Benefits and Uses of Mushrooms for Skin, Hair and Health

Mushrooms are the store houses of various essential nutrients and are very healthy. Consuming mushrooms regularly is very beneficial for your health, skin and hair. When you buy mushrooms, you must be very careful as there are some mushrooms that may be toxic and make you sick. So always buy edible mushrooms and that too from a reputed shop. White button mushroom is the most common variety of mushroom that is used. It is an important ingredient in a variety of dishes and sauces.

There are different types of mushrooms like White mushrooms, Shiitake mushrooms, Reishi, Maitake mushrooms, Oysters, Chanterelle, Porcini and Shihji. Always choose fresh mushrooms and store them properly. You can cover the mushrooms in brown paper and store them on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator. This way it will last for about a week. You must never deep freeze fresh mushrooms. However, sautéed mushrooms can be frozen and kept up to a month. You must not wash mushrooms before preparing them as it can absorb water and get saturated. You can wipe them with a damp paper towel and remove traces of water. Cook the mushrooms till it becomes soft in texture.

Benefits of Mushrooms for Your Skin:

Anti-ageing benefits:

Creams and lotions used for the treatment of various symptoms of ageing like age spots, discoloration, liver spots and skin pigmentation and uneven skin tone contain kojic acid, which had great anti-ageing properties. So, consuming mushrooms can make your skin healthy and prevent premature ageing of the skin.

Hydrates the skin:

Hyaluronic acid is very beneficial in moisturizing your body from inside and it makes your skin firm and plump. This reduces wrinkles and other fine lines that appear on your skin with advancement of age. Mushrooms contain a polysaccharide that has similar properties and helps in keeping your skin moisturized. It keeps your skin smooth and supple and reduces the signs of ageing.

Natural skin lightener:

As you know, melanin is responsible for providing color to the skin. If its production is reduced, the skin gets lighter. Kojic acid is regarded as a natural skin lightener, which controls and prevents the production of melanin on the skin. As a result, the new cells formed after the dead skin cells fall off are made lighter in color. Many species of mushrooms contain kojic acid and are therefore very beneficial for lightening your skin. Since it is a natural remedy, it is much safer than using chemical lighteners, which may cause many skin problems including skin cancer.

Skin protection:

Some of the main causes for problems of the skin are the activities of free radicals and inflammation. Mushrooms are rich in antioxidants and various compounds that have anti-inflammatory properties and flight against free radicals. Many of the skin products that are used for the treatment of eczema, rosacea, acne etc contain extracts taken from mushrooms. They heal the skin and fight against inflammation.

Treatment of acne:

Mushrooms are very effective for treating acne as it is a rich source of Vitamin D. So, when it is applied topically on acne, it is healed fast. Many of the skin care products that you get in the market for treatment of acne contains extracts taken from mushrooms.

Hair Benefits of Mushroom:

Benefits from copper:

To absorb iron from the food you eat, your body needs sufficient amounts of copper. Mushrooms are rich in copper and therefore good for your hair by facilitating iron absorption. The production of melanin also requires copper. So, copper and iron are needed for a healthy and strong hair.

Benefits from selenium:

Presence of selenium is essential for healthy hair and mushrooms are rich in selenium. It is an excellent antioxidant and helps the body in fighting against the free radicals and also makes your immune system strong. Usually selenium is found in animal proteins. So if you are a vegetarian, consuming mushrooms is the best way to get enough selenium for your body. Selenium helps in getting a strong hair and also prevents dandruff.

Prevents hair loss:

There are many reasons for hair loss and one of them is anaemia, which is caused when the iron content in the body is reduced. Mushrooms are rich in iron and provide the body with sufficient iron, preventing anaemia and hair loss.

Medicinal and Health Benefits of Mushroom:

Burns cholesterol:

Mushrooms have zero level of cholesterol and fat, but it is rich in other nutrients like proteins, enzymes, fibers and low carbohydrates. So, consuming mushrooms regularly helps in burning cholesterol and protecting your body from cholesterol.

Helps build immunity:

Being a rich source of Vitamins A, B and C, mushrooms make your immune system strong. They also help the body to fight against infections because they contain large quantities of natural antibiotics. Ergothioneine, the antioxidant present in mushrooms, protect the body from the harmful actions of free radicals.

Losing weight:

When you follow a diet to lose weight, you need to take food that contains extra protein, but low carbohydrates and devoid of fat. Mushroom is such a diet and helps you lose weight effectively.

Prevents breast and prostate cancers:

Beta-glucans and conjugated Linoleic acid with anti-carcinogens present in mushrooms helps the body to fight against carcinogens that cause breast cancer and prostate cancer. Beta-glucans prevents prostate cancer, while Linoleic acid helps in reducing estrogen levels in women after menopause and protects them from breast cancer.

Perfect diet for diabetics:

Mushrooms are rich in all the essential nutrients, but low in carbohydrates and contain no fat. So it is considered as a perfect diet for diabetics. The enzymes present in mushrooms break down sugars and starch easily. They are also beneficial in improving the functions of endocrine glands. Mushrooms are also rich in natural antibiotics, which protect the diabetic patients from infections

Vitamin D:

You may not know, but mushroom is the only vegetable where you get Vitamin D. It is also rich in iron, calcium, selenium, copper and potassium.