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Some mushrooms may support COVID-19 recovery by boosting immunity, easing inflammation, improving fatigue, and aiding emotional healing. Functional and psychedelic varieties each offer unique benefits when used safely and intentionally.
At a Glance: How Mushrooms May Support COVID Recovery
Functional mushrooms support immune balance: Reishi, Turkey Tail, and Shiitake contain compounds that activate immune cells and may strengthen the body’s defense during recovery.
Certain mushrooms may ease long COVID symptoms: Cordyceps may support lung function, Lion’s Mane helps with brain fog, and Reishi promotes rest and resilience.
Psilocybin may aid emotional healing: Guided journeys have helped people process pandemic-related grief, fear, and trauma, improving energy and clarity.
Mushrooms do not cure COVID or replace vaccines: They may assist with recovery but should never be used as a substitute for medical care.
Timing and quality are critical: Full-spectrum or fruiting body extracts are ideal. Avoid isolated beta-glucans during active infection due to inflammation risk.
From immune support to emotional healing, here’s what the science and experience reveal.
Do Mushrooms Help Fight COVID-19 or Just Support Recovery?
Functional mushrooms are not treatments for COVID-19. They do not fight the virus directly. What they may offer is support, specifically for the immune system during recovery.
Mushrooms such as Reishi, Turkey Tail, Shiitake, and Cordyceps contain compounds that interact with the body’s immune function. Beta-glucans, one of the most studied groups of these compounds, help activate immune cells like macrophages and natural killer cells. These cells play a role in detecting and clearing infections.
However, stimulating the immune system during an active COVID-19 infection may backfire. Overactivation can contribute to cytokine storms, a state of unchecked inflammation that can worsen outcomes.
The true potential of these mushrooms lies in their ability to restore balance, not escalate immune activity. After the acute phase of illness has passed, they may gently help the body find its way back to stability.
Core mushrooms for immune support:
Reishi: Promotes calm and helps regulate immune activity through adaptogenic action
Turkey Tail: Contains immune-supportive compounds linked to improved gut and cellular function
Shiitake: Offers lentinan, which supports immune communication and defense
Cordyceps: Traditionally valued for energy, lung support, and oxygen flow
Can Mushrooms Reduce COVID-19 Inflammation or Cytokine Storms?
The conversation around mushrooms and inflammation is a complex one. Some extracts may help moderate inflammatory markers that remain elevated after illness, including IL-1B, which is linked to post-viral fatigue and lingering immune reactivity.
At the same time, experts including those at the Andrew Weil Center advise against using isolated polysaccharides from mushrooms during an active COVID-19 infection. These isolates may raise IL-1B levels further and increase the risk of inflammation when the body is already vulnerable.
Used thoughtfully, whole mushroom extracts may help regulate immune signaling in the weeks or months after recovery. This is where mushrooms can serve. Not as medicine, but as part of a broader recovery toolkit.
Which Functional Mushrooms May Support Long COVID Recovery?
While no mushroom offers a direct cure for COVID-19, certain varieties may play a role in the long road of recovery. For many, the challenge is not just surviving the virus but regaining clarity, energy, and emotional stability in its aftermath.
Functional mushrooms have been used for centuries to support resilience and balance. In post-COVID recovery, their potential lies in helping the body regulate immune function, restore calm to the nervous system, and replenish energy lost to illness.
Turkey Tail for Gut & Immune Repair
One of the most well-researched mushrooms in immune support, Turkey Tail contains two powerful compounds: PSK and PSP. These are believed to help regulate immune response and strengthen the gut lining, which plays a key role in overall immunity.
After COVID-19, many people report lingering fatigue and digestive issues. Turkey Tail has shown potential in both areas. It may support energy restoration by promoting microbial balance in the gut and calming residual immune activation.
Turkey Tail may help:
Strengthen gut function after illness
Support immune signaling and cellular repair
Ease persistent fatigue tied to digestive imbalance
Reishi for Sleep, Stress, and Resilience
Reishi is often called the mushroom of spiritual potency. It is calming, nourishing, and deeply supportive for those recovering from chronic stress.
