Can medicinal mushrooms support brain health, immunity & energy? (Reishi, lion’s mane & more)

What makes a mushroom ‘medicinal’ and are they worth the hype? How do these fungi differ from the everyday varieties we cook with? On this week’s episode of The Doctor’s Kitchen podcast, we’re diving deep into the fascinating world of mushrooms with our expert guest Tom Baxter.
From Lion’s Mane to Reishi, we’ll explore the unique healing properties of these incredible organisms and what the research reveals about their potential benefits. We’ll discuss their effects on cognitive function, stress, fatigue, and even menopausal symptoms.
You’ll learn:
🍄 How to source high-quality mushroom products to avoid contaminants
🧑🏽‍🍳 The culinary and nutritional benefits of everyday mushrooms and their environmental impact
🧠 Whether there is evidence that mushrooms can improve mental well-being and support immunity.
🔎 Whether you’re a skeptic, a mushroom enthusiast, or just curious about these fascinating fungi, this episode is packed with insights to inspire you to add more mushrooms to your diet and daily life.
Tom Baxter is a farmer and founder of The Bristol Fungarium, which produces the UK's first organic certified medicinal mushrooms. Ever conscious of the unfolding ecological collapse that confronts us, Tom made the fateful move away from city life in 2008 to find meaning through working the land. After several educational years establishing his organic vegetable farm and two decades of largely unsuccessful foraging excursions he pivoted from farming and invested everything into creating The Bristol Fungarium, pioneering organic medicinal mushroom production in the UK.
If you’re in the mood for mushrooms, one of my favourite recipes on the doctors kitchen app is the “Cashew Curry with Chickpeas and Crispy Mushrooms” or better still, type in mushroom into the search bar at doctorskitchen.com to see what comes up ;)
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[@louiseayden9976]

I am 77. The only ‘medicine’ I take is medicinal mushrooms. I have been taking them for over ten years. 💪

[@bluejay3770]

I thought this was a brilliantly informative podcast...good to hear about contraindications. Please have him back on to tell us about why he takes Maitake daily. Think it needs saying here incase people don't know to check out info...Tom is founder of Bristol Funginarium. Been humming and haing about trying Reishi tincture for sleep,the information here explained it beautifully & just placed order. My Swiss friend who is a trained chemist ...this includes herbs in Switzerland has told me the tincture form is the best way for the body to absorb the medicinal benefits of herbs,so also makes sense this might also apply for fungi compounds.

[@nunyabizz50]

Being vegan I eat lots of mushrooms, I grow my own Lions Mane, two types of Shiitake, 4 types Oyster, we eat fresh mushrooms probably 5 days a week. This guy was interesting but hard to listen to, seems like he takes a huge breath then tries to mumble as much as possible on that single breath then when he laughs his speech goes up 10x.

[@sandeephunjan]

exactly what I thought! Excellent information but almost impossible to listen to him.