Regarding natural skincare remedies, mushrooms are one of the most underrated ingredients. But believe it or not, certain mushrooms can have some fantastic benefits for your skin! One such mushroom is Reishi, known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
In this post, we'll take a closer look at the benefits of reishi mushrooms for skin. We will also show you how to add its supplements to your skincare routine. Keep reading to learn more!
Understanding Reishi Mushroom: How Reishi General Health Benefits Help Your Skin
Reishi mushroom, scientifically known as Ganoderma lucidum, is a superfood fungus that has been around for over 4000 years. The mushroom grows on dead or dying trees in the Asian tropical environment.
Read More: Learn about Reishi look-alikes you can come across when foraging for this functional mushroom.
Reishi mushrooms stand out for restoring youth to aging skin, improving dry skin, balancing out oily skin, and preventing and fixing acne.
The valuable mushroom, however, has a lot more to offer than just skin benefits. The reishi mushroom benefits include improving and strengthening the immune system and battling stress and fatigue. Research has proven these reishi mushroom benefits.
Below, we will look at several reasons you may want to incorporate reishi mushrooms into your diet. When looking at the general benefits of Reishi, we will let you know how each general benefit impacts your skin health positively:
1. Reishi Cancer Benefits And Skin Health
The reishi mushroom offers cancer benefits. A traditional Chinese medicine, Ganoderma lucidum treats and protects against many cancers, including skin cancer.
A research study conducted in 2017(1) determined that the reishi mushroom extracts are effective in treating melanoma, a form of skin cancer. Moreover, the same research study determined that Reishi mushrooms can treat breast cancer.
2. Reishi Blood Pressure Benefits And Skin Health
Reishi helps with high blood pressure. Symptoms of hypertension harm the skin.
A research study conducted in 2020(2) analyzed the relationship between high blood pressure and skin health. The research study concluded that high blood pressure could wrinkle skin.
Read More: See how Lion's mane fights high blood pressure.
3. Reishi Diabetes Benefits And Skin Health
Reishi treats diabetes, regulating blood sugar levels. Research studies have linked high blood sugar levels to skin problems.
A research study conducted in 2017(3) showed that diabetes could cause many skin diseases, including:
- Acanthosis nigricans – Characterized by hyperchromic skin thickening with a velvety appearance that mainly affects folds, notably in the armpits
- Diabetic dermopathy – Characterized by skin lesions
- Sclerodermiform disorders – Characterized by thickening and stiffness of the skin around the finger's dorsum and the skin covering the hand and finger joints
By helping people with diabetes control their blood sugar levels, reishi organic mushrooms help diabetic people improve their skin's natural ability to fight off infections. This helps people with diabetes maintain healthy skin.
4. Reishi Allergy Benefits And Skin Health
Reishi carries allergy benefits—the mushroom treats and prevents allergies. Allergies cause skin issues—it is prevalent for allergies to cause symptoms like stinging, burning, redness, pimples, hives, swelling, and a rash.
By fighting skin allergies—and other types of allergies—the beta-glucans in Reishi protect the skin.
5. Reishi Sleep Benefits And Skin Health
The mushroom reishi has sleep benefits. Research has shown that chronic poor sleep quality can affect skin health negatively.
A research study conducted in 2015(4) concluded that poor sleep worsens skin barrier function, increases intrinsic aging symptoms, and reduces satisfaction with appearance.
6. Reishi Anxiety Benefits And Skin Health
Stress affects the skin negatively. According to studies, acute and chronic stress can destroy skin overall and aggravate several skin problems, such as psoriasis, eczema, acne, and hair loss.
A study(5) investigating the connection between stress and skin health determined that stress can cause many skin issues, including premature aging and skin inflammation. Luckily, the mushroom reishi treats anxiety and other forms of stress.
The mushroom can eliminate skin problems by simply fighting stress, anxiety, and depression.
7. Reishi Hair Loss Benefits
One of the reasons people use Reishi for skin health is that it helps slow down aging. In addition to offering skin health benefits, Reishi prevents hair loss too. Reishi is a perfect solution for baldness, prematurely greying hair, and other hair problems.
8. Reishi Nutritional Benefits And Skin Health
The reishi mushroom has vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making it a star ingredient in skincare products. Reishi mushroom nutrients work both internally and externally—this is why you may find Reishi as one of the compounds in topical skin solutions.
