MyCommunity Capsules Host Defense Review

Host Defense’s new product, MyCommunity capsules, claims to provide comprehensive immunity support through the use of 13 meticulously researched mushroom species. The mastermind behind this product is Paul Stamets, a well-known mycologist and proponent of medicinal mushrooms, who in the past has given a TED Talk entitled “6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save The World”. So it’s safe to say, this guy likes his shrooms.

But can his product actually deliver on its promises and boost your body’s immunity naturally? Let’s take a closer look.

MyCommunity is formulated with 17 species of mushrooms handpicked by Paul Stamets with the intent of super charging the immune system. The Host Defense website says mushrooms provide “seven pillars” of immune benefits, including polysaccharides for energy and metabolism, glycoproteins, triterpenes, lipids, proteins, cyathane derivatives, and secondary metabolites.

Host Defense is also a certified organic food producer and processor, and the mushrooms in this product are sustainably cultivated from the Olympic rain forest. They only take a small sample from each mushroom, and this sample is used to grow the mushrooms in the lab. So you can be confident you are getting high quality, organic mushrooms, and that no damage is being done to the environment where they naturally grow.

Here is the complete list of ingredients:

Let’s learn a little more about some of these fungi.

Chaga Mushroom

This mushroom has been consumed for centuries, normally as a tincture or in tea. In modern times Chaga mushrooms are starting to become considered a super food.

Chaga is naturally occurring in nature that grows off of birch trees. Chaga mushrooms contain an abundance of Beta-D-Glucans (R) that help balance and regulate the immune system’s response.

In a nutshell, Chaga helps to activate and strengthen your immune system when it is necessary, and scale it back when the threat has disappeared. Some research has even shown that Chaga activates immune cells that stop cancer creation cells.

Chaga mushrooms are also known to sooth irritation in the body, promote gastrointestinal health, normalize blood and cholesterol levels, and provide defenses against viruses and bacteria in the body. If you are looking for even more digestive help, check out our review of Total Gut Health by Onnit.

Reishi Mushroom

Another “superfood” in the health community, the Reishi mushroom are strongly anti-inflammatory and are associated with a longer, healthier life in general. This has earned it the nickname “The King of Mushrooms”. That’s quite the title!

The Reishi mushroom is native to parts of Asia, including China, Korea and Japan. They have been consumed for thousands of years, normally in tea form. The list of benefits I found on Reishi mushrooms is quite extensive! It includes reducing inflammation, reduce fatigue and mental fogginess, protections against liver disease and autoimmune disorders, help for anxiety and depression, and even preventing tumor growth and cancer (R)

Lion’s Mane

This mushroom has maybe my favorite name of all time. It has been used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine throughout history and boasts a wide array of benefits. Lion’s Mane contains a host of vitamins and minerals, as well as hericerins, erinacines, erinaceolactones.

Lion’s Mane has proven antibiotic, anticancer, neuroprotective and glucose lowering effects (R). Most of these beneficial properties are due to the inflammation reducing properties of the mushroom. It also has a strong antioxidant effect and has been shown to stimulate the immune system (R).

This mushroom is also well known for it’s ability to improve brain function. Studies in mice have shown Lion’s Mane improves both memory and cognitive function (R). It has also been shown to enhance nerve regeneration and to combat depression and anxiety.

Recommended Reading: Benefits of Green Tea

That’s All Great, But Does It Work?

So what does all this mean for you? It means this product contains multiple mushroom species that have been scientifically proven to modulate and regulate immune system functions, leading to a whole host of impressive benefits.

The reviews online seem to agree that this is one powerful product that can do some pretty amazing things. It has an overall 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon, which is pretty incredible for a product with hundreds of reviews.

Many reviewers noted getting over colds and flus much faster than they normally do, as well as reduced fatigue and an overall better sense of well-being.

Quite a few reviewers also took this through the chemotherapy process, and claimed the mushrooms helped to keep their white blood cell count stable throughout the therapy and seemed to have them feeling better than other people going through the same thing.

There are very few negative reviews, only 9% of reviews are 3 star or lower, and many of those mention shipping errors or not getting the right number of pills in the bottle. Some do note that it didn’t work for them and one person even claims they gave him allergies.

Any product is going to have some negative reviews, but overall these seem very benign and the overwhelming majority of people have rated it positively.

A Truly Powerful Product

In summary, Fungi Perfecti Host Defense is a pretty impressive product for immune support and regulation. The ingredients were hand selected by Paul Stamets and all have scientific literature backing up their effectiveness.

From my research, I can confidently say I would recommend this product to anyone looking for an all-natural immune system boost. If you have taken this product, please let me know how it worked for you!