Medicinal or functional mushrooms not only boost your immune system and balance your body's energy and resilience against stress, they can help your skin look younger too.

(NOTE: I'm not talking about "magic" mushrooms that contain the psychedelic psilocybin.)

Mushrooms are the visible portion of fungi that grow all over the planet. Some of them contain intense amounts of antioxidants.

Antioxidants protect your cells from the deadly stress of free radical damage.

Your skin cells suffer more from environmental damage than any other organ because they're exposed to the outside world, including: the UV radiation in sunlight, many kinds of smoke, air pollutants, dry air and cold air. All of these can damage your skin cells, over time leading to wrinkles, sagging, red irritated skin, dry skin, and other signs associated with old age.

The antioxidants in mushrooms protect your skin from all these threats.

Balancing Stress Also Relieves Your Skin

Skin is not just the organ that protects us against the harsh world, however. It's also one of our primary organs of waste elimination and removal of toxins.

When toxins accumulate in your body more quickly than you can excrete them, this is reflected in various skin conditions. Overwhelmed skin is like a backed-up drain.

Many of the mushrooms traditionally used by Asian medicinal systems are proven adaptogens. That means they help your body adapt to stress, so it's more balanced and resilient.

When you're chronically stressed, you have more of the hormone cortisol, which breaks down collagen, the "stuffing" that makes your skin firm and unlined.

Adapting to stress means less cortisol, which protects your skin's collagen.

Natural Hydration

Mushrooms contain polysaccharides that are just as hydrating for your skin as the more famous hyaluronic acid. 

The polysaccharides in mushrooms also naturally help your skin retain water, so the cells are healthy, firm and "plump." 

Many skincare products contain hyaluronic acid for that reason, and giving your skin cells polysaccharides increases the hydrating benefit to your skin.

When your skin loses moisture, it's obviously dry - wrinkled - and, over time, appears "old."

Two Skin-Protective Mushrooms:

1. Chaga

The powerful antioxidants in chaga mushrooms help protect your skin from all damage by free radicals.

Chaga mushrooms hold more antioxidant power - as measured by ORAC - than all other natural foods, including wild blueberries.

Chaga mushrooms protect skin from many different conditions, including insect bites, acne, rashes, dermatitis, dryness, inflammation, rosacea, itching, eczema and psoriasis.

These mushrooms also include melanin, the pigment that gives color to our eyes, hair and skin. 

They also contain the compound betulonic acid. Betulonic acid supports the production of collagen - and repairs and regenerates damaged skin cells. 

As mainstream skin care professionals remind us, sunlight contains direct ultraviolet radiation which damages skin. 

Well, the pigment melanin protects your skin from the sun. 

Chaga also reduces dark spots on your skin that were caused by UV light.

2. Lion's Mane Mushrooms

These look quite different from other mushrooms, with flowing white waves of what does appear like a lion's mane.

But they too contain powerful antioxidants that reduce inflammation, which shows up on your skin as redness, rashes, irritability and blisters.

In a 2011 study of rats, applying a topical ointment of lion's mane helped wounds heal faster.

How to Benefit from Mushrooms:

A.  You can add the common white button mushrooms in your supermarket to your diet. They're healthy, though there's no research (yet) connecting them directly to skin health. And they should be cooked, so it's simplest just to use canned mushrooms instead of buying them raw.

B. Various companies sell various teas, powders and extracts made from mushrooms. Do your research first, however.

C. You can buy packages of some of the medicinal mushrooms. Always do your research. Again - don't eat them raw. Make sure they're cooked before packaging.

D. Of course, there're companies that put ground mushrooms into tablets. 

E. Some skin creams contain mushroom extracts. This is no doubt the best way to use mushrooms to directly clear up any skin problems you have - and to protect the rest of your skin. 

For maximum benefit, I suggest both consuming some powerful mushrooms for internal health and applying them to your skin via a cream or lotion.

Don't go hogwild though, and do your research on the brands you buy. Some of the more exotic species of mushrooms may be overharvested. The industry needs to convert to a business model of ethical harvesting and sustainability - rather than relying on hit-or-miss "wildcrafting." Uncontrolled, that could lead to endangering these incredible organisms. 

Because of this, some herbalists recommend we use mushrooms only on an "as needed" basis, not as a constant daily drink or supplement.

This should go without saying, but I better say it anyway: Don't eat mushrooms you picked by yourself unless you really know what you're doing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QGwNg_zQCE 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfqI0hchOZg

https://www.chagahealth.com.au/blogs/blog/chaga-mushroom-benefits-for-the-skin

https://coveteur.com/2020/08/03/mushrooms-skincare-benefits/

https://teelixir.com/blogs/news/mushroom-skin-benefits