Why Is Reishi Mushroom Good For Your Skin?
Ganoderma benefits for skin can be attributed to its beneficial bioactive compounds: beta-glucans, peptidoglycans, polysaccharides, minerals, enzymes, and amino acid proteins.
Beta-glucans are antioxidant glucose molecules present in the cell wall of the mushroom. They are responsible for one of the most known reishi mushroom skin benefits—keeping the skin hydrated.
Beta-glucans attract water molecules directly from the environment and apply these molecules to the skin—this helps the skin retain water, fixing dryness. The molecules keep the skin supple and deeply hydrated regardless of your age.
Reishi is an adaptogen mushroom. Reishi mushrooms relax the mind and body, which also translates to good skin quality.
1. Reishi Mushroom Helps In Skin Lightening
One of the significant skin benefits of reishi mushrooms is the ability to lighten the skin. This benefit is desirable to people with dark skin spots.
Many Reishi mushroom creams and facial masks help in lightening the skin. They treat the dark spot on the skin by blocking the production(6) of melanin from the skin cells.
Melanin is a naturally occurring pigment of the skin that gives color to the skin. Reishi extract is in many skin-lightening compounds as they decrease skin pigmentation.
2. Reishi Detoxifies The Skin
Reishi mushroom improves the liver detoxification process. The mushroom's natural detoxification property cleanses the body. As the health of your skin starts from within, this leads to detoxified skin.
3. Reishi Mushroom Battles Aging Skin
One of the lesser-known reishi mushroom benefits for the skin is its ability to fight aging. People know Reishi as the mushroom of immortality due to its anti-aging properties.
If you know how to use reishi mushroom powder, the reishi mushrooms will help you preserve the skin's youthful look by preventing the binding of free radicals to the skin.
The hydrating properties of beta-glucans are one of many compounds responsible for the mushroom's anti-aging benefits. They work against premature aging, fine lines, dullness, and redness.
These hydrating agents also help your body synthesize ceramides. Ceramides are molecules that form the protective layer of the skin.
With time, aging and sun damage cause depletion of the body's store of natural ceramides, the building blocks in the skin, resulting in wrinkled, irritated, and dehydrated skin. Reishi mushroom restores the ceramides in the skin, helping it detoxify from the environment and aging stress.
Reishi is a naturally powerful anti-aging fungus. Lysine, present in the mushroom, reinforces the skin elasticity and support, making it visibly firm.
The high content of polysaccharides in the mushroom repairs and renews the skin. Polysaccharides help support the body's response to inflammation and natural immune functions.
Reishi boosts cell turnover and smoothes fine lines with these antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The mushroom reduces puffiness, wrinkles, inflammation, and damage by free radicals.
The Reishi polysaccharide compound is also responsible for retaining water in the skin, leaving the skin hydrated. The more hydrated the skin, the less likely it will react to environmental stressors.
The mushroom polysaccharide also promotes skin regeneration. It also protects against oxidative damage from pollution, UV rays, and toxic ingredients in makeup.
The mushroom also contains terpenes which, combined with polysaccharides, have a restoring and soothing effect on the skin. All these properties make Reishi the most sought-after mushroom for improving skin health.
Read More: See how Chaga mushroom benefits the skin.
4. Reishi Mushroom Improves Dry Skin
The reishi mushroom skin benefits may benefit you if you often suffer from dry skin.
The hydrating property of the mushroom is beneficial for dry skin. Beta-glucans reduce dryness and flakiness of the skin and provide calmness. They lock in the moisture and natural oils in the skin.
Beta-glucans also help with collagen regeneration, adding to the skin's elasticity. Reishi mushroom also contains potassium which prevents dehydration of the skin. The results: naturally smooth, supple, and resilient skin.
5. Benefits Of Reishi On Oily Skin
The enzymes present in the mushroom act as mild exfoliators on the skin. The exfoliating property of the mushroom is gentle and does not irritate or damage the skin like other mechanical scrubs.
They dissolve the buildup of dead skin, cleansing pores and blackheads. They even out the complexion and encourage the skin to produce new cells.
6. Reishi Mushroom Prevents Acne
A condition that affects a large group of people, acne destroys the skin's appearance if not treated.
