As summer fades and the crisp air of autumn settles in, we find ourselves adjusting to new rhythms of a new season—school is back in session, the days are growing shorter, the shadows grow longer, and soon, the colder months of winter will be upon us. With this shift comes the familiar hum of cold and flu season, a reminder that it’s time to slow down, nurture our bodies, and strengthen our defenses.

September is the perfect time to re-prioritize self-care, nourish ourselves with wholesome meals, and embrace the slower pace of autumn. Preparing our immune systems for the winter ahead is essential, and alongside rest and healthy living, medicinal mushrooms can offer a powerful, natural boost. Incorporating these fungi into your routine is an effective way to enhance your body’s natural resilience, helping you to stay strong and well through the colder months.

While all mushrooms have compounds that help support our health and immune system, five fascinating fungi are recognized specifically for their immune support qualities. Reishi, Turkey Tail, Shiitake, Chaga and Maitake are known to support the immune system through modulation. To modulate the immune system, mushrooms can support the body’s natural ability to stimulate or suppress the immune system depending on the body's needs. Here’s a look at the top five fungi for the immune system:

1. Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)

Vitality & Immune Health

Promotes and Supports:

• Ability to cope with stress
• Innate immune system
• A healthy histamine response
• Ability to cope with oxidative stress
• Liver function
• Cardiovascular system
• Healthy, normal cell growth
• Healthy inflammation response
• Radiance and physical/energetic warmth

How to Use: 

• Tinctures
• Powders
• Teas

A traditional mushroom that has been used for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese Medicine, reishi is known as the “mushroom of immortality.” While it likely won’t give you superpowers, this shiney-skinned mushroom is known to support healthy immune function, aid in healthy cell growth, and benefit the heart, lungs, and respiratory tract. With significant amounts of beta-glucans and triterpenes, reishi aids the immune system to support it’s innate defense mechanisms. Bonus features of this mushroom include: supporting g energy and cognitive function and adaptation to stress. This bitter-tasting mushroom is great taken as a concentrated tincture, powder, or tea. 

2. Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor)

Immune & Reproductive Health

Promotes and supports:

• Natural healing after injury
• Healthy Blood pressure
• The body’s ability to detoxify and protect itself from harmful chemicals
• Female and male reproductive systems
• Healthy and normal cell growth
• Kidney and urinary health
• Inflammatory response

How to Use: 

• Tincture
• Powder
• Tea

Renowned for their powerful immune-supportive properties and the most studied medicinal mushroom, turkey tail mushrooms are an excellent choice to support the whole-body during fall and winter. Turkey tail mushrooms are traditionally recognized to be rich in polysaccharides like PSK and PS. Protein bound polysaccharides found in Turkey Tail have been shown to support the immune system by supporting the body’s innate ability to activate immune cells such as macrophages and natural killer cells, which are essential in defending against viruses and harmful pathogens. To boost your immune system for the colder months, turkey tail can be consumed as a tea or tincture, offering a convenient and potent way to fortify your defenses against seasonal illnesses. 

3. Shiitake (Lentinula edodes)

Metabolic & Immune Health

Promotes and Supports:

• Digestive function
• Blood pressure balance
• Liver health
• Healthy, normal cell growth
• Healthy inflammatory response

How to Use: 

• Fresh or dried in meals
• Supplements
• Tincture
• Tea

Shiitake mushrooms are a delicious addition to your fall and winter meals and a powerful medicinal mushroom for supporting the immune system. Rich in compounds like lentinan, shiitake helps support the body’s innate immune response. n. With a savory, earthy, and umami flavor, this versatile mushroom can easily be incorporated into soups, stir-fries, and broths, making it both a tasty and health-boosting ingredient for the colder months. Need a bigger boost? Try it as a tincture or tea broth.

4. Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)

Cellular & Immune Health

Promotes and Supports:

• Combating oxidative stress
• Blood pressure balance
• Antioxidant properties
• Reducing microbial exposure
• Innate immune system function
• Healthy normal cell growth
• Healthy inflammatory response

How to Use:

• Tincture
• Mushroom-infused coffee
• Tea

Prized for its antioxidant potential  along with its ability to  support the body in protecting itself against foreign pathogens, chaga is not a fruiting body but rather a fungal sclerotia that grow on birch, beech, and oak trees in the forests of the northern hemisphere. Chaga supports a healthy inflammation response and helps to defend the body from free-radicals. Chaga is a dense, woody mushroom that is best prepared by grinding into a powder or more easily taken in tincture form. Chaga also makes a rich tea and can be a great addition to a morning coffee routine.

5. Maitake (Grifola frondosa)

Metabolic & Immune Health

Promotes and Supports:

• Healthy sugar metabolism
• Blood pressure balance
• Female reproductive system
• Innate immune system function
• Promote healthy, normal cell growth
• Healthy inflammation response

How to Use:

• Fresh, cooked
• Tincture
• Tea

Maitake—also known as hen of the woods—is a delicious edible but  supportive medicinal fungi abundant east of the Rocky Mountains in the fall. It can grow up to 50 pounds per individual specimen but is widely commercially cultivated. It has been shown to contain a unique beta-glucan called grifolan that is thought to be responsible for its immune support and cellular integrity. The whole mushroom also contains vitamin D and high amounts of B vitamins. Research studies support maitake’s ability to  promote healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels along with its immuno-supportive effects. s. Its superb texture and flavor make it easy to incorporate into your fall meals. Try it sautéed, in a stir fry, seasoned and dehydrated into jerky, or as tempura. Maitake also works great as a tincture, powder, or tea when larger quantities are desired.