All cultures have used medicinal mushrooms for thousands of years for their powerful healing properties. For a long time, these treatments were regarded as folk remedies, but current research is reveals just how effective mushrooms are at regenerating the body.
So, are mushrooms ok for high blood pressure? Mushrooms and blood pressure may sound like an unlikely pairing. But functional fungi are exceptional for treating hypertension as complementary and alternative medicinal foods.
Edible mushrooms are naturally low in sodium and high in potassium, making them a blood pressure-friendly food. Add to that the active constituents in medicinal mushrooms that work to lower pressure by several mechanisms.
Several studies have shown that bioactive compounds in medicinal fungi help lower blood pressure and combat oxidative stress linked to hypertension. In addition, some mushrooms are known to prevent plaque buildup in the vessels and keep cells from sticking to them. Reishi, Lion’s mane, Maitake, and Chaga are popular superfood fungi with blood-pressure-lowering effects.
Let’s talk about mushrooms' blood pressure effects and the best medicinal mushrooms that may help.
Mushroom For Blood Pressure
Lifestyle measures such as a healthy diet (which includes medicinal mushrooms!) and regular physical exercise can help regulate blood pressure levels.Here are our best mushrooms for high blood pressure and the research behind them.
Maitake Mushroom For High Blood Pressure
Maitake mushroom extracts lowered blood pressure in a study done on aging rats(1). Furthermore, with the consumption of Maitake fractions for four months, there were no detectable toxic changes in the blood. This suggests that Maitake may be a safe and natural way to counteract the aging-related progressive elevation of blood pressure effectively.
Another research(2) examined how Shiitake and Maitake mushrooms affected the blood pressure of hypertensive rats. Rats were divided into three groups in this Japanese study. No mushrooms were given to the first group of rats, Shiitake to the second, and Maitake powder to the third.
For nine weeks, the rats were given water that had been salt-infused. The rats fed the mushrooms had substantially lower blood pressure and body weight than the control rats. So, it's possible that the rats' reduced body weight from the mushroom diet may have helped to lower their blood pressure.
Lion's Mane Mushroom Blood Pressure Benefits
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors aid in blood pressure reduction by relaxing the veins and arteries. An enzyme in the body that produces angiotensin II, a substance that constricts blood vessels, is prevented from doing so by ACE inhibitors.
According to a study, Lion's mane(3) exhibits ACE inhibitory activity. Here, various edible and medicinal mushrooms, including Lion's mane, were examined for their antioxidant and ACE inhibitory properties.
The antioxidant capacity of mushrooms was assessed using a variety of assays in this in vitro study after they were extracted by boiling them in water for 30 minutes. The antioxidant index of Lion’s mane was comparatively high. It also demonstrated ACE inhibitory activity.
Chaga Mushrooms For Blood Pressure
Folk medicine has made use of the blood pressure-lowering properties of Chaga mushrooms(4). The antioxidant effects of Chaga affect the molecular mechanisms involved in the vascular functions and oxidative state. In addition, the fungi contain phenols and polysaccharides that can help lower blood pressure and the risk of high blood pressure.
Oxidative stress and the pathogenesis of hypertension are related. With an ORAC value of more than 146700, Chaga is extremely antioxidant-rich(5).
Similarly, high blood pressure and inflammation(6) also go hand in hand. C-reactive proteins (CRP), an inflammatory marker, correlate strongly with high blood pressure. Numerous hypertensives also have high cytokine levels. This essential pro-inflammatory protein controls inflammation and the immune system.
Chaga mushroom reduces cytokine production(7). The fungus's anti-inflammatory qualities(8) can also help lower blood pressure.
Reishi Mushrooms And Blood Pressure
Reishi mushroom may also help lower blood pressure due to its antioxidant benefits, attributed to the fungus’s polysaccharides and triterpenoids.
Several animal and experimental studies have found that Reishi possesses antihypertensive effects. For example, in one such research(9), 37 high-risk patients with cardiovascular diseases were advised to consume Reishi polysaccharide peptides. As a result, both the systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased, and so did the inflammatory markers.
FAQs About Mushrooms Blood Pressure
Can Mushrooms Raise Blood Pressure?
There is no evidence that mushrooms raise blood pressure. Instead, several studies have found that medicinal mushrooms help lower it.
Is Mushroom Healthy For Heart?
Mushrooms have low salt and cholesterol content. Some medicinal mushrooms also lower blood cholesterol levels, making them heart-healthy food.
Key Takeaways
Dietary changes, like adding medicinal mushrooms, can help reduce blood pressure levels to healthy levels and lower your risk of developing several diseases. Therefore, including mushrooms' blood pressure effects in your life may be beneficial if you have high or want to maintain a healthy blood pressure level.
References
- Maitake Mushroom Extracts Ameliorate Progressive Hypertension and Other Chronic Metabolic Perturbations in Aging Female Rats, (1)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2887057/
- Effect of shiitake (Lentinus edodes) and maitake (Grifola frondosa) mushrooms on blood pressure and plasma lipids of spontaneously hypertensive rats, (2)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3443885/
- Evaluation of Selected Culinary-Medicinal Mushrooms for Antioxidant and ACE Inhibitory Activities, (3)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21716693/
- Inonotus obliquus and its bioactive compounds alleviate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease via regulating FXR/SHP/SREBP-1c axis, (4)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35278405/
- Comparison of antioxidant activity and extraction techniques for commercially and laboratory prepared extracts from six mushroom species, (5)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154321000326
- Association between C-reactive protein and hypertension in healthy middle-aged men and women, (6)https://journals.lww.com/coronary-artery/Abstract/2004/09000/Association_between_C_reactive_protein_and.6.aspx
- Immunomodulatory Activity of the Water Extract from Medicinal Mushroom Inonotus obliquus, (7)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3774877/
- Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Inonotus obliquus in Colitis Induced by Dextran Sodium Sulfate, (8)https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2010/943516/
- PS 02-02 Effect Ganoderma lucidum Polysaccharide Peptides as Anti-hypertension, Anti-lipid, Anti-oxidant, Anti-inflammation in High Risk Patients of Atherosclerosis, (9)https://journals.lww.com/jhypertension/abstract/2016/09001/ps_02_02_effect_ganoderma_lucidum_polysaccharide.260.aspx
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