Fantastic Fungi with Dr. Swathi Varanasi
I always love interviewing my friend, Dr. Swathi Varanasi. Dr. Swathi is an award-winning bilingual pharmacist specializing in integrative health and botanical medicine. Emphasizing an innovative and evidence-based approach, Dr. Swathi is passionate about educating practitioners, students, and patients on natural medicines and empowering everyone to be the best, most authentic version of themselves.
Today, we are talking the hot topic of mushrooms.
Mushrooms are all the rage these days and it is important to distinct between the different types of them. There are culinary mushrooms, which are used for cooking. Then there are medicinal mushrooms used for healing modalities. And lastly there are the psilocybin and the the “magic mushrooms” or the “shrooms” component. All are equally important! Let’s discuss a few of our favorites in the medicinal realm!
Lion's Mane has been researched to show its possibility of use in Alzheimer's. This is because of its capacity to regenerate new neurons and neuronal connections. One of the the issues within Alzheimer's is that lack of connection and the lack of neuronal function. Lion's Mane really helps your mind focus better and helps promote concentration, as well as memory and cognition.
Turkey Tail is incredible for bolstering immunity. In particular, most of the research has to do with the cancer community looking at it as a preventative aspect, but also during chemotherapy. It is a great combination use to integrate otherwise complementary and alternative therapies into our daily lives, while still seeing the benefit of prescription medications. We can have the best of both worlds!
What is one piece of advice when beginning a medicinal mushroom journey?
If you are going to go and spend your money, make sure that you ensure that you get it from something that is made from a “fruiting body” rather than the mycelium. The fruiting body is where the good stuff is, and sometimes companies will cut corners due to cost and use more from mycelium of the mushroom.
If you ever have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Dr. Swathi, your healthcare professional or a naturopath who might know a lot about this subject. Are you interested in giving these mushrooms a try?
Contact Dr. Swathi: www.doctorswathi.com
