Medicinal
Mushrooms
Medicinal
Mushrooms have been used in the Orient for thousands of years – unknowingly
for their glyconutrient content. A number of them – Maitake,
Reishi, Shiitake, Coriolus, and Cordyceps among others – have
long been used in the Orient to prevent and fight disease. The
earliest record of use dates from China (206 BCE to 220 CE) when
the fungus was used to treat spleen and stomach problems, hemorrhoids,
and anxiety. Taoist alchemists concocted tonics and teas. The
royals and weathy were convinced that mushrooms improved health
and extended life spans.
In
fact, the Reishi was hailed as the mushroom of immortality; and
ancients used it to sharpen memory, improve mood, and enhance
vital energy (qi or chi). However, this mushroom is purely medicinal
and not for eating. A substance derived from Reishi mushrooms
is called Ling Zhi-8; and according to studies, this protein-rich
gluconutrient may help in treating leukemia.
Maitake,
on the other hand, tastes like chicken and can grow to the size
of a basketball, weighing up to 50 pounds. In feudal times, it
was so prized that it was traded for its weight in silver.
Today,
growing techniques have shortened and mediums for growth have
changed. Mushrooms are generally cultivated and not “found”.
Often, they are grown on sawdust. Because mushrooms do not have
chlorophyll, they derive their nutrients from the medium in which
they are grown. Medicinal mushrooms stimulate the immune cells
so well that three anti-cancer drugs used in Japan have been
extracted from compounds within these mushrooms. However, only
50 or so varieties have this kind of medicinal ability. The March
issue of Biotechnology Programs published a study that came to
the conclusion “we are just beginning to scratch the surface
when it comes to glyconutrients and how they really work”.
Polysaccharides
K and P are both extracted from the Coriolus mushroom, which
grows wild on tree trunks in North America and Asia. This mushroom
is used in teas and extracts rather than for eating. Polysaccharide
K is also called PSK and krestin. It has been studied in Japan
since the 1960s and has been approved for treating cancer. The
glyconutrient is often used there in conjunction with traditional
cancer treatment since it seems to work synergistically with
chemotherapy and radiation. In fact, the extract is one of the
best-selling cancer drugs in Japan and Europe. Polysaccharide
P (PSP) was first isolated from the Coriolus mushroom in China,
where it is used to treat cancer. It also has many of the same
properties as PSK. Preliminary studies indicate that it also
fights the flu and boosts the overall immune system.
Button
mushrooms, found in almost every grocery store, are NOT a good
saccharide source. In fact, several studies have concluded that
this mushroom actually induces benign and cancerous tumors, particularly
if eaten raw.
Cordyceps
do not grow naturally on trees nor are they spawned in sawdust.
This mushroom survives by infecting an underground moth larva
or pupa (although some species of cordyceps prefer insects, truffles,
or spiders) and leisurely feed off the host, devouring it in
the process. The mushroom finally breaks through the caterpillar’s
head and out to the surface where it disperses its spores.
Cordyceps
are rich in Glucose, Mannose, and Galactose polysaccharides and
are used in China to treat cancer by rousing the immune system
to ferret out cancer cells and destroy them. This well-studied
mushroom is also used to treat high cholesterol and high blood
pressure, lupus, kidney disease, hepatitis, cirrhosis of the
liver, asthma, and diabetes. As with mushroom extracts, whole
mushrooms work by boosting the intelligent activity of the immune
system’s white blood cells rather than by directly killing
pathogens. It appears that Cordyceps activate a number of immune
defences by enhancing the production of interleukins, helper-T
and natural killer cells. They also have the ability to suppress
an overactive immune system. Studies have shown that they also
have the ability to suppress Lupus from attacking the kidneys.
Several studies have suggested that Cordyceps and other medicinal
mushrooms can prevent the development of type I diabetes.
There
are more than 200 known mushrooms that contain the essential
saccharides capable of arming the immune system. Unless the mushrooms
are very fresh, it is better to use dried ones. Drying does not
degrade the glyconutrient content; in fact, it preserves the
nutrients. Whether fresh or dried, always cook mushrooms before
eating them. Raw mushrooms have fewer benefits than cooked because
the glyconutrient molecules remain trapped in the chitin – the
mushroom’s skeleton which is like the cellulose that forms
the fibrous structure of green plants.
The
most certain way to extract the polysaccharides is to prepare
a decoction or tea. Wipe mushrooms to remove dirt. Cover with
water and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce to simmer, cover, and
cook until the mushrooms are tender. Drink the broth and eat
the mushrooms. The average intake of Maitake extract is 1-3 grams
per day for a healthy individual; double that for a chronic condition.
In vitro studies suggest that Maitake mushrooms may be valuable
in fighting the parasite that causes malaria.
It
is a personal choice as to which mushroom is the best since most
have not been tested for their health-giving properties. With
only about 80,000 species identified, it is estimated that this
is only 5% of the total species on earth. Common sense dictates
that a variety is best, and eating a variation of extracts and
fresh ones is also a good idea. However, it is always best to
buy organic mushrooms since they tend to concentrate heavy metals
(including lead) if these substances are present in the growing
medium.
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