Ergothioneine

A small 2018 trial in Cortex found that older adults at risk for memory decline who took a spermidine-rich supplement showed modestly better memory performance than those on placebo.

Ergothionine is another, an antioxidant found in its highest concentration in mushrooms.

A 2021 analysis in Nutrition Journal pooling several cohorts found that higher mushroom consumption, the richest dietary source of ergothionine, was associated with the lower risk of dying from any cause.

Others like fisetin and terostilbene are genuinely promising, but still in the earlier research process, with most of the compelling data coming from animal and lab studies rather than larger human trials.

There's spermidine, and there's decent data on glycine that's available as a supplement.

Ergothionine is something that's studied at NUS.

So there's a number of ones that I think there's good data on.

And then vitamins...

And then translating that science into, you know, how do we support them with these new inventions? So, you know, dogs didn't eat mushrooms in the wild, I don't think, but dogs have got a need for some of the nutrients in mushrooms.

Ergothionine is my kind of favorite thing at the moment.

I'm writing a book on that topic.

And pretty much all mammals that have been studied, all animals that have been studied have got the transporter mechanisms to bring that particular molecule into their body.

... um, you can't compare those two things.

Ergothioneine is not as high in the mycelium because ergothioneine's a significant antioxidant, and it protects the, the fruiting bodies, um, you know, from all of the oxidative stress that they experience 'cause they're much more exposed to the atmosphere and sunlight and stuff like that.

So, um, innovators come along, people, you know, with a scientific bent or with a commercial bent, and they're like, "Okay, let's, let's-- how, how can we extend this? So, um, reishi makes spores, you know? So maybe those spores have got k- kind of some sort of scientific value.

We should investigate that." And then scientists will say, "Well, this mycelium, what if we grew it in a tank? You know, like, we might find molecules in there that might be really cool." So if you look at the mycelium, there's, there's about 35 drugs that have been developed along the beta-glucan, you know, kind of pathway that are patented and used, um, in countries like China and Japan, for example.