Healing from the Inside Out: Looking at Food as Medicine

What's New at Zen Medica: Medicinal Mushrooms

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The Healing Power of Medicinal Mushrooms

Immune Support For Cancer, Colds & Lifelong Health

By Dr. Isaac Eliaz, M.D., M.S., L.Ac.
Mushrooms are truly magical. We have always used mushrooms as food and medicine. In fact, many mushrooms have long been used throughout Asia for medicinal purposes. There are at least 270 species of mushroom that are known to have various therapeutic properties. The practice of using mushrooms in Chinese herbal medicines has been recorded in early records of the Materia Medica.
Although mushrooms are still harvested in their natural habitats, our ability to cultivate many different mushroom species has improved greatly over the past few decades. As a result, large numbers of scientific studies on medicinal mushrooms over the past three decades, especially in Japan, China and Korea, have confirmed the traditional uses and also demonstrated new applications for health benefits.
Health Benefits of Medicinal Mushrooms

While much attention in recent years has focused on various immunological and anti-cancer properties of certain mushrooms, they also offer other potentially important health benefits, including antioxidants, anti-hypertensive and cholesterol-lowering properties, liver protection, as well as anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-viral and anti-microbial properties. These properties have attracted the interest of many pharmaceutical companies, which are viewing the medicinal mushroom as a rich source of innovative biomedical molecules.
Below is a brief description of 5 popular medicinal mushroom varieties: Coriolus versicolor (Turkey Tails), Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi), Agaricus blazei (add the common name Himematsutake), Polyporus umbellatus (add the common name Zhu Ling), Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane).
Coriolus versicolor (Turkey Tails)

Fantastic Fungi Turkey Tail MushroomCoriolus versicolor ("multicolored mushroom"), also known as Trametes versicolor, is a mushroom readily found in woodlands in China and Europe and is the most commonly found polypore in the oak woods of the Pacific Coast in the U.S. It grows in clusters or tiers on fallen hardwood trees and branches, frequently in large colonies. As its name implies, it is often multi-colored, with contrasting concentric bands, variously appearing in shades of white, gray, brown, black, blue or even red. It has a thin, velvety fruiting body, usually 2- 7 cm wide, fans out into wavy rosettes, giving rise to its popular name, Turkey Tails.
Uses: Anti-cancer action: PSK has been shown to be effective against several cancers, including cervical cancer, in combination with other therapeutic agents; appears to enhance the effect of radiation therapy; PSP significantly lessened the side effects of conventional medical protocols used in the treatment of cancers of the esophagus, stomach and lungs, as well as significantly increasing the rate of remission in esophageal cancers.
Cardiovascular health: Lowered cholesterol in animal studies.
Immune enhancement: PSK increases interferon production, as well as scavenging superoxide and hydroxyl free radicals, has demonstrated anti-viral activity, possibly even inhibiting HIV infection.
Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi)

Fantastic Fungi Reishi MushroomGanoderma lucidum ("shining skin") is a visually striking polypore with a hard woody texture and a shiny, varnished appearance. It primarily grows on oaks, plum trees and other hardwoods, and has a 2-20 cm semi-circular or kidney-shaped cap, variously colored white, yellow, blue, red, purple or black. Ganoderma species are found worldwide, though the Chinese and Japanese species have been studied the most extensively for their therapeutic value. It is somewhat rare in the wild, and so in recent years has been commercially cultivated, making it more widely available. In the West it is usually known by its Japanese name, reishi.
Uses: Athletic performance: Enhances oxygenation of the blood, reducing and preventing altitude sickness in high altitude mountain climbers.
Cardiovascular health: Lowers cholesterol levels, reduced blood and plasma viscosity in a controlled study of patients with high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Immune enhancement: Potent action against sarcoma, stimulates macrophages and increases levels of tumor-necrosis factor (TNF-a) and interleukins.
Immunopotentiation: Anti-HIV in in vitro and in vivo animal studies; protects against ionizing radiation.
Liver health: Reduced liver enzyme levels (SGOT and SGPT) in hepatitis B patients.
Respiratory health: 60-90 % of 3,000 patients with chronic bronchitis showed clinical improvement, especially older patients with bronchial asthma. Regenerates bronchial epithelium (bronchial tract lining).
Polyporus umbellatus (Zhu Ling)

Fantastic Fungi Zhu Ling MushroomPolyporus umbellatus ("umbrella-like polypore"), also known as Grifola umbellata, is a white-to-gray mushroom that grows in dense rosettes from a single stem. It is found in deciduous woodlands in China, Europe and Eastern and Central North America, growing from dead tree stumps or the roots of birches, maples, beeches and willows.
Uses: Anti-cancer actions: Used in the treatment of lung and other cancers; has demonstrated pronounced anti-tumor activity in in vitro and in vivo animal studies; helps reduce the side-effects of chemotherapy.
Immune enhancement: stimulates and enhances the performance of the immune system and accelerates production of IgM and strengthens the power of monocytes.
Liver health: can help alleviate symptoms of chronic hepatitis; was used as part of an herbal formula that cured 17 of 39 patients with cirrhosis of the liver, and brought about significant improvement in 19 others.
Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane)

