HIERBAS
BUENAS - From the Family of Good Herbs
MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS
The medicinal value of mushrooms has been utilized in China for
centuries. Among the 200 some fungi listed in the Chinese pharmacopoeia,
the most esteemed are the “tonic” mushrooms prized
for their ability to promote overall vitality. Modern research
has focused on the immune-boosting power of some of these mushrooms.
In the past year alone, two major international conferences on
the medicinal applications of mushrooms have attracted scientists
from around the world. Japanese firms and American drug companies
alike are snapping up patents on mushroom compounds.
Much of the attention is focused on the role of special compounds
called polysaccharides, large chains of simple sugars believed
to have powerful anti-viral, anti-tumor, and immune-boosting properties,
with applications for treating conditions as diverse as lung cancer
and AIDS.
Shiitake (Lentinus edodes), zhu ling (Grifola, Polypori Umbellati),
maitake (Grifola frondos), and reishi/ling zhi (Ganoderma lucidum),
are the mushrooms used most frequently in the treatment of cancer
and other serious immune degeneration. Polysaccharides of mushrooms
exhibit anti-tumor potential. Mushrooms are often rich in germanium,
an element that oxygenates.
Shiitake, which is highly treasured for its flavor, is a natural
source of interferon, a protein that appears to induce an immune
response against cancer, especially cancers of the stomach and
cervix, and viral diseases. Much of the more-recent scientific
interest has focused on two shiitake compounds with antitumor
activity, lentinan and LEM. These extracts have been approved
for use as adjuncts to cancer therapy in Japan because of their
ability to strengthen the immune system during chemotherapy and
radiation. Another compound found in shiitake, eritadenine, lowers
cholesterol in animals and humans.
Zhu Ling is also a delicious edible mushroom. Its most active
medicinal compounds are found not in the caps but in tuberlike
parts that grow underground. The Chinese use zhu ling as a short-term
tonic to bolster the immune system during times of stress or illness.
Zhu ling has shown promise in the treatment of lung cancer, stimulating
an immune response against tumors and reducing the toxicity of
chemotherapy.
Maitake, literally translated as the “the dancing mushroom,”
is well known for its many beneficial properties. Like reishi
and shiitake, maitake is rich in polysaccharides, and is particularly
renowned for its rich concentration of beta glucan, a dynamic
aid to our natural defenses.
In studies done by Dr. Hiroaki Nanba in Japan, maitake enhanced
the effects of chemotherapy drugs, making it possible for patients
to reduce their dosage and therefore the drug’s toxicity.
Other research has found maitake to be effective in the treatment
of Hepatitis B and generally protective of the liver. While whole-maitake
extract can be used as a general wellness tonic, cancer patients
may take d-fraction, the compound used specifically in Dr. Nanba’s
research, as an adjunct to cancer treatment.
Reishi/Ling Zhi is a mushroom you wouldn’t enjoy eating.
Reishi is bitter as well as tough. Due to its bitterness, reishi
is best taken as a supplement rather than as a food. Due to its
woody texture, simply grinding the whole mushroom into a powder
does not allow the human body to digest and assimilate it. For
this reason, it has to be boiled for hours or made into an extract.
Clinically reishi has shown anti-tumor and immune boosting results.
If you are recovering from chronic illness, undergoing cancer
treatment, have depressed immunity, or merely want to strengthen
your body’s defenses, you might want to add these delicious
healing fungi to your diet regularly. PCMC Herb Center carries
dried shiitake mushrooms as a grocery item and both shiitake and
reishi extracts in capsule and tea formulas.
February 1999
