Most of us have been exposed to or cooked with a few of the most commonly used culinary mushrooms: portabella, white button, etc.
There is however an entire class of mushrooms known as medicinal mushrooms. these healing medicinal mushrooms aren't intended for enhancement of flavor, although certain of them may be used in recipes. They are usually consumed in tea form, tinctures and extracts, and also in capsules as powders.
These medicinal mushrooms include reishi mushroom, agaricus mushroom (or agaricus blazei mushroom) and maitake, shitake and coriolus mushroom. There are many others however these are a few of the most popular.
These medicinal mushrooms have a lot in common with humans in terms of chemical and genetic structure. Many scientists claim that mushrooms are more similar to humans genetically than almost every other plant.
Given this fact, specific "higher level" mushrooms, frequently referred to as "medicinal mushrooms" (NOT magic mushrooms! ) they can help to heal and alter the mind, body, emotions and spirit of people who consume the mushrooms.
Reishi mushroom is among the most famous healing mushrooms in China (though it is found throughout the globe as well). Reishi mushroom is often described as "the mushroom of immortality" because it is able to be consumed everyday as a tonic "herb" and it useful in extending life.
Reishi mushroom is often utilized (in the East) for its immune-system stimulant by those suffering from HIV and cancer. Reishi is also purported to help reduce inflammation, reduce fatigue, help Mushrooms chocolate bar heal viruses in the body, and to ease stress and calm the mind, allowing people to meditate and connect with Spirit much more easily.
Maitake mushroom is one of the most potent medicinal mushrooms found in the world. Maitake is used culinarily as well as medicinally, and is a very powerful source of beta-glucan polysaccharides--potent immune system healing chemicals.
Maitake mushroom is used in cancer prevention, as well as in helping to manage the effects of high cholesterol and diabetes. Maitake increases the activities of the natural killer cells within the body, helping get rid of the body's issues with the immune system.
There are several more common varieties of medicinal mushrooms and I've written more full descriptions of them in my blog, which can be found below.
A final thought, if you are considering a research into the healing properties of medicinal mushrooms: If you supplement them with a Vitamin C sources (preferably an organic plant-based Vitamin C sources) You can double the effectiveness of both the medicinal mushrooms, and triple the efficacy of Vitamin C! This is a powerful guideline for having the best health ever!