Marvelous mushrooms

Dear Editor,

As a person who enjoys eating mushrooms in soups and gravies, or breaded and fried, I read “Mushroom Popularity” in the March 2018 National Geographic Magazine with great interest.

Mushrooms grow on the floors of forests, in gardens and in the shade of trees. They grow well in manure, too.

Robert Beelman, director of the Penn State Center for Plant and Mushrooms Foods for Health, states that fungi are more mysterious than plants.

A recent study shows that the mushroom has a potential to help prevent heart disease on Alzheimer’s.

In China, they are used as a tea and help to treat digestive disorders.

The Maitake mushroom may help to lower blood sugar and to boost immunity. This is of interest to diabetics.

The Rishi mushroom, known as the mushroom of immortality, is used by the Chinese to treat allergies and arthritis.

Lion’s Mane mushrooms are used to promote nerve growth and to treat nerve disorders. Chestnut mushrooms may offer protection from high cholesterol or fat buildup in the blood.

Yellow oyster mushrooms are a known source of antioxidants.

Injections of an extract of the Shiitake mushroom may slow down the growth of tumors and improve outcomes of chemotherapy.

Indian oyster mushrooms are very easy to cultivate. They contain antioxidants that help to treat inflammation.

When poplar mushrooms were used with ice to treat skin conditions, they increased collagen and reduced the effects of aging.

The cosmetic industry has been very interested in the use of the popular mushrooms. In the U.S., the prevention of aging, wrinkled skin is of great concern.

This is also important in other countries. (The ancient Egyptians used various substances to improve their skin, including olive oil.)

Helen Ruth Arnold,

Trent, Neb.