Tremella

The Tremella mushroom, or Tremella fuciformis, is an medicinal and edible species of fungus. Tremella mushrooms have pale colored gelatinous fruiting bodies also given the name in Chinese of the “silver ear mushroom,” “white wood ear mushroom” and in Japanese, they’re called the “white tree jellyfish”.

Tremella is loaded with vitamin D, high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory. Many of Tremella’s health benefits are due to its high amounts of polysaccharides which are antioxidants that can help keep skin hydrated and healthy. Additionally, the high amounts of vitamin D in Tremella play a role in its skin-boosting benefits; vitamin D is essential in helping skin cell growth, and both repairing and preventing premature skin aging. Vitamin D is also a fat-soluble vitamin, which means it plays a role in keeping skin hydrated and supple.

Tremella mushrooms are packed with polysaccharides which have been shown to have both anti-aging and antioxidant effects because of their ability to prevent cell damage that’s caused by free radicals. Tremella extract reduced apoptosis (natural cell death for human growth and development) in human skin fibroblasts. Fibroblasts are cells that synthesize collagen, as well as produce the framework for body tissue and play a major role in wound healing.

Tremella mushrooms and their unique polysaccharide compounds have water-retaining properties similar to hyaluronic acid which can keep the skin hydrated, helping to reduce wrinkles and fine lines, improving the texture and elasticity of your skin.

Tremella mushrooms have been shown to demonstrate beneficial cholesterol-lowering activity. In a four-week rat study in 1996, researchers found that rats with very high cholesterol who were on the tremella diet experienced a 31% decrease in LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and a 19% decrease in total cholesterol concentration. Additionally, eating Tremella led to a significant decrease in triglyceride levels, which, at high concentrations, can indicate an elevated risk of stroke.

Root & Bones sources this Tremella from a farm in China. In the 19th century, the Chinese began cultivating tremella mushrooms and the country has become the premier source of tremella fuciformis. These beauty-boosting mushrooms are grown on wood as they have been for centuries. Other countries or suppliers choose to grow tremella mushrooms on a starch substrate (oats and sorghum) which lacks beneficial precursors for the body. Oftentimes, suppliers will grow their mushrooms in greenhouses, and climate-controlled spaces, which also doesn't pass along the healing properties that natural substrate does. Therefore, it was imperative for us to find tremella mushrooms that were growing and thriving in a natural habitat.