Imagine this. A man in his late 20s finds a special drug that grants him supreme focus, productivity, and the ability to perform complex calculations at breakneck speed. Because of this drug, it completely turns his life around after years of creative burnout and depression.
What you just imagined is the premise of the movie Limitless, where a man finds a drug that allows him to do all this and more. By the movie’s end, he goes from being a washed-up writer with no creative drive to a Senator on the road to becoming the President of the United States.
While we don’t have any smart drugs on the market that can create a sense of productivity like Limitless, we have the next best thing: mushrooms. Mushrooms have been used as a supplement for quite some time and boast several amazing benefits. Check out why mushrooms are nature’s original smart drug below.
They Boost Immunity
It doesn’t matter if you’re foraging or trying to grow the best mushrooms for your needs at home this year. The benefits of mushrooms are the same. In Western medicine, mushroom-derived compounds are well understood to regulate and support immunity. You can find a ton of compounds in medicinal mushrooms that have both acquired and innate immune responses. These responses jump-start different genetic components essential for homeostasis, many of which are responsible for warding off things like colds and the flu. Mushrooms are perfect for the task if you’re looking for something that will boost your immunity.
They’re Anti-Cancer
While they aren’t a substitute for cancer treatments, mushrooms are excellent. For instance, Cordyceps senseis isolates certain cells in human breast cancer cells and inhibits cycle arrest in higher stages of cancer. It also suppresses metastatic behavior—which causes cancer cells to grow and inhibits cell adhesion and invasion, which causes cancer to spread. They can also assist modern medicines in causing cancer cells to die when used with certain drugs. This anti-cancer feature is one reason why mushrooms are nature’s original smart drug.
They Have Anti-Aging Benefits
There is a slight correlation between people who regularly eat mushrooms and those who live longer. Medicinal mushrooms can reverse functional declines in organ systems related to age. This reversal in aging can manifest as elderly patients demonstrating improvements in clarity, energy, and even amnesia, making it the perfect smart drug for clearing your head and improving your critical thinking skills while giving you the energy to tackle the day. These are just a few reasons mushrooms are at the top of the nutritional food chain. Now all that’s left is for you to grow, buy, or forage yours!
