being the mushroom.
But what is cannabis, and do medicinal mushrooms have enough health benefits to make them the next big thing in alternative medicine? Continue reading to find out.
Medicinal Effects of Mushrooms
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Some mushrooms have significant nutritional values and health benefits. Usually, these medicinal mushrooms provide the following:
Supports the nervous system
Boost stamina and vitality
Supply antioxidants
Promote healthy brains and cognition
Supports the immune system
Helps maintain blood sugar levels
Anti-inflammatory properties
The list of benefits keeps increasing, and healers in Asia have used mushrooms thousands of years ago to ensure longevity and immunity. However, the western world still lacks a lot of standard controls for their production and selling. This is partly because the fungi kingdom is vast and diverse.
This unique class of botanical medicine constitutes several active agents such as proteins, polysaccharides, terpenoids, polysaccharide peptides, and nucleotides. Like the active compounds in cannabis, these elements interact with various body cells to produce therapeutic effects.
Research on the Health Benefits of Mushrooms
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Cannabis has become very established as a source of alternative medicine for the treatment of several conditions. Perhaps there is no other reason for its wide acceptance apart from credible research and studies supporting its medicinal attributes.
Likewise, these mushrooms that have health benefits will also require lots of research and trials. According to The Rebel’s Apothecary, here are some common mushroom species that serve great therapeutic purposes.
Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum, Ganoderma tsugae)
Shiitake (Lentinula edodes)
Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)
Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus)
Maitake (Grifola fondosa)
Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor)
Cordyceps (Cordyceps sinensis, Cordyceps militaris)
But these are not all the species used for medicinal purposes. Professor Solomon P. Wasser of the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms chief editor stated no less than 650 species of medicinal mushrooms.
The Growth Potential
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The expected growth rate of the medicinal mushroom market is predicted to be around 9.85% from the year 2020 to 2027. Depending on the results of ongoing research, demand and supply could fluctuate across several industries.
However, it’s also important to note that growing health concerns and recent events have also created opportunities in the health sector. Many people have become more health-conscious and look to functional foods and alternative medicines to remedy a wide range of health conditions. You can also attribute the boom in the cannabis market to this effect.
Nevertheless, there is a wide gap separating supply from demand due to the lack of reliable production skills for medicinal marijuana products. Therefore, for this market to reach its full potential, other factors such as trade regulations will also need to see major developments.
Conclusion
When you consider the size of the market, the number of people presently suffering from these disorders, and the amount spent on treatment ($13 billion), it’s easy to see mushrooms’ tremendous potential. It’s still too early to draw up any solid investment strategies.
However, the cannabis boom has shown that entrepreneurs that get ahead of the curve benefit most when the legislation becomes favorable. In short, the mushroom boom, if it comes, won't look exactly like the cannabis wave. However, cannabis will be the primary blueprint that paves the way for the next big wave.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4684115/