Mushrooms for Skin Health & Beauty

Most people have pretty strong feeling about edible fungi…either you like mushrooms, or you don’t. And unless you’re a mycologist (a biologist who specializes in fungi), you probably don’t equate a brown fungus as being synonymous with beauty. However, in recent years, mushrooms and mushroom supplements, specifically, have gained in popularity as nutritional powerhouses offering immune support, cognitive support, sleep support, and benefits for fitness and recovery, weight management, stress reduction, and of course, beauty. 

The primary active ingredients in “medicinal mushrooms” are antioxidants and beta glucans, a type of soluble fiber. Antioxidants include glutathione, ergothioneine (the most active and effective), polyphenols, flavonoids, and super oxidase dismutase (SOD). Beta glucans support gut health and skin health in multiple ways, with one very important function—serving as a prebiotic for the gut microbiome. So, even if you don’t love mushrooms, the beneficial microbes in your gut do. 

Benefits of Mushrooms on Skin Health

·      Improves digestion and protects the G.I. tract

·      Modulate inflammation

·      Neutralize free radicals

·      Neutralize the damaging effects of stress 

·      Increase blood flow to the skin

·      Down regulate histamine-mediated allergic responses

Different mushroom species have different functions. Of the 3,283 edible species, we’ve really only begun to scratch the surface in terms of their applications outside of mere food. Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) and Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) are known for soothing the G.I. tract, improving digestion, and increasing the good gut bacteria.[1],[2] Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) has been shown to scavenge free radicals, thereby preventing UV-damaged skin cells from dying prematurely.[3] Increasingly, formulators are combining blends of mushrooms with botanicals to gain synergistic benefits. An example is Immunitone Plus (Designsforhealth.com) which is a blend of cordyceps, shitake, maitake, and reishi mushrooms, along with botanicals echinacea, astragalus, elderberry, and green tea.

If you don’t eat fresh mushrooms or those that have been dried, ground up, and put into capsules, mushroom-based cosmeceuticals (lotions, creams, and ointments) are an option. These products contain extracts from various mushroom species and have the additional benefits of antibacterial activity and limiting melanin production when applied topically. Because the mushroom extracts impact the skin in multiple ways, such products—depending on which extracts they contain—may have use for multiple skin concerns, including hyperpigmentation, inflammatory skin conditions, and general anti-aging.[4]

A specific type of beta glucan—topical β-1,3-D-glucan—has shown promise for accelerated wound healing (i.e., burns, sunburns) in addition to anti-aging benefits.[5] This makes it ideal as a pre-treatment before a chemical peel or laser resurfacing procedure. Not only do patients heal more quickly, but they’re less likely to get a skin infection.

Mark J. Tager, MD

Dr. Tager is known for the synergistic and entertaining approach he takes to educating and training his colleagues and consumers. He has trained hundreds of healthcare practitioners to improve their in-person and on camera skills. Clinically, he is most passionate about complementary treatment for chronic conditions, with personalized nutrition as one of the foundations for integrative care.  He has served as the founding Vice President of Marketing for Reliant Technologies, where he launched the Fraxel® laser and has also served as Chief Marketing Officer for Syneron. Along with Dr. Peter Staats, he co-founded The Vagus Nerve Society. Most recently, Dr. Tager created the 40-hour CME course on Personalized Nutrition for Practitioners on behalf of The American Nutrition Association. He is on the faculty of Duke Integrative Medicine. His most recent book is Feed Your Skin Right: Your Personalized Nutrition Plan for Radiant Beauty. The book serves as the basic content for a 10-hr online professional training program called Inside Skin Beauty. He did his medical training at Duke Medical School and Family Practice at the University of Oregon. He lives outside San Diego where he grows impressive tomatoes.

[1] Hetland, Geir et al. “Antitumor, Anti-Inflammatory and Antiallergic Effects of Agaricus blazei Mushroom Extract and the Related Medicinal Basidiomycetes Mushrooms, Hericium erinaceus and Grifolafrondosa: A Review of Preclinical and Clinical Studies.” Nutrients vol. 12,5 1339. 8 May. 2020.

[2] Xu, Xiaofei et al. “Lentinula edodes-derived polysaccharide rejuvenates mice in terms of immune responses and gut microbiota.” Food & function vol. 6,8 (2015): 2653-63.

[3] Yun, Jong Seok et al. “Inonotus obliquus protects against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis and premature senescence.” Molecules and cells vol. 31,5 (2011): 423-9. 

[4] Taofiq, Oludemi et al. “Development of Mushroom-Based Cosmeceutical Formulations with Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Tyrosinase, Antioxidant, and Antibacterial Properties.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 21,10 1372. 14 Oct. 2016.

[5] Keller, T. “Compounding with Beta-1,3-d-glucan.” International journal of pharmaceutical compounding vol. 4,5 (2000): 342-5.