Long COVID is not just physical. It often leaves behind waves of insomnia, anxiety, and nervous system dysregulation. Reishi’s adaptogenic properties help bring the body into parasympathetic mode. That means better sleep, more rest, and a softer landing for the nervous system.
Used consistently, Reishi may help regulate cortisol patterns and promote emotional steadiness. This is especially helpful for those whose symptoms are triggered by stress.
Cordyceps for Lung Function and Fatigue
Cordyceps has a long history of use in traditional medicine for stamina and respiratory strength. For those navigating post-viral fatigue, it may offer a gentle lift.
There are mixed views on how it interacts with the lungs. Some traditional Chinese medicine practitioners recommend caution for those with heat or dryness symptoms. Others have observed improved oxygen uptake and blood flow, especially in cases of depleted energy.
What is consistent across reports is that Cordyceps appears to support cellular energy and may help rebuild vitality slowly over time.
Lion’s Mane for Brain Fog and Cognition
While not widely mentioned in COVID-19 studies, Lion’s Mane has earned attention for its effects on cognitive clarity. It stimulates NGF (nerve growth factor) supporting regeneration in the brain and nervous system.
Brain fog is one of the most frustrating symptoms reported after COVID-19. For some, it feels like mental static. For others, a lack of focus or memory slips. Lion’s Mane may help clear the mental clutter and promote neuroplasticity.
Can Psilocybin Help with Long COVID Symptoms?
Long COVID is more than a physical condition. It often brings a lingering emotional heaviness that is harder to describe and even harder to move through. At our retreats, we’ve witnessed psilocybin open the door to profound emotional release for those carrying the weight of this experience.
Grief, fear of mortality, medical trauma, and isolation have left deep imprints in the body. Psilocybin helps surface these patterns in a way that allows them to be seen, felt, and finally softened. For some, the experience brings a physical unburdening. A release of tightness, breathlessness, or fatigue that didn’t seem to move through any other practice.
What we see emerge most often:
Release of pandemic-related grief and loss
Processing of trauma linked to hospitalization or illness
Emotional reset from prolonged stress and fear
When given time and structure for integration, these journeys often become turning points in how people feel in their own bodies again.
Psilocybin’s Impact on Brain Fog and Fatigue
The cognitive fog that trails COVID-19 is one of the most discouraging symptoms we hear about. The sense of not being fully awake in your own mind can be disorienting and isolating.
In guided psilocybin journeys, many people report an unexpected return of clarity. Focus sharpens. Energy returns. Even heart rate stabilizes. It is not about the substance itself creating these shifts. It is about the body and mind reconnecting in ways that spark renewal.
Microdosing can help people re-engage gently with their cognitive function. It offers subtle support in day-to-day focus and emotional balance. Macrodosing tends to bring larger shifts and often more dramatic breakthroughs when guided properly.
Does Psilocybin Affect Inflammation or Immune Function?
Yes. Research has shown psilocybin promotes neuroplasticity and may reduce inflammation in the brain and body. These effects are part of why it holds so much promise for depression and trauma recovery, and may be just as relevant in long COVID.
That said, there are no clinical trials linking psilocybin directly to COVID-19 outcomes. What we see, however, is real-world change. People feeling more awake, more present, and more capable of moving forward in their healing.
Navigating Safety, Timing, and Expectations with Mushrooms in COVID-19 Recovery
There is growing interest in how mushrooms might help with the lingering effects of COVID-19. But interest alone is not enough. The timing, type, and preparation of these mushrooms matter, especially when the immune system is still recalibrating after illness.
Mushrooms can offer powerful support, but only when used with care. Some are better suited for active recovery. Others should be avoided until the body has cleared the virus. Knowing the difference is what allows us to use these tools wisely.
The Fascination with Smell, Taste, and Sensory Restoration
One of the most persistent symptoms after COVID-19 has been the loss of smell and taste. While science has yet to offer a proven solution, some are turning to Lion’s Mane for support.
This mushroom is known to promote nerve regeneration and brain plasticity. In theory, that could extend to olfactory recovery. While formal studies have not confirmed this, we have seen anecdotal cases where people experienced partial or full return of sensory function after incorporating Lion’s Mane.
