4 Medicinal Mushrooms That Fight Cancer
Having secured a rich history in many ancient Asian healing practices, medicinal mushrooms have been prescribed and used for countless ailments for thousands of years. As modern medicine rediscovers these ancient superfoods, there is good evidence that mushrooms are among the most powerful functional food in a growing cancer-fighting and cancer-preventing arsenal.
It is first important to differentiate between the anti-cancer medicinal mushrooms and the countless other common varieties. A quick visit to the local supermarket will reveal culinary mushrooms such as oyster, portabella, and others. Although these have their health benefits, the focus of this article will be on four of the more specialized and not typically commercially grown reishi, maitake, agaricus blazei murill, and turkey tail mushrooms.
Medicinal Mushrooms and Cancer
There are a few primary mechanisms that most of these functional, anti-cancer mushrooms share when assisting the body during cancer stages or in simple everyday prevention. First is their ability to enhance the body’s first line of defense against cancer − the immune system. When this system is weak or has failed, the mechanism for cancer has a better opportunity to manifest.
Next, some anti-cancer mushrooms exhibit direct antiviral and tumor shrinking abilities. In learning about the assistance given by mushrooms, it is important to note that the side effects exhibited are often mild, but it is still important to talk with your healthcare provider before use.
It has been demonstrated that, in some cases, formulas containing multiple strains of different mushroom extracts often exhibit synergistic, complementary, and amplified effects. This is in stark contrast to many of the negative cumulative effects of chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy methods commonly prescribed in hospitals today. As with research for many alternative treatments, the United States has been late to the party when it comes to medical research on the anti-cancer and overall health benefits of mushrooms.
Reishi Mushroom Benefits: The Mushroom of Immortality
Perhaps one of the most well-known medicinal mushroom in Asian healing arts is Ganoderma lucidum, or better known by its common name, reishi. The mushroom’s bioactive molecules and polysaccharides have been shown to better activate natural killer (NK) cells reducing cancer metastasis. NK cells are lymphocytes that perform immunosurveillance within the body, constantly on the lookout for “immuno-alerters” signaling tumor presence.
Reishi also has been shown to assist in slowing the growth (angiogenesis) of tumors as well as triggering programmed cell death in malignant cells. Currently, there is data to support the potential use of reishi as, at the very least, an adjunct therapy forcolorectal cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer.
Maitake Mushroom Benefits: The Dancing Mushroom
Maitake, like the reishi mushroom, also contains a broad-spectrum array of bioactive molecules. In studies, maitake has shown similar results as the reishi mushroom in stimulating NK cell activity in cancer patients. The mushroom also shows promise in blocking tumor growth and activating malignant cell death through its specific immune-enhancing methods. Maitake has clinically shown promise for individuals with breast cancer, lung cancer, and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).
Agaricus Blazei Murill: Tokyo’s Cancer Secret
This mushroom made perhaps the biggest splash when a study jointly conducted by the Medical Department of Tokyo University, The National Cancer Center Laboratory, and Tokyo College of Pharmacy showed a complete recovery in 90% of guinea pigs injected with cancer cells (180 sarcoma).
The pattern of other mushrooms was seen again as agaricus blazei murill activated macrophage and interferon immune activity leading to tumor shrinkage, a halt in metastasis, and reduction of future cancer occurrences. As an adjunct, agaricus blazei murill was shown to lessen the side effects in individuals undergoing chemotherapy for endometrial, cervical, and ovarian cancers.
Turkey Tail: The $5 Million Dollar Mushroom
In 1976, a Japanese company patented certain extracts of this mushroom under the name PSK and later PSP. They have since become recognized cancer drugs in Japan. The anti-viral properties of the turkey tail mushroom offer a unique opportunity to target oncoviruses (tumor virus) such ashuman papillomavirus leading to cervical cancer, hepatitis C leading to liver cancers, and others. For this mushroom, again studies are showing increased NK activity towards tumor detection and eradication. This mushroom is in the process of a $5.4 million study by the National Institutes of Health that began in late 2012.
It is important to note that drug companies cannot patent mushrooms. Due to this fact, funds typically won’t be allocated to study them unless they come from private institutions or government grants. However, this should be a positive as many studies only seek to isolate one part of a plant or mushroom to patent as a drug.
As mycologist (mushroom expert) Paul Stamets states, “Isolating one constituent from the others denatures and lessens the broad-spectrum potency of this natural, functional food.”
Medicinal Mushroom Supplementation: Choosing the Correct One for You
Mushrooms and mushroom supplements come in many different forms for health and wellness. These functional foods can be raw, powdered, liquid, and infused into other products. Each has their own sets of advantages and disadvantages.
