Medicinal Mushrooms and Your Medicines: Blood Thinners, Diabetes Drugs and More
Most mushrooms are gentle, but a few meet common medicines in ways that matter. Here is the short list, with the evidence for each.
Why interactions matter more for memory buyers
People who buy memory supplements are often in their sixties or older, and many take several prescriptions. Medicinal mushrooms are generally gentle, but a few have effects that add to, or work against, common medicines. Multi-mushroom blends make this harder to judge, because each species brings its own cautions and the amounts are often unpublished. NCCIH's basic advice, tell every provider about every supplement, matters most in exactly this situation[10].
Blood thinners and antiplatelets
Wood ear, the black fungus common in Chinese cooking, inhibits platelet aggregation; a 1980 report described spontaneous bruising in a heavy eater and named it "Szechwan purpura"[2]. A patient on warfarin had a rise in INR after starting maitake extract[1]. Memorial Sloan Kettering lists bleeding cautions for reishi and chaga[3][5]. Anyone on warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, clopidogrel or daily aspirin should ask before adding these, and mushrooms with antiplatelet effects are usually stopped about two weeks before surgery.
Diabetes medicines
Maitake, reishi and chaga may lower blood glucose[4][3][5]. With insulin or sulfonylureas, that raises the chance of low blood sugar, which in older adults can itself cause confusion and falls. Check glucose more often when starting, and tell the prescriber.
Immune suppressants and cancer care
Turkey tail, reishi, cordyceps and shiitake have immune-modulating polysaccharides. Turkey tail extracts are used alongside chemotherapy in parts of Asia, but only within oncology care[9]. People on transplant or autoimmune immunosuppressants, or in active cancer treatment, should involve their specialist team.
Liver and kidney
Rare but serious liver injuries have been reported with reishi powder and with sun mushroom (Agaricus blazei) extract[8][7]. Chaga is very high in oxalate, and heavy, prolonged intake caused oxalate kidney injury[6]. People with liver disease, kidney disease or kidney stones should ask before taking blends that contain them.
Quick reference
| Medicine group | Mushrooms to ask about |
|---|---|
| Anticoagulants, antiplatelets | Wood ear, maitake, reishi, chaga |
| Diabetes medicines | Maitake, reishi, chaga, sun mushroom |
| Immune suppressants, chemotherapy | Turkey tail, reishi, cordyceps, shiitake |
| Liver or kidney disease | Reishi, sun mushroom, chaga |
Mindoxa contains all of the mushrooms in this table, in unpublished amounts.
Quick answers
Can medicinal mushrooms interact with warfarin?
Yes. Maitake raised a warfarin patient's INR, wood ear inhibits platelets, and reishi and chaga carry bleeding cautions.
Should I stop mushroom supplements before surgery?
Tell your surgeon. Mushrooms with antiplatelet effects are usually stopped about two weeks before.
Sources for this page
Each link opens the original record. Human trials used single mushrooms at stated doses and preparations; none used the Mindoxa blend, whose amounts are unpublished.
- 1Hanselin MR, Vande Griend JP, Linnebur SA. INR elevation with maitake extract in combination with warfarin. Ann Pharmacother. 2010;44(1):223-224. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20040699/
- 2Hammerschmidt DE. Szechwan purpura. N Engl J Med. 1980;302(21):1191-1193. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7189247/
- 3Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, About Herbs. Reishi Mushroom. www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/reishi-mushroom
- 4Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, About Herbs. Maitake. www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/maitake
- 5Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, About Herbs. Chaga Mushroom. www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/chaga-mushroom
- 6Kikuchi Y, Seta K, Ogawa Y, et al. Chaga mushroom-induced oxalate nephropathy. Clin Nephrol. 2014;81(6):440-444. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23149251/
- 7Mukai H, Watanabe T, Ando M, Katsumata N. An alternative medicine, Agaricus blazei, may have induced severe hepatic dysfunction in cancer patients. Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2006;36(12):808-810. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17105737/
- 8Wanmuang H, Leopairut J, Kositchaiwat C, Wananukul W, Bunyaratvej S. Fatal fulminant hepatitis associated with Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi) mushroom powder. J Med Assoc Thai. 2007;90(1):179-181. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17621752/
- 9Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, About Herbs. Coriolus Versicolor (Turkey Tail). www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/coriolus-versicolor
- 10National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Using Dietary Supplements Wisely. www.nccih.nih.gov/health/using-dietary-supplements-wisely
Run a fair 180-day test of Mindoxa
ClickBank takes the payment. Log your everyday lapses before the first capsule, keep sleep, walking and hearing in the plan, file the receipt email, and if the log looks the same around week 20, post the bottles back while there is still time for them to reach Colorado.