It is too early to make claims, but not too early to be curious.
When Is It Safe to Reintroduce Mushrooms After Illness?
This is one of the most important questions we get. Functional mushrooms are best used after the acute phase of COVID-19 has passed. Using immune-modulating compounds too early may lead to unwanted inflammation or disruption.
Wait until symptoms have resolved. Then start slowly with trusted sources. Mushrooms are not meant to rush healing but to support it once the body is stable.
Immune Boosting vs. Antiviral Effects—Clarifying the Confusion
Let’s be clear: mushrooms do not kill viruses. They are not antiviral medications. What they do well is help the immune system modulate itself. This means bringing balance where there has been overreaction or depletion.
Mushrooms like Reishi and Turkey Tail are often mischaracterized as immune boosters. In reality, they help restore rhythm to immune signaling. That makes them supportive, not curative.
Understanding this distinction prevents misuse and encourages thoughtful integration.
How to Use Mushrooms Safely in Your Recovery
Mushrooms can support the recovery process after COVID-19, but only when used with care and clarity. The goal is not to stimulate the immune system aggressively but to nourish and regulate it. That means choosing the right mushrooms, at the right time, and in the right form.
Start with whole mushroom extracts, not isolated compounds. Avoid products that push intensity over balance. And always give your body the time it needs to recover before introducing these powerful tools.
Best mushrooms to include in post-COVID recovery:
Reishi: Calms the nervous system and helps the body move out of stress response. Supports immune regulation and deeper rest.
Turkey Tail: Contains PSK and PSP compounds that promote gut integrity and immune communication. Gentle enough for sensitive systems.
Cordyceps: May assist with energy and oxygen use. Often used after respiratory illness to rebuild stamina. Start slow and monitor response.
Lion’s Mane: Supports neuroplasticity and cognitive clarity. May ease brain fog and help restore sensory function over time.
Shiitake: Offers immune support through lentinan but should be used later in recovery, not during early or inflammatory stages.
What to avoid:
Isolated polysaccharides: These concentrated extracts may increase IL-1B and trigger inflammation if the body is still in recovery mode.
Chaga: High in antioxidants but potentially overstimulating. Not ideal for post-viral recovery unless supervised by a practitioner.
Key principles:
Choose fruiting body extracts: These often contain higher levels of beneficial compounds than mycelium-based products.
Look for beta-glucan transparency: Know what your product contains and avoid those without clear labeling.
Go for balance, not strength: Higher doses are not always better. Dose-response varies with each individual.
If you’re exploring functional mushrooms as part of your COVID-19 recovery, quality matters. One option we trust is Four Sigmatic. Their mushroom coffees and elixirs are an easy, consistent way to bring immune-supportive ingredients into daily life. Their blends focus on well-sourced, fruiting body-based extracts that align with what we recommend.
You can receive 20% off your first order here. It’s a simple step toward building your own healing ritual,
Considering a Psilocybin Retreat for Post-COVID Healing
The effects of COVID-19 don’t end when the virus clears. For many, what remains is a deep sense of depletion, grief, or even disconnection from the body. This is where psilocybin therapy may offer something different. Something that moves beyond symptom relief into the realm of personal repair.
At The Buena Vida, we’ve guided hundreds of guests through journeys that help restore what the pandemic disrupted. Whether it’s emotional release, renewed clarity, or reconnection to purpose, psilocybin gives space for transformation that standard approaches often miss.
Mushrooms Aren’t a Cure—But They May Be a Catalyst
Mushrooms cannot prevent or treat COVID-19. That much we know. But they can support the body’s return to balance. They can restore what’s been drained. They can bring clarity to what has been foggy and reconnect us to what matters.
What they offer:
Functional mushrooms: Gentle support for immune health, stress reduction, and rebuilding after illness
Psilocybin: A path to emotional healing, renewed energy, and spiritual reconnection
Healing from COVID-19 is not linear. It asks us to be present, patient, and open to new tools.
Ready to explore a healing path beyond the conventional? Learn more about how The Buena Vida uses psilocybin therapy to support transformation and post-traumatic growth.
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