Health Benefits of Medicinal Mushrooms and Fungi
For thousands of years mushrooms have been valued in different cultures for their medicinal and psychedelic properties. They were used by shamans and medicine men and found a way to highly organized medical systems such as the Traditional Chinese Medicine. The ancient Chinese believed that mushrooms were longevity tonics and used them to strengthen the body and prevent disease. Modern research shows that mushrooms, especially the species known in China and Japan, contain active compounds which are able to enhance the immune system and fight tumors in the body.
About Mushrooms
- More than 14,000 different types of mushrooms have been identified around the world
- 3,000 are edible
- About 700 different mushrooms have medicinal properties
Edible Mushrooms
- Source of fiber, protein, B vitamins, vitamin D, and minerals, especially copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium
- Rich in polysaccharides, especially the immune system enhancing beta glucans
- Consist mostly of water - between 80 and 90 per cent, and are used in many cuisines for their nutritional value, texture, and aroma.
History of Mushrooms
- Ever since Alexander Fleming isolated penicillin from the fungus Penicillium chrysogenum 1924, laboratories all over the world are researching medicinal properties of mushrooms and fungi
- In 1976 the first statin drug was isolated from Penicillium citrinum
- Ongoing research suggests mushrooms are effective in the treatment of certain cancers as well as in the treatment of a weak immune system and auto-immune diseases
- Some of the species are known to regulate blood sugar
Ganoderma lucidum or Lingzhi (Reish)
- Used in Asia for thousands of years
- A powerful immune system modulator and helps to heal allergies and autoimmune diseases
- Shows a very strong anti-tumor activity and is successfully used in alternative and complementary cancer therapies
- Promotes cardiovascular health and regulates blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels
- Reduces inflammation in the body and has very strong anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties
- Protects the liver and the urinary tract
- It is adaptogenic (helps in the body’s ability to deal with stress); thus it relieves fatigue and builds up stamina
- Reishi (Ganoderma Lucidum) mushrooms have been used as a cure for disease for over 2,000 years
References
According to The Medicinal Benefits of Mushrooms by William H. Lee, R.Ph., Ph.D., Reishi increases vitality, improves coronary arteries, inhibits platelet aggregation, normalizes blood pressure, relieves stress and asthma and prevents and treats certain types of cancer and other degenerative diseases. The beta-glucans found in Reishi support the body's immune system in fighting cancer cells and countering the effects of aging.
According to Jones in Reishi: Ancient Herb for Modern Times, Reishi is even more effective in fighting cancer when supplemented by vitamin C. Reishi also works as an antihistamine by inhibiting agents that cause cold symptoms, hay fever, asthma, and allergies and promotes respiratory health.
Mycotherapy
- There are many more species of mushrooms with medicinal properties
- Ongoing research is discovering new compounds that can be used to enhance the immune system, regulate blood sugar and treat diabetes, prevent cancer, inhibit the growth and destroy existing tumors
- Mycotherapy has a long tradition in Asia and it has a promising future as a branch of the alternative medicine in the West as well
- Anticancer Medicinal Mushrooms Can Provide Significant Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol)
- Medicinal Mushrooms - A Selective Overview
- Mushroom compound appears to improve effectiveness of cancer drugs
- Research References for Edible Medical Mushrooms
- European Journal of Scientific Research
- Preclinical Evaluation of Concurrent Medicinal Mushroom–Based Immune-Enhancement Supplementation in Dogs Undergoing Chemotherapy for Various Cancers
Source: International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms
- Newsletter of the Mycological Society of America
Source: Inoculum 59(5), September 2008 - Preliminary Study on The Effect of Medicinal Mushroom Extract and Timolol Maleate on Dexamethasone Induced Ocular Hypertension in Feline's Eye Model
Source: JMBR: A Peer-review Journal of Biomedical Sciences - Nature and Science
- The Use of Mushroom Glucans and Proteoglycans in Cancer Treatment
- The International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms
- Medicinal mushrooms: a rapidly developing area of biotechnology for cancer therapy and other bioactivities
- The Healing Power of Medicinal Mushrooms