Medicinal Mushrooms

Mushrooms have been part of traditional medicine for thousands of years, especially in China, Japan, and Korea. Some, like reishi, were prized as tonics and were never really eaten as food. Others, like shiitake and maitake, are everyday kitchen ingredients that also have a long history of medicinal use.

Today, medicinal mushrooms are some of the most popular supplements on the market, showing up in capsules, powders, coffee blends, and even gummies. The research on them is growing, but much of it is still early: lab and animal studies, with fewer well-designed human trials. On HerbsList, we try to separate what tradition says from what the evidence actually shows.

Mushroom Profiles

Start with any of our full profiles below. Each one covers traditional uses, current research, common forms, and safety.

Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum). The “mushroom of immortality” in Chinese medicine, used as a calming tonic and to support overall vitality.
Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus). A shaggy white mushroom studied mainly for memory, focus, and nerve health.
Cordyceps (Cordyceps sinensis and Cordyceps militaris). A Himalayan fungus traditionally used for energy, stamina, and lung and kidney health.
Maitake (Grifola frondosa). The “dancing mushroom,” a culinary favorite studied for blood sugar and immune support.
Shiitake (Lentinula edodes). One of the most widely eaten mushrooms in the world, with a long history of use for immune health.

A Short History of Medicinal Mushrooms

The oldest Chinese herbal text, the Shennong Bencao Jing, compiled around 2,000 years ago, ranks reishi among its “superior” herbs: substances believed to be safe for long-term use and to promote long life. In Japan and Korea, mushrooms like shiitake and maitake were valued as both food and medicine, and maitake was reportedly so prized that people who found it in the wild kept the location secret.

Cordyceps has a stranger story. In the wild, Cordyceps sinensis grows out of caterpillar larvae high on the Tibetan Plateau. It has been used in Tibetan and traditional Chinese medicine for centuries and is still one of the most expensive natural products in the world. Most cordyceps supplements today are made from cultivated strains instead.

Modern science took a serious interest in the 20th century. In Japan, compounds extracted from shiitake and turkey tail mushrooms were developed into drugs that have been used alongside conventional cancer treatment. Those are purified, standardized extracts given under medical supervision, though, not the same as the supplements you’d buy in a store.

Profiles at a Glance

Reishi

Reishi is tough, woody, and very bitter, so it’s almost never eaten. Instead it’s simmered into tea or taken as an extract. Traditionally it was used to calm the mind, support sleep, and strengthen the body over time. Researchers have focused on its triterpenes and polysaccharides, and studies have looked at immune function, fatigue, and quality of life, with mixed results. It’s often grouped with adaptogens, plants thought to help the body handle stress. Read the full reishi profile.

Lion’s Mane

Lion’s mane looks like a white pom-pom and is also eaten as a seafood-like delicacy. It contains two groups of compounds, hericenones and erinacines, that stimulated nerve growth factor in lab studies. A small trial in older Japanese adults with mild memory decline found improvements on cognitive tests while they took it, but the benefits faded after they stopped. It’s a promising area, and the human evidence is still thin. If memory is your main interest, you may also want to read about ginkgo biloba and bacopa. Read the full lion’s mane profile.

Cordyceps

In traditional Chinese medicine, cordyceps was used to restore energy, support the lungs and kidneys, and help recovery after illness. Today it’s popular with athletes, and studies on exercise performance have produced mixed results. Because wild cordyceps is so rare and costly, nearly all supplements use Cordyceps militaris or a lab-grown strain called CS-4. It’s often paired in formulas with other energy tonics like Korean ginseng and schizandra. Read the full cordyceps profile.

Maitake

Maitake grows in large, ruffled clusters at the base of oak trees and is sold as “hen of the woods” in the United States. It’s a delicious cooking mushroom, and its polysaccharide extracts (sometimes sold as “D-fraction”) have been studied for immune support. Animal studies suggest it may lower blood sugar, which is useful to know but also a reason for caution if you take diabetes medication. Read the full maitake profile.

