Medicinal mushrooms have long been known to offer a variety of different health benefits, including the ability to support a range of different fertility issues.
In this guide, you will find a breakdown of all the main medicinal mushrooms that have the ability to support overall fertility health.
From helping to regulate feelings of stress all the way to increasing natural libido, all the mushrooms in this post contain unique medicinal properties that will support fertility.
Just keep on reading to learn more about all the mushrooms that have been shown to support and contribute to fertility health. Scroll on.
Medicinal Mushrooms For Fertility Support
There are many different medicinal mushrooms that have the ability to help support a range of fertility issues.
From immune-related issues that might be impacting fertility all the way to better stress management, all the medicinal mushrooms that I am going to be sharing with you below can help to support healthy fertility.
Let’s take a look at them below:
Reishi
First up on our list, I am recommending Reishi! If you aren’t overly familiar with Reishi, it is a striking mushroom that has a unique “swirling” appearance that stands it apart from other types of mushrooms.
It is found in Asia, North America, Europe, and even in the Amazon, and is most typically found growing on oak trees and other areas of vegetation.
Offering plenty of different medicinal benefits, Reishi has long been celebrated for its ability to help strengthen the immune system.
When taken regularly and as part of a balanced diet, Reishi has the ability to offer regulation to the immune system, which means that it can help to reduce inflammation throughout the body, as well as unnecessary immune responses.
Along with being able to reduce inflammation in the body, Reishi is also considered to be one of the most powerful adaptogens of all medicinal mushrooms.
In other words, Reishi has been shown to reduce levels of stress within the body which can, in turn, lead to a reduction of negative feelings to help support healthy fertility, particularly in women.
In addition to being able to lower levels of stress throughout the body, Reishi has also been shown to help reduce signs of pelvic inflammation.
This can help to alleviate symptoms of uterine fibroids, dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, and other conditions that might affect a woman’s natural fertility levels.
Shiitake
If you’re a foodie, then we’re sure that you might have already tried Shiitake mushrooms!
Besides being totally delicious and used in a variety of dishes, particularly in Asian cuisine, Shiitake mushrooms have also long been used in holistic medicine.
Besides being considered to be a delicacy in Japan, China, and Korea, Shiitake mushrooms are also known to contain a variety of properties that can help to benefit reproductive health in women and men.
Why? Well, for starters, Shiitake mushrooms contain properties that have the ability to support both cardiovascular health, as well as healthy blood pressure levels – both of which contribute to healthy circulation.
Along with being able to provide ideal circulation levels for improved fertility rates, Shiitake mushrooms have also been shown to help support the immune system to prevent inflammation, while also helping to reduce the growth of tumours (in particular, uterine fibroids) which can help to enhance both natural libido and fertility health.
Delicious and full of medicinal properties? There’s a reason Shiitake is such a beloved mushroom. If you want to improve your fertility health, Shiitake mushroom is a great mushroom to incorporate into your everyday diet.
What’s more, you can include this mushroom in a variety of different healthy, nutritious, and tasty dishes, or simply take it as a supplement. It’s entirely up to you.
Cordyceps
Another medicinal mushroom ideal for helping to boost fertility levels is Cordyceps! If you haven’t heard of Cordyceps before, it’s a unique fungus that is typically known to colonise larvae…which are otherwise referred to as caterpillars!
While this might sound a little off-putting, Cordyceps are very popular medicinal mushrooms and are known for being quite hard to come by in the wild.
Due to this, the majority of Cordyceps that you can buy are typically cultivated through the use of cooked soybeans, which is generally deemed to be a sustainable method of growing this mushroom.
So, how can Cordyceps assist in fertility health? Well, Cordyceps contains special properties that will be able to enhance aerobic capacity as well as the body’s natural energy stores.
By supporting the body’s immune system and ability to increase cell resistance to free radicals, Cordyceps has been suggested to support fertility by increasing egg health (see also: Are Eggs Risky For Heart Health?)and reducing nutritional deficiencies.
Along with this, similar to other medicinal mushrooms that I have mentioned on this list, Cordyceps has also been shown to contain hormonal-balancing properties that will help to regulate the body’s natural cycle while also encouraging an increased sense of well-being.
Thanks to this, by incorporating Cordyceps into your diet, you will be able to help support your fertility by enjoying increased regulation of your hormones, as well as improved ability to handle stress and negative emotions.
Maitake
Another medicinal mushroom that has long been considered to be able to support fertility health is Maitake.
If you aren’t familiar with this type of mushroom, Maitake is a mushroom that is typically found growing in the wild exclusively at the base of dead or decaying hardwood trees. This includes oak, elm, honey locust, beech trees, and more.
Otherwise known as “Hen Of The Woods” due to its unique appearance that looks similar to the fluffy feathers of a hen, Maitake is a medicinal mushroom that can be enjoyed in a variety of different dishes.
Plus, besides being a delicious and nutritious food, Maitake has also been demonstrated to contain antitumor properties, which can have the ability to help increase overall fertility health.
Plus, along with having antitumor properties, Maitake is also known to be very high in vitamin D.
Along with other types of vitamins, vitamin D is essential for the healthy regulation of ovulation in women, so incorporating Maitake into your diet can help to support your monthly ovulation and boost your fertility health(see also: 9 Drinks That Will Boost Your Heart Health).
In addition to this, Maitake might also be beneficial in supporting those who might struggle with immune-related fertility issues.
For example, due to the antitumor properties of Maitake, it has been suggested that incorporating this medicinal mushroom into a diet can help to support healthy fertility by reducing uterine fibroids, as well as helping to naturally balance menstrual cycle fluctuations.
The Bottom Line
There we have it, you’ve made it to the end of our post on medicinal mushrooms and fertility health.
Now that you have taken the time to read through this guide, I hope that you have discovered all of the main mushrooms that you can take to support your fertility journey.
Remember to speak with your doctor prior to beginning your holistic health journey for guidance on treatment, and thank you for reading.
I'm Clare, the owner and operator of Off The Couch, where I serve as a qualified Nutrition & Health Coach.
Based in Dublin, Ireland, I offer coaching services both locally and globally, providing personalized strategies in nutrition, stress management, sleep quality, and fitness.
My journey into this field began as I navigated my own chronic illnesses, including early menopause, Interstitial Cystitis, Lyme Disease, and hydrocephalus.
