Ancient Romans believed mushrooms  were a gift of the gods, growing where  Jupiter's thunderbolt hit the earth.  Filtering folklore from fact, research confirms that extracts from certain  mushrooms are such a gift after all,  imparting immune-modulating substances,  protecting vital organs and providing  anti-cancer chemicals.

You have probably noticed that a great variety of mushrooms are available in markets these days. There is an equal proliferation of mushroom-based products lining your natural food store's supplement shelves. It's not surprising that mushrooms contain substances beneficial for our health. After all, they manage to grow in darkness and protect themselves from excessive moisture and microbes that would kill most green plants and disable many animals.

Mushrooms fall into a category all their own, with different laws than botanical plants. In fact, some attributes of mushrooms are more similar to animal life than to plant life. Like mammals, they take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide, but they also use the carbon dioxide to make food. Their cell membranes are structurally strong because mushrooms contain the same substance, chitin (pronounced KI-tin), found in shrimp or crab shells. Mushrooms also produce enzymes to break down such structures for food. The Cordyceps fungus, a parasite on a cocoon, is considered an animal in winter and a vegetable in summer, hence the Chinese name, "summer grass, winter worm.

"Some cultures have given the mushroom another status, as a supernatural being. Psychoactive mushrooms, with their role in heightening awareness, may have contributed to the evolution of Homo sapiens from earlier descendents. Ancient Taoists believed the Reishi could confer immortality.

Some mushrooms protect the heart, liver, and kidneys. Others contain anti-cancer chemicals. Mycologists (scientists who study mushrooms) say these marvels of nature are capable of self-protection and self-transformation, transmuting animal and plant waste into something useful. When ingested into the human body, mushrooms apply these abilities to metabolic waste and environmental toxins. *

Mushrooms as Medicine

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According to noted author and herbalist Christopher Hobbs, L.Ac., mushrooms vary considerably in nutritional components. Still, most edible varieties are a good source of essential amino acids, minerals, vitamin D, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin.

But some mushrooms go beyond ordinary nutrients, into the category of medicine, with excellent results in reversing chronic, degenerative diseases, cancer, and environmental illnesses. The most popular medicinal mushrooms are of Asian origin: Maitake, Shiitake, Reishi, Coriolus, and Cordyceps, usually taken as an extract or tea. According to Dr. William Samueli of www.canceralternatives.net, Agaricus blazei, a relatively new variety discovered and grown primarