Health through mushrooms: new studies and applications of mycotherapy: metabolism, immune system, microbiota and integrative medicine - Stefania Cazzavillan

Health Through Mushrooms : New Studies and Applications of Mycotherapy: Metabolism, Immune System, Microbiota, and Integrative Medicine. Fungi are a kingdom entirely distinct from the plant and animal kingdoms and are a powerful ally in maintaining health. You will gain the tools to understand how the use of medicinal mushrooms can become a powerful ally in body care. The use of mushrooms for health (there are over 1.5 million species) dates back to antiquity, particularly in traditional Eastern medicines. Over the past decade, medical attention to these natural substances has increased considerably, and scientific studies have multiplied exponentially. Numerous mechanisms of action have been described, explaining their powerful role in maintaining health: from their action on the immune system to their effect on the microbiota and the control of low-grade inflammation, as well as neurological support mechanisms for some of them. The author's objective is to present medicinal mushrooms from several perspectives:

• their use in history and tradition
• quality and safety in today's use
• their relationship with the environment and with humans
• their action on the human body for the maintenance of health
• supportive treatments in the presence of pathologies

After more than twenty years of consistent use of mushrooms, I've realized that these remedies are far more powerful than I thought. It saddens me to see the reductive and limiting use of these remedies that has become widespread since they became fashionable. This significantly diminishes their importance, even devaluing them, and risks lumping them into the realm of so-called "alternative" medicine, which is more concerned with opposing conventional medicine than with developing into a robust approach to prevention and supporting the body.

Stefania Cazzavillan . Many people believe that mushrooms have low nutritional value or are even harmful to health. They couldn't be further from the truth. Mushrooms are a very rich source of nutrients, are low in calories, and contain many bioactive molecules beneficial to the body's health.