My guest in this episode is Danielle Ryan-Broida, a registered Herbalist from the US, a mushroom expert, and a key player in the worldwide mushroom movement.
I had sooooo much fun chatting to Danielle, it was like I had known her for years, and I was in awe of her knowledge, training and experience, and the sheer power of mushrooms. I came away literally buzzing! I was a bit sad that it was a while between recording and releasing this episode, as I wanted to share with you on how mushrooms can help your fertility, vitality and Endometriosis.
Danielle Ryan-Broida
Danielle a Registered Herbalist is also a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, Instructor of Mycology, and National Educator at Four Sigmatic, where Danielle is teaching the world about the importance of a life on functional mushrooms. Prior to joining forces with Four Sigmatic, she received her BA in Environmental Studies and Philosophy from Whitman College. She went on to study Ayurveda in India and became a Certified Yoga Instructor on the banks of the Ganges River. She then worked with a Naturopathic Doctor in Indonesia where she became a Certified Raw Chef and Detox Coach. But it was leading trekking adventures into the backcountry of Thailand where she became particularly fascinated by herbal medicine (while also becoming fluent in Thai).
Upon completing her graduate studies at the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism (CSCH), she opened her private practice where she worked with hundreds of clients specializing in functional mushroom based treatment for individuals with autoimmune conditions and chronic illness. She was invited to become the Instructor of Mycology at CSCH, where she still teaches. Danielle brings her passion and expertise in herbal medicine, clinical practice, teaching, formulation, and her deep love for fungi to everything she does.
In this episode we talked about:
- Danielle’s inspiring story behind how and why she became to become a herbalist and mushroom guru!
- What a functional mushroom is and
- Difference to everyday edible and poisonous mushrooms
- The ancient tradition of using mushrooms medicinally
- Sustainable collection of mushrooms
- The research into the benefits of functional mushrooms
- The adaptogenic properties of functional mushrooms
- The key mushrooms you can use to help you adapt to chronic stress, support your immune system and increase your energy.
- What mushrooms to take throughout the day
- How mushrooms increase your vitality and essentially your fertility
- How to take key mushrooms throughout the day
- What to look for when you are buying mushrooms
- We touched on how mushrooms could help fix our planet!
- Four Sigmatic products and how they use ancient traditional harvesting techniques working with local farmers
Know your 'shrooms!
There are 5 key functional mushrooms as Danielle spoke about in this interview. These are just some elements, I could write a blog or podcast on each individual mushroom! This information is taken from Healing Mushrooms: A practical and Culinary Guide to Using Mushrooms for Whole Body Health (Tero Isokauppila, founder of Four Sigmatic).
- Chaga – its strengths include warding off common cold, lower inflammation (great for Endometriosis), and the highest sources of antioxidants in the world (great for fertility).
- Cordyceps – strengths are increasing energy and reducing fatigue, performing better (athletically and in bed!!).
- Lion’s Mane – it has been found its adaptogenic strengths are in improving memory, boosting concentration and protecting your nervous system.
- Reishi – the queen of mushrooms (ranked highest among 365 healing plants and fungi (Tero, 2017), the most researched. It strengths include revitalise the body, helps with sleeping better, stress less, and cure seasonal allergies.
- Turkey Tail – less common, but so important for Endometriosis. It has been found to help improve the overall immune system, helps to regenerate white blood cells, stimulate T-cells, natural killer cells, helping to kill off pathogens and infections. It has even been found to have anti-cancer properties. It also aids digestion!
Ways to use functional mushrooms
There are lots of ways you can use mushroom powder, including in the following recipes:
- Super healthy protein pancakes – I always add in 1 tbsp of mushroom powder of my choice to give it an even great boost.
- Homemade chocolate – another great way to sneak in some goodness as mushrooms and chocolate go very well together
- Smoothies – another great way is to add to your smoothie – take a look at this Green Smoothie and also watch this demonstration video and you could add it to the “chocolate” one!!
- Amazing recipes in Tero’s Healing Mushroom book such as Chaga Chai, Reishi lemonade Cordyceps cubes with coconut water, Reishi chocolate almonds, mushroom sauerkraut!
So as you can see there are so many possibilities!!
Four Sigmatic products I have tried!
- Plant-Based Protein with Superfoods (Creamy Chocolate) – this is a big tub of protein powder mixed with a mix of the functional mushrooms (chaga, reishi, cordyceps, lion’s mane, turkey tale), as well as Ashwaghanda and Eleuthero I chose chocolate as I just love chocolate and use it in my smoothies, porridge, pancakes and even cakes! I bought this on Subscribe & Save, which makes it cheaper and then can easily defer, when I have not used as much!
- Mushrooms Ground Coffee with Lion’s Mane (and Chaga) – I got this as a freebie, as ordinarily I wouldn’t have ordered coffee as I no longer have any caffeine. I have loved it though, as it doesn’t give me heart palpitations, so when I do want an occasional treat for a coffee this is fantastic! Lion’s Mane is fantastic for the brain, and improving concentration – a perfect morning pick-me up if you are really tired or travelling I find.
- Mushroom Cacao Mix with Reishi – these are my ultimate favourite! They come in a box of 20 sachets and so easily portable when you go away. These are great to have in the evening as a wonderful calming drink.
- Mushroom Blend Mix – this is a small tub of concentrated blended assortment of mushrooms that is great for supporting your immune system. It is easily added to any drink and doesn’t distort the flavour, which is great! I have really noticed the difference with this one!
- Mushroom Elixir Mix with Cordyceps – finally this is my second favourite! I thought I would try this as I dont drink coffee and this is like a herbal tea but is absolutely delicious! There are a number of different elixir’s., which contain reishi, cordyceps, chaga, and lion’s mane.
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Mentioned links
Connect with Four Sigmatic
Further Endo Fertility resources:
- Join my Endo Fertility community! Find us in the Thrive and Conceive with Endometriosis Facebook Group.
- Follow me on Instagram and Facebook
- Music Credit: Intro/Outro music Optimistic Future
This episode is sponsored by the Endo Fertility Resource Library where you can get your 3 amazing freebies: E-Book:
- 5 Things I Learnt to Drop My Pain & Optimise My Fertility,
- Your Guide to Super Sperm
- 88 Ways I Dropped My Pain and Got Pregnant.
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This podcast is for educational purposes only. The host claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the information presented herein.
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