Reishi mushroom peptidoglycans contain amino acids that produce antimicrobial peptides. Acne, an inflammatory skin disease caused by bacterial infection, can benefit from Reishi's anti-inflammatory(7) and immunomodulatory properties.
A high-quality reishi cream reduces the redness and itching resulting from acne breakouts. Sulfur, present in the mushroom, also has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
The mushroom also regulates the androgen hormone, which is responsible for cyclical acne in women. The ability of Reishi to balance out the hormone prevents the androgen-driven breakout in the jaw, chin, upper back, and neck.
Ganoderma also contains the amino acid leucine. This compound helps in the activation of the skin's natural process of healing. This helps reduce acne scars. The use of Reishi for acne is gaining popularity due to these benefits.
7. Reishi Helps In Improving Skin Thickness
Reishi mushroom increases the thickness of the skin. Selenium in the mushroom prevents the breakdown of collagen and elastin, the two key proteins of the skin's dermis.
The dermis comprises 90% of the skin thickness. It protects the skin cells and improves skin texture.
Thinning of the skin is associated with many factors like sun damage, aging, medications, and many lifestyle factors.
Read More: See how Chaga treats psoriasis, a common skin disease.
8. Reishi Eczema And Dermatitis Benefits
Eczema is when the skin becomes itchy, dry, and inflamed. Dermatitis, on the other hand, refers to general skin inflammation; dermatitis is a broader term that encompasses more than just eczema rashes.
One of the most useful atopic dermatitis solutions, Reishi, can help treat dermatitis.
How Much Of Reishi Mushroom Is Good For Skin?
The daily recommended dose of Reishi mushroom is 2gm per day. This dose revitalizes the skin while providing anti-aging, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory benefits.
FAQs About Reishi For Skin
Reishi Mushroom Skincare Ideas
You can apply Reishi mushrooms directly onto your skin.
Many beauty brands are incorporating functional mushrooms into their skincare line. You can use serums, creams, and other products that contain Reishi.
With the ever-increasing hype about Reishi, why not try making mushroom face masks at home? So, how do you make a mushroom face mask? Follow these easy steps to transform your skin from dull to glowy:
Take a teaspoon of Reishi mushroom powder and mix in a bowl with ¼ cup of rolled oats, a splash of lemon juice, and 2-3 drops of tea tree oil. Make a paste by adding filtered water till the consistency is smooth.
Apply the mask on clean and dry skin, covering your entire face. Let it sit for about 20 minutes or until the mask is dry. Rinse with running water and pat dry. Use it twice weekly.
If you are wondering about the best time to use reishi mushrooms for their skin benefits, the answer depends on how you intend to use them. For example, the evening may be ideal if you want to prepare a face mask. However, if you use a cream, you can use the mushroom at any time throughout the day.
Key Takeaways
Reishi is a hard, brown, and wrinkly mushroom. Judging by how it looks, the mushroom does not look like it can give you soft and supple skin.
However, the popularity of Reishi for skin is on the rise, and mushrooms are on their way to becoming a favorite ingredient in skincare. Many companies use Reishi as one of the raw materials for skin care creams.
The mushroom restores vitality, hydrates the skin, and works against premature aging. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant property of the mushroom is beneficial for acne, wounds, swelling, and blemishes.
It also improves skin thickness and elasticity. Overall, there are remarkable benefits of reishi mushrooms on the skin.
If you're looking for a new way to take care of your skin, consider adding some reishi mushrooms! Let us know how you like them in the comments below.
References
- Anticancer and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Ganoderma lucidum Extract Effects on Melanoma and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatment, (1)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5372873/
- Correlation between Blood Pressure and Skin Health in Korean College Female Students, (2)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7548485/
- Diabetes mellitus and the skin, (3)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5312172/
- Does poor sleep quality affect skin ageing?, (4)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25266053/
- Brain-Skin Connection: Stress, Inflammation and Skin Aging, (5)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4082169/
- Effects on Tyrosinase Activity by the Extracts of Ganoderma lucidum and Related Mushrooms, (6)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18459064/
- Suppression of the inflammatory response by triterpenes isolated from the mushroom Ganoderma lucidum, (7)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567576909002240
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