Reishi Mushrooms for Hair Loss: Truth or Myth

File this one under “Truth”! Like all other mushrooms, the reishi mushroom is a fungus. It’s been used as a medicinal treatment for over 2,000 years. It’s vibrant red in color and shaped like a kidney. But its hard and bitter taste makes it a medicinal mushroom, not a culinary one.

Reishi mushrooms were regarded as the “herb of spiritual potency” in ancient China, and the earliest mentions of them can be found around 207 B.C. They were initially used by royalty to extend life and boost health.

But Do They Work for Hair Loss?

Reishi mushrooms have been proven to have many benefits for all types of health conditions, including:

• Fights asthma and allergies
• Lowers cholesterol
• Balanced hormones
• Boosts the immune system
• Fights diabetes
• Cancer treatment and prevention
• Helps high blood pressure
• Treats insomnia
• Cold sore treatment
• Combats depression
• Eases skin conditions
• Slows premature hair loss/balding
• Promotes hair growth

Whew! With all those health benefits, is there anything this fungus can’t do? While the other benefits are great, we’ll focus on the last two: slowing premature hair loss and promoting new healthy hair growth.

Slows Premature Hair Loss and Balding

As an inhibitor of DHT (dihydrotestosterone), reishi mushrooms help reverse the main cause of hair loss in men and women throughout the world. DHT is converted from testosterone by 5a-reductase, an enzyme. In a study conducted in 2005, there were 19 species of mushrooms tested to see if they were able to decrease the effects of 5a-reductase. Reishi mushrooms proved the most successful-with an effective rate of 70-80%.

The main takeaway? Because the reishi mushroom was shown to be an effective inhibitor of 5a-reductase, utilizing it can reduce the amount of DHT in your body, which will help prevent hair loss and balding, and promote hair regrowth.

Promotes Hair Growth

There is research that has proven that the reishi mushroom hair loss treatment, like another hair growth product, pumpkin seed oil, can improve scalp health. When you have a healthy scalp, you can increase hair growth. The reishi mushroom is shown to have antimicrobial, antibacterial, and other properties that can help improve the condition of your scalp to promote healthy hair regrowth.

How to Utilize the Reishi Mushroom

There are a few ways that you can begin to add reishi mushrooms into your hair care routine. The first is a great option if you don’t mind the bitter taste. You can purchase the dried, ground-up mushrooms and make a tea from them.

Otherwise, your best bet is to buy the capsules available at health stores or online like a standard dietary supplement. Be sure to follow the recommended dosage. After taking the supplement for a few months, you should begin to notice an improvement in your hair loss.

If you’re looking for even more benefits from the reishi mushroom extract, you can create your own hair mask for a little extra boost. First, gather the following items:

• Half an avocado
• Vanilla Essential Oil
• Six cherries (peeled and pitted)
• Half a cup of water
• Tablespoon of Reishi Mushrooms
• Tablespoon of Chamomile

Bring the water to a boil on the stovetop and remove from the heat. Add in the chamomile and reishi mushrooms and allow the water to steep. Once the water reaches room temperature, remove the herbs. Combine this herb/mushroom tea with the avocado, cherries, and vanilla essential oil in a blender. Mix until smooth.

You now have a natural hair mask! Massage the mixture into your wet scalp for three minutes, then allow it to sit for 20 minutes before rinsing with lukewarm water.

Important Medical Information

While the reishi mushroom is a wonderful treatment for hair loss (as well as many other medical conditions), you should consult with your doctor before you begin taking it as a hair growth supplement.

Most people won’t see side effects when adding this into their daily routines. However, it can cause:

• Low blood pressure
• Bleeding disorders
• Clotting disorders
• Nosebleeds

It can also make certain chemotherapy drugs less effective and can cause your blood sugar to dip too low when combined with diabetes medications.

So even though this is a relatively safe, natural treatment to help combat hair loss, we suggest working with a doctor to monitor your health while on the mushroom hair supplement. Read real reviews and see what people are saying about Reishi Mushrooms for Hair Loss.

Tired of chasing down hair growth treatment solutions without the results you’re after? Fed up of thinning hair, or is male pattern baldness getting you down and you long for thicker hair and better hair health? Make sure you’re using the 3 hair loss products known to work before experimenting with alternative solutions. You may be surprised with how effective these 3 alone can be.