Good source of antioxidants

Antioxidants are molecules that lessen cellular damage in your body, and oyster mushrooms are a good source of them. Seven phenolic substances, such as gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, and naringenin, which all function as antioxidants in your body, have been found, for instance, in P. ostreatus extracts. The amino acid ergothioneine, which possesses potent antioxidant properties, is also present in these mushrooms. In an investigation conducted on rodents in 2007, oyster mushroom extract administration increased antioxidant levels and decreased several inflammatory indicators, such as malondialdehyde (MDA), in older rats.

The extract had antioxidant benefits and assisted in reducing liver damage brought on by harmful substances, according to a 2020 rat research. Additionally, a 2016 test-tube study discovered that the amino acid ergothioneine may have a role in the extract from gray oyster mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius) inhibiting oxidative damage to human artery cells and preventing oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol. Atherosclerosis, or the accumulation of plaque in the arteries that can cause heart disease, is a process in which LDL (bad) cholesterol gets oxidized. Oyster mushrooms may deliver antioxidants and may guard against cellular damage, according to animal and in vitro studies, but further human studies are required.