449 Medicinal Mushrooms [4 Dec 2017]

Medicinal mushrooms are commonly used in Japan (hence the Japanese names for many of them) but are underutilized in North America, mostly I think due to lack of awareness. Most of the research, including many human studies, have been done in China and Japan. I didn’t know much about them until I participated in a webinar on the topic by Dr. Philip Rouchotas.

The active ingredients in the mushrooms are various polysaccharides which are protected in the mushrooms by a chitin cell wall. Hot water or steam extraction works best to release the polysaccharides.

Coriolus, Reishi, Maitake, Shiitake and Chaga all have similar medicinal properties. Their most important role is assisting with advanced cancer treatment, taken along with chemotherapy and radiation. These mushrooms have been used in Japan for this purpose for over 30 years. Studies have shown that they:

• Stimulate activity of NK (Natural Killer) white blood cells to attack cancer cells
• Protect Neutrophils from destruction by chemo, allowing treatment to continue (if neutrophil count gets too low chemo treatment has to be stopped)
• Reduce side effects of chemo and radiation therapy including fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, and insomnia
• Help maintain body weight during cancer treatment
• Increase length of remission and survival rates from cancer treatment

These five mushrooms also have anti-viral properties and have been shown in human trials to be effective with HIV, HPV and other viral, fungal and bacterial infections. They also help with conditions of severe fatigue like Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Cordyceps is another well studied mushroom, highly valued by the Chinese. An important use is in treating adrenal fatigue by balancing cortisol production. It improves symptoms of respiratory conditions including COPD. Cordyceps improves cardio-pulmonary function in elderly people, increasing their stamina.

Lion’s Mane is known as the “brain mushroom” because it stimulates nerve growth. It’s main use is with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and MS. Animal studies show that it increases growth of myelin making it a promising treatment for MS. Dr. Rouchotas considers it to be the most important supplement in treatment of brain injury such as concussion, along with fish oil, CoQ10 and Acetyl-L-Carnitine.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.