Reishi mushrooms are mostly known for their immune boosting effects, but what does this mean for your gut?
Well quite a lot actually at least if you get enough of something called triterpenes, this is the natural compound that does all the heavy lifting, meaning it's what you're on the lookout for.
What Are Triterpenes?
Triterpenes are natural compounds found in reishi that have been shown to offer a range of health benefits. In terms of gut health we're looking at their anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.
This is particularly interesting because inflammation in the gut can mess with the balance of your microbiome. Which in turn results in bloating, discomfort and even IBS.
Reishi and the Gut Microbiome: What the Research Says
There's really 2 main studies for this, the first is one from 2021 which looked at how reishi affects the gut microbiome.
The study on a general reishi extract (so one not looking particularly at the triterpenes I mentioned before) found that reishi mushroom extracts helped boost the growth of "good bacteria" like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Both of which support digestion and help prevent harmful bacteria from taking over.
This shows that reishi acts as a natural prebiotic, meaning it provides good food healthy gut bacteria to thrive. [1]
The second Reishi study that looks at how it effects gut health focused more on it's anti inflammatory effects. That's where the triterpenes come in, it showed that the reishi extract helped reduce markers of inflammation in the gut, which can help improve symptoms of digestive issues like IBS. [2]
Bottom Line
Reishi mushrooms seem to be great for your gut! The do seem to have some prebiotic properties even without focusing on their unique compounds. But that's sort of true of most mushrooms. If you're looking a supplement though and want to get the best out of them look for something standardized for triterpenes of course. If you're eating them straight, then odds are you're getting enough due to the increased volume. But either way whether you add them to a smoothie, drink them in tea, or take them in supplement form, reishi might just be the gut-friendly boost you need.
References
1 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8320748/
2 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7139854/