Tremella Mushrooms and Skin Health: More Than Just a Beauty Trend?
Article at a Glance:
- Tremella has been used for centuries as a beauty product in Traditional Chinese medicine.
- Emerging research suggests that Tremella may benefit healthy skin aging, including collagen production and protection from UV damage.
- Adding Tremella to your beauty routine is a simple way to support skin health.
Tremella is a delicate mushroom that looks more like underwater coral than a traditional fungi.
Not only does it have an unusual appearance, but Tremella also has some unique benefits not seen in other functional mushrooms. Its main advantages are for skin health, protecting the skin from UV damage, supporting collagen production, and helping your skin age gracefully.
Tremella and Skin Health: The History
Like many other functional mushrooms we’re just learning about in Western medicine, Tremella has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for skin benefits since at least 200 AD.[1] It was commonly called the “fountain of youth” mushroom.
A famous woman named Yang Guifei, one of the most beautiful women in Chinese history, attributed her appearance to the benefits of Tremella mushrooms. For this reason, the Chinese have been using Tremella in food and as an extract for centuries.
Even today, Tremella is common in many skin and beauty products across Asia. It’s currently being sold as dietary supplements or inside skin products as a plant-based collagen booster or an alternative to hyaluronic acid.
Tremella Skin Benefits: The Research
Does the research back up the anecdotal beliefs about Tremella's benefits for skin health? A growing body of research points to several specific ways Tremella can help your skin look its best. Here are some of the highlights.
General Skin Health
Tremella plays a role in overall skin health by regulating moisture, supporting barrier function, and improving the skin’s response to stressors like UV radiation.[2] It may also be supportive in the wound healing process, further protecting the skin.[3]
Protection Against UV Damage
Tremella is a source of uronic acid, which plays a role in damage caused by UV light exposure. Uronic acid does this by increasing the production of specific antioxidants that help protect the skin.[4] This results in improved skin moisture and a decrease in collagen damage.
Supports Gut health
While skin and the gut may seem unrelated, one of the first signs of gut issues is often skin concerns like eczema or dermatitis.[5] In a mouse study, Tremella positively affected the gut microbiome and dermatitis symptoms.[6] More research is needed to see if this finding also applies to humans.
Collagen Health
Collagen is the building block of our skin and all of our body's tissues. The loss of collagen over time causes common signs of aging, such as wrinkles, joint pain, and muscle weakness. Tremella may help support healthy collagen levels by stimulating specific pro-collagen proteins.[7] Its ability to protect the skin from UV damage also helps support healthy collagen.
May Support Healthy Skin Aging
Research on Tremella's benefits for skin health suggests that it may have a positive effect on keeping skin healthy as we age, but no specific studies have fully evaluated this benefit. Tremella’s ability to support the production of certain antioxidants, protect skin against UV damage, and encourage collagen production all indicate that it also has the potential to help us age gracefully (and with fewer wrinkles!).
Functional Mushrooms for Beauty and Health
While Tremella seems to have the most skin-specific benefits, we can’t forget about the other three mushrooms in our Fungies gummies. Cordyceps, Lion’s Mane, and Reishi also have their own (slightly different) beauty benefits.
Our Fungies Tremella gummy has 100 mg of Tremella extract from the fruiting body, the part of the mushroom with the most nutrients and benefits. This is the equivalent of over 20,000 mg of Tremella mushroom. Adding our Tremella Gummies to your beauty routine is a delicious, convenient, and portable way to get your daily serving of these beauty-boosting ‘shrooms.
References
- Shahrajabian, M. H., Sun, W., Shen, H., & Cheng, Q. (2020). Mineroff, J., & Jagdeo, J. (2023). Archives for Dermatological Research. Archiv Fur Dermatologische Forschung, 315(7), 1883–1886. 4(3), 692–697.
- Mineroff, J., & Jagdeo, J. (2023). Archives for Dermatological Research. Archiv Fur Dermatologische Forschung, 315(7), 1883–1886.
- Wen, L., Gao, Q., Ma, C.-W., Ge, Y., You, L., Liu, R. H., Fu, X., & Liu, D. (2016). Journal of Functional Foods, 20, 400–410.
- De Pessemier, B., Grine, L., Debaere, M., Maes, A., Paetzold, B., & Callewaert, C. (2021). Microorganisms, 9(2).
- Xie, L., Yang, K., Liang, Y., Zhu, Z., Yuan, Z., & Du, Z. (2022). Frontiers in Pharmacology, 13, 944801.
- Park, S., Sungeun, A. H. N., Park, S., Jo, K. H., & Byung-Hun, U. M. (2023). 한국생물공학회 학술대회, 512–512.
- Chiang, J.-H., Tsai, F.-J., Lin, T.-H., Yang, J.-S., & Chiu, Y.-J. (2022). In Vivo , 36(2), 713–722.