Raw: Unlike consuming fruits and vegetables, raw mushrooms are not a superior form to consume if you’re looking to reap the health benefits from medicinal mushrooms discussed above. The polysaccharides, antioxidants, and metabolites can be better activated and concentrated using methods described below under the “liquid” category. It is for this reason that if you are experiencing a health crisis or simply looking to improve the functions of your mind and body, raw should not be your first choice.
Powdered: Like most other nutritional supplements, mushrooms also come in the powdered form as gel caps or loose. While the gel caps are preferred for daily convenience, the powder can be added to smoothies, juices, or sprinkled on food after it is cooked.
Liquid: If you are looking for rapid absorption into the digestive system, a liquid mushroom supplement form is a great choice. In addition, the liquid option offers perhaps the greatest versatility due to the fact that it can be added to coffee, tea, smoothies, soups, salad dressing, and just about anything else you can imagine. Regarding extraction methods, there are three methods used each focusing on distinct end results. Cold water extraction is used to extract extracellular metabolites. Hot water extraction is used to the extract the immune-stimulating polysaccharides. Ethanol/alcohol extraction is used to isolate antioxidants and smaller compounds that are more specific in their bio-activity.
Infused: This isn’t so much a category as it is a mere spin off of the liquid and powdered methods. Due to the popularity of mushrooms as a versatile and functional food, manufacturers are going the “value added” route by offering mushroom-infused versions of already existing products. For example, there has been a recent surge of popularity in the mushroom infused coffee bean market. A breakthrough method now allows the infusion of a mushroom strain directly into the whole coffee bean.
******************************************** Cancer / Oncology
Ginseng For Cancer Patients Says Mayo Clinic
Written by Rupert Shepherd Published: Wednesday 6 June 2012
In a trial led by the Mayo Clinic, the herb commonly known as American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), showed good results in helping cancer patients with fatigue, when compared with a placebo. The findings, which will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting, looked at 340 patients who were either in the post treatment phase or under going cancer treatment. 60% of the patients had breast cancer. Each day, the patients who were being treated at one of 40 different community medical centers were given 2,000 milligrams of pure American ginseng root in a capsule. Researcher Debra Barton, Ph.D., of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center is quick to point out that quality of the herb is very important and people shouldn't necessarily rush to their health food store and start taking any old ginseng. She goes on to say: "Off-the-shelf ginseng is sometimes processed using ethanol, which can give it estrogen-like properties that may be harmful to breast cancer patients." There wasn't a great improvement after four weeks, obviously the herb took some time to work its magic, but at the eight week mark there was a sudden jump in the general energy levels reported by the group on ginseng when compared to the placebo group. General exhaustion diminished rapidly in those taking the Ginseng supplement. Dr. Barton says the herb had no apparent side effects in the patients taking it, and comments: "After eight weeks, we saw a 20-point improvement in fatigue in cancer patients, measured on a 100-point, standardized fatigue scale." Webmd.com lists a variety of possible side effects of American Ginseng, including varying blood pressure, headache, nervousness, skin rash and vaginal bleeding. It also makes clear to differentiate between Panax, Siberian and American Ginseng, which are considered to have different properties. Interestingly, American ginseng contains a chemical group called ginsenosides, presumably a name made up after the name of the herb. These active ingredients are thought to act upon insulin levels to help lower blood sugar. Other chemicals include polysaccharides, which most likely have some effect on the immune system. Ginseng is well known for its properties in treating a variety of ailments, including fatigue, stress, diabetes, insomnia and it's often touted as a good for erectile dysfunction, while some people swear by it as a good hang over cure. It's become so popular in recent years that some states have threatened to add it to a protected list to prevent people picking the wild variety that grows in the United States. As many as 90% of all cancer patients report a debilitating fatigue, as the immune system struggles against inflammatory cytokines and the hormone known as cortisol becomes unbalanced. Cortisol effects how the body regulates stress. Ginseng has been shown in animal studies to act upon both these factors, reducing inflammation, and regulating cortisol. Whether by accident or design, many of these kinds of herbal fix alls are ridiculed by the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry. Echinacea the old wives cure for the common cold came under attack recently with research showing that it had no effect on helping against flu or a cold. I am sure that many people would disagree with that from their own personal experiences, and it's nice to see Ginseng, that has been touted for centuries as a trusted herbal remedy, getting the recognition it deserves. While people should always be wary to avoid snake oil and magic potions, there simply has to be some common sense to some of these old herbal remedies. Until recently, it seems there hasn't been much incentive for putting the time and money into funding scientific research on a scale comparable to that required for regulating industrially manufactured pharmaceutical products. Written by Rupert Shepherd
