Your gut and Lion’s mane: a match made in heaven
Your gut flora and Lion’s mane: a match made in heaven
You would probably be surprised to know that 90% of our cells are foreign to us, they are in fact bacteria that outweigh, by far, the number of own cells in our bodies. Friendly gut bacteria plays a major role in the functioning of our organs and systems. Our microbiota keeps toxins and dangerous pathogens at bay, produces vitamins vital to our health and ensures our gut’s immune system is balanced. In fact the digestive tract is connected to many other systems including the impact on neurons in the brain. The effect of poor gut functioning can actually be noticed in these areas.
Impact of diet and lifestyle
Our Gut Microbiota is a complex community of microorganisms that live in the digestive tract with a composition almost as unique as our own fingerprints!
Too often, our diet works against this delicate balance debilitating and dangerously diminishing it’s functioning. Excess of acidity caused by certain foods ( think wheat, dairy, sugar), antibiotics, lack of fiber and enzymes present in raw vegetables are elements that change the intestinal environment and dysbiosis. In the immediate, this can lead to overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria like candida. In the long term, inflammation slowly threatens the gut lining issues resulting in allergies, food intolerances and the famous ‘ leaky gut’ syndrome.
Probiotic VS Prebiotic: unwrapping the myths
Our usual tendency is to turn probiotics in an attempt to help our gut flora recover. The likes of Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus strains make an effective but transient effort to balance the ratio between good and bad bacteria in our guts. This beneficial bacteria, though momentarily helpful, struggle to remain alive and make our intestines their home.
Experts nowadays have started to speak the healing effect prebiotics: non digestible food ingredients, like oligosaccharides, that stimulate the growth and activity of our bacterias living in the gut. Research shows that prebiotics significantly improve gut flora’s health without drastically changing its constitution and making it easier for beneficial effects to last in the long term.
Mushrooms: natural prebiotics
In the mushrooms’ realm, a group of medicinal mushrooms excel for their content in a prebiotic substance called Beta-glucans, a type of oligosaccharides that literally ‘feeds’ good bacteria and sets off a cascade of health benefits in the immune system eventually preventing allergies, predisposition to infections and, even cancer.
Lion’s mane mushroom in particular (Hericium erinaceus) is our best ally for many reasons: it is a great prebiotic to protect our intestinal flora, it works against many digestive disorders (Abdulla MA. et al) by regenerating the intestinal epithelium, preventing its degradation by renewing and generating a healthy intestinal “skin” which prevents allergens from getting into our blood stream (Michichiro et al).
Hifas da Terra Mico-Leo is a high strength (6:1) Lion’s Mane supplement, produced using only the best raw materials, our organically certified mushroom are standardised to guarantee purity and efficiency. Mico-Leo is not only a prebiotic but also a natural source of vitamins B12, B2, B6, zinc, iron and copper.
It is powerful enough on its own, but combined with our Mico-Rei (Reishi) with anti-infllammatory properties and Mico-Polipor (Polypous) can enhance its effect in severe cases of dysbiosis.
Special Offer: Up to 40% Practitioner discount. Claim it now by emailing us at bdm@hifasdaterra.com
References:
Abdullah N, et al Evaluation of Selected Culinary-Medicinal Mushrooms for Antioxidant and ACE Inhibitory Activities . Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. (2012)
GIBSON AND MARCEL B. ROBERFROID Dietary Modulation of the Human Colonie Microbiota: Introducing the Concept of Prebiotics GLE/Y7YR. MRC Dunn Clinical Nutrition Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom, and Unité de Biochimie Toxicologique et Cancérologique, Department des Sciences Pharmaceutiques, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
Imispain.com,. “Imispain – International Mycotherapy Institute”. N.p., 2016. Web. 2 Mar. 2016
June L. Round1 & Sarkis K. Mazmanian The gut microbiota shapes intestinal immune responses during health and disease Nature Reviews Immunology 9, 313-323 (May 2009) | doi:10.1038/nri2515
Mizuno, M., Kawakami, S., & Chida, Y. (2005). Inhibitory Effects of Extracts from Agaricus brasiliensis S. Wasser et al. (Agaricomycetideae) on Immediate Type Allergy Induced Compound 48/80 in ICR Mice. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms Int J Med Mushrooms, 434.