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A couple interesting mushroom products for a light BDNF / immune boost + pick-me-up

Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 7:17 pm
by apod
I recently picked up a bag of this coffee:
https://us.foursigmatic.com/collections ... ane-ground

and this matcha:
https://us.foursigmatic.com/collections ... lions-mane

The coffee is great -- Much better than their instant mixes, while the matcha is a little more on the "acquired taste" side (containing astragalus and ginger.) You get a full serving of dual-extracted lion's mane (Yamabushitake) per serving.

https://examine.com/supplements/yamabushitake/
"Yamabushitake ethanolic extract appears to increase NGF mRNA levels, and this has been confirmed following oral administration to mice. An increase in NGF mRNA has been detected in the hippocampus. Seceretion of NGF from astrocytes has been noted to be increased. When looking at neurons specifically, yamabushitake appears to promote neuronal prolongation and formation of myelin. Neuronal excitability from glutamic acid appears to be attenuated in the presence of yamabushitake extracts. Yamabushitake appears to protect rats against cognitive decline caused by β-amyloid pigmentation. Anxiety and Depressive symptoms have also been reduced in humans fed 2g of Yamabushitake. There was a significant difference between groups on the measurements of concentration and irritability, favoring the Yamabushitake group. One human study using 3g of 98% Yamabushitake powder (in capsule form) showed significantly improvements on a rating scale of dementia in persons suffering from general cognitive decline. In one study conducted in rats, Yamabushitake water extract was able to promote neuronal regrowth after crushing injury. Rats that had a gluteal nerve damaged (purposefully) during surgery were able to walk better after ingestion of water containing the extract of the fruits. Yamabushitake appears to be a PPARα agonist, which may contribute to fat burning properties and reduce triglycerides. Yamabushitake has been noted to suppress LPS-induced macrophage activation"
The coffee also includes Chaga, written about on this Ben Greenfield article:
https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/articl ... use-chaga/

Apparently Chaga has an ORAC value of 52,000 -- among the highest scores... of all foods?

http://www.chagamushroom.com/chaga_medi ... 1507512187

Re: A couple interesting mushroom products for a light BDNF / immune boost + pick-me-up

Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 11:58 am
by circular
apod, I like this coffee too. I had started listening to the modules at their Mushroom Academy but got sidetracked and haven't gone past the adaptogen one.

I've misplaced my notes, but I believe the Chaga is high in SOD and they say highly antiviral, which I like due to my propensity to get viral infections. The Lion's Mane is supposed to be neurogenic.

Re: A couple interesting mushroom products for a light BDNF / immune boost + pick-me-up

Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 10:36 am
by TheresaB
circular wrote:I've misplaced my notes, but I believe the Chaga is high in SOD and they say highly antiviral,
A close family member is currently fighting cancer, so I've been reading the book, "The Metabolic Approach to Cancer" by Dr Nasha Winters and Jess Higgins Kelley. In the book there is a short discussion on Chaga Tea, which I found intriguing, since in addition to benefits with regard to cancer, the benefits also seem to include that which us ApoE4s need. So I decided to use the search function to see if it had been discussed anywhere, and lo and behold!

My notes from the book:

Chaga mushroom tea. In areas of daily chaga consumption, cancer rates are low to none. It has antioxidant effects, lowers blood sugar, and stimulates immune system. Contains high levels of beta glucans a powerful polysaccharide that can than reduce tumor proliferation and prevent tumor metastasis. Chaga expert, Dr Cass Ingram, author of “The Cure is in the Forest” recommends chaga be taken daily. Chaga should be taken with wild oregano which helps stimulate chaga’s active ingredients.

Re: A couple interesting mushroom products for a light BDNF / immune boost + pick-me-up

Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 9:12 am
by hill dweller
For a limited time, this code gives free shipping SHROOMDAY

Re: A couple interesting mushroom products for a light BDNF / immune boost + pick-me-up

Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2017 2:18 pm
by Katydid
Apod, have you noticed a difference, other than taste, between the instant and the bagged ground coffee? I have been having a cup of the instant when I get to the office and it helps me stay focused and write and edit more easily. I noticed that instant contains rhodiola, whereas the bagged does not. Do you feel a difference?

Re: A couple interesting mushroom products for a light BDNF / immune boost + pick-me-up

Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2017 4:01 pm
by apod
Katydid wrote:Apod, have you noticed a difference, other than taste, between the instant and the bagged ground coffee? I have been having a cup of the instant when I get to the office and it helps me stay focused and write and edit more easily. I noticed that instant contains rhodiola, whereas the bagged does not. Do you feel a difference?
I like it a lot better. Sometimes Rhodiola can leave me a little edgy, particularly if I'm taking it frequently with coffee (although used sparingly , it seems to offer a pretty nice mood boost)... so I tend to look at it as a bit of a double edged sword, not for daily consumption. I like strong, black coffee, where two bags of the instant lions mane coffee was still a little too weak / earthy for my tastes. The instant mix has a low acidity where this one is quite a bit brighter. Overall, I found the ground version to feel very balanced -- maybe less stimulating than your average cup of joe (possibly just because it's less coffee by weight?) I've tried just about all of the Four Sigmatic products, and this one's my favorite so far.

I've also enjoyed the Kimera Koffee. I'm a fan of these weird fortified blends -- I've been known to add a pinch of cacao, vanilla bean, maqui berry, etc to my morning brew. I saw one the other day with Resveratrol in the beans (from Vera Roasting.)

They list a serving as 340g total/24 per bag, which comes out to around 14 grams. I tend to use 18-24g in my brews through a Chemex (which might "waste" a little bit through the heavy filter.) Perhaps a 1:1 swiss water decaf blend would be even more "balanced" if the caffeine gets in the way. Ymmv.

Re: A couple interesting mushroom products for a light BDNF / immune boost + pick-me-up

Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2017 4:43 pm
by circular
I find that drinking a second cup of regular coffee in the morning messes up my brain (and I have the gene that slows caffeine metabolism), but I can have a cup of that mushroom coffee after my regular coffee with no ill effects, and maybe even more focused. I like that it has Lion's Mane added for neurogenesis (purportedly) and Rhodiola for its antiviral properties (purportedly).

Re: A couple interesting mushroom products for a light BDNF / immune boost + pick-me-up

Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2017 4:59 pm
by Katydid
Thanks, both of you . Regular coffee gets me to the gym at 5 a.m. Mushroom coffee helps me work! Will look into your other coffees, apod.