Functional Mushrooms Provide Pets With Research-Backed Benefits

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Medicinal mushrooms are a growing category in natural health and provide unique and innumerable health modulating benefits. By including medicinal (functional) mushrooms as a part of your pet’s healthy lifestyle, you are providing a natural and healthy way to support them with essential nutrients and antioxidants. Research continues to uncover the full scope of benefits mushrooms play in our ecosystem, health and well-being. Fungi belong entirely to their own kingdom and function to create rebirth from death and decay.  

To fully understand the depth of their impact on all living earth is well beyond the scope of this article, however, current research has presented data in strong support of their use as a part of your pet’s wellness plan. 

Mushrooms are a powerful source of naturally occurring beta-glucans (polysaccharides), which activate a cellular response stimulating the immune system’s production of macrophages and killer cells. Macrophages and killer cells are among several types of immune cells responsible for targeting diseased cells throughout the body, such as cancer and tumor cells. This beta-glucan activity in mushrooms has tremendous benefits as anticarcinogenic and antineoplastic agents. Mushrooms are also adept in reducing inflammation, at both the cellular and system level. These anti-inflammatory properties benefit pets suffering from joint disease, GI and digestive disorders and allergies. Many varieties work to speed healing, balance blood glucose levels, lower cholesterol, support heart and cardiovascular health, fight viruses and support cognition. Furthermore, mushrooms provide naturally occurring vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to help maintain optimal health. As a complex source of soluble and insoluble fiber, mushrooms increase natural waste elimination and detox, and balance the gut microbiome. 

These remarkable foods are easy to include and can be found in single varieties or in combination. Each mushroom has its own unique properties and attributes to help support your pet’s health, and several are commonly used in combination for their potent health benefits. Turkey Tail is perhaps the most widely recognized for its ability to slow the growth of cancer and tumor cells and fight infection. Chaga is most widely applied to reduce GI distress, gastritis, ulcers and inflammatory bowel disease. Both Reishi and Maitake have strong immune boosting properties in the production of T-cells and anti-inflammatory agents. Shitake contribute unique factors in supporting heart and liver health, and as a natural anti-viral.  

To fully harness the power of mushrooms, it is important to understand how they are grown, what parts are used and how they are processed. Mushrooms and fungi grow and thrive on the by-products and debris of life and it would be fair to say that they are nature’s recycling centers. Because of this, cultivated mushrooms should be organically grown. The whole fruiting body is preferred to provide the greatest concentration of beta-glucans, antioxidants, vitamins and fiber over the mycelium (the root system and the integrated growing medium). Lastly, cooking mushrooms is necessary to release the full medicinal benefits 

When offering your pet a nutritional supplement, best practices are to look to whole foods that offer innate nutrients and have limited processing. Healthy Hemp Pet Company has been leading the pet industry’s health and wellness category in USDA certified organic, full-spectrum hemp products since 2014. These products are organically sourced, veterinarian formulated and university tested to help support the health and wellness in companion animals. These same standards are applied to the medicinal mushrooms in both CannaNatural Crush Immune and CannaDrops Immune 5 Blend. Healthy Hemp Pet Company sources only organically grown, whole fruiting body mushrooms –– with no fillers or additives –– to offer the greatest nutrient benefit to your beloved pets. Immune 5 Blend contains the superpower combinations of Turkey Tail, Chaga, Reishi, Maitake and Shitake to provide the most comprehensive immune and wellness support to your best pet. In every effort to offer the highest quality products, these mushrooms have been processed using a hot water extraction method to maximize the highest concentration of beta-glucans. This process helps to yield a product with greater nutrient availability and absorbency.   

Dave Merrell is founder of Healthy Hemp Pet, established in 2014. As one of the pioneers in the hemp for pets market, we strive to produce the cleanest hemp products using a vapor distilled extraction process.