Fantastic Fungi Lion's Mane MushroomHericium erinaceus ("spiny hedgehog") is a snow-white, globe-shaped fungus composed of downward cascading, icicle-shaped spines. Its striking appearance gives rise to its various common names, Lion's Mane, Monkey's Head and Hedgehog Fungus. It grows up to 40 cm in diameter on dead or dying broadleaf trees - such as oak, walnut, maple and sycamore - and is found in China and Japan, as well as parts of Europe and North America. It is considered a gourmet mushroom, long popular with forest folk, with a flavor variously described as reminiscent of lobster or eggplant.
Uses: Anti-cancer effects: Helps in the treatment of esophageal and gastric cancers, may extend the life-span of cancer patients.
Digestive enhancement: Promotes proper digestion; effective against gastric and duodenal ulcers and gastritis.
Immune enhancement: Protects the gastrointestinal tract against environmental toxins, inflammation and tumor formation, an extract was used as part of a protocol that helped increase T and B lymphocytes in mice.
This blog is a repost of an article published by Dr. Isaac Eliaz, M.D., M.S., L.Ac. It is not intended to treat, diagnose or cure. For more information, please visitwww.dreliaz.org.
Posted in: For the Explorer, For the Scientist

Healing from the Inside Out: Looking at Food as Medicine

We are what we eat!

“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”
~Ann Wigmore

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) operates on the belief that everything is connected. No symptom or pain in the body occurs in a vacuum—it’s always related to something else, and there are both external and internal factors to take into account. In TCM, health is considered closely related to nature. As our bodies are organic, balance can be achieved by aligning our lifestyle and diet habits with the natural environment around us. Eating seasonal foods and altering our sleep patterns to correspond with daylight hours are some of the examples of living in accordance with the seasons. When it comes to nutrition, paying attention to the seasons and the environment that surrounds us is a powerful force of illness prevention.

Have you noticed that Eastern civilizations appear to avoid many of the pitfalls of diet-related diseases like colon cancer, obesity, and heart disease? The foods consumed by these "healthier" cultures are not only as natural as possible, but they also align with an area's seasonal produce and the body's needs.

Whole foods are recommended for almost all diet patterns. The widely held belief of holistic health practitioners stipulates that foods should not be broken down into nutrients, but instead consumed in their natural forms, sans processing. This coincides with the notion that nature provides the best nutrition and the most balanced diet, removing the need for vitamin and mineral supplements so popular in our culture.

In our current Western culture, the health benefits of foods are evaluated by looking at the proteins, calories, carbohydrates, vitamins, and other nutritional contents. However, in a traditional Chinese diet (and that includes herbs), not only vitamins and minerals are taken into account, but also the energetic properties of food such as energy, and flavor. Other less important aspects include meridian tropism and common and organic actions. These refer to specific internal organs or the meridians on which the foods can act. For example, celery acts on the stomach and lungs, carrot on the lungs and spleen. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), foods can act as herbs. Like herbal remedies, food can be selected and prepared appropriately to tonify, cleanse, and regulate the body.

A whole-foods diet helps ensure that your entire body gets the required nutrition it needs. That's because whole foods carry out the major functions of a good diet, which includes absorption, assimilation, and elimination, everything a healthy body needs. In contrast, synthetic, processed, and refined foods may interfere with your body's normal functions. In time, unnatural foods may leave you vulnerable to disease. For more insights on whole foods, pick up a copy of Healing With Whole Foods, 3rd Edition by Paul Pitchford.

For more information on cooking according to a whole foods inspired traditional Asian diet, check out the book co-written by Pacific College of Oriental Medicine professors Yuan Wang and Warren Sheir (written with Mika Ono), Ancient Wisdom, Modern Kitchen: Recipes from the East for Health, Healing, and Long Life.

And if you’re curious about which herbs and spices have healing properties (many of which are based on traditional Chinese medicine), check out Bharat Aggarwal’s Healing Spices: How to Use 50 Everyday and Exotic Spices to Boost Health and Beat Disease.

So what are whole foods? Simply put, they are the natural, raw produce of nature, foodstuffs that have not been chemically or genetically tampered with. Foods like vegetables grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides, cereals that are unpolished or unprocessed, in particular, foods without additives, coloring, or other artificial ingredients. You should avoid foods containing partially hydrogenated oils, trans fatty acids, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white flour, refined carbohydrates, and other artificially modified ingredients. Strive for whole foods that are seasonal, and not frozen or chemically preserved. Make a habit of eating fresh vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts; go for green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale (a real superfood!). Don’t forget roots like beets, carrots, and parsnips.

Keep in mind that Eastern nutrition is like Chinese herbal medicine. Foods are perceived as natural healing substances that include grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, algae, and minerals your body needs to stay healthy. The emphasis is on whole organic food in its simplest form. In China, food grade herbs are highly respected, producing the most lasting results with the most gentle of action. They nourish areas of your body and bring it into balance.

http://www.pacificcollege.edu/news/blog/2015/04/15/healing-inside-out-looking-food-medicine

Please call or come in today and speak to Chow or Maria about incorporating herbs and mushrooms to your dishes for a healthier lifestyle!

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