Shiitake

Shiitake is the most familiar mushroom on this list and the easiest to add to your diet. A small study in healthy adults who ate shiitake every day for four weeks found changes in some immune markers. It also contains eritadenine, a compound that lowered cholesterol in animal studies. One oddity: eating raw or undercooked shiitake can cause a distinctive streaky skin rash in some people, so cook it thoroughly. Read the full shiitake profile.

Are Mushrooms Adaptogens?

Some of them are often described that way. An adaptogen is a substance thought to help the body resist physical and mental stress and return to balance. Reishi and cordyceps are the mushrooms most often given that label, alongside well-known herbs like ashwagandha, holy basil, and Korean ginseng.

“Adaptogen” is a traditional and marketing category, not a medical one, and the evidence behind it varies a lot from one plant to the next. If stress and fatigue are what you’re looking into, our guide to herbs for adrenal fatigue covers what may help and what’s mostly hype.

Mushrooms and Herbs Together

In traditional Chinese medicine, mushrooms are rarely taken alone. They’re usually combined with herbs in formulas. Reishi and shiitake have long been paired with astragalus for immune support, and cordyceps often appears with ginseng and schizandra. Our guide to Chinese herbs explains how these formulas are put together. Ayurvedic medicine uses mushrooms less, but many modern blends now combine mushrooms with Ayurvedic herbs like ashwagandha.

How Medicinal Mushrooms Are Used

Medicinal mushrooms are usually taken in one of these forms:

Dried and brewed. Tougher mushrooms like reishi are too woody to eat, so they’re traditionally simmered for an hour or more into a tea or broth.
Extracts. Hot water or alcohol extracts concentrate the compounds researchers are most interested in, such as beta-glucans and triterpenes. “Dual extracts” use both methods.
Powders and capsules. The most common supplement forms. Quality varies a lot between brands.
As food. Culinary mushrooms like shiitake, maitake, and lion’s mane can simply be cooked and eaten.

How to Choose a Mushroom Supplement

The mushroom supplement market is crowded, and labels can be misleading. A few things to look for:

Fruiting body vs. mycelium. The fruiting body is the part of the mushroom you’d recognize above ground. The mycelium is the root-like network underneath. Many cheaper products are made from mycelium grown on rice or oats, which can mean much of what you’re paying for is grain starch rather than mushroom. Look for labels that say which part is used.
Beta-glucan content. Reputable brands list the percentage of beta-glucans, one of the main active compound groups. A product that lists only “polysaccharides” may be counting starch.
Extraction. Mushroom cell walls are tough, and the body can’t break them down well. Extracts are generally better absorbed than plain ground mushroom powder.
Third-party testing. Mushrooms can absorb heavy metals from where they’re grown. Look for independent testing for contaminants.

A Note on Safety

Medicinal mushrooms are generally well tolerated, but they aren’t risk-free:

Blood sugar. Maitake, reishi, and cordyceps may lower blood sugar, which matters if you take diabetes medication.
Bleeding. Reishi and cordyceps may slow blood clotting. Stop taking them before surgery, and be careful if you take blood thinners.
Immune system. Because many mushrooms are studied for immune effects, people taking immunosuppressants or with autoimmune conditions should check with a doctor first.
Liver. Reishi powder has been linked to rare cases of liver problems. If you have liver concerns, also see our profile of milk thistle, an herb traditionally used for liver health.
Allergies. Some people react to specific mushrooms, including lion’s mane.

Talk with your doctor or pharmacist before starting any mushroom supplement, especially if you’re pregnant, nursing, or managing a health condition. You can also browse our herbs listed by health condition to compare options.

Never forage for wild mushrooms to use as medicine unless you’re an expert. Many toxic species look like edible ones, and some mistakes are fatal.

This page is for general information and isn’t medical advice. See our terms and conditions for the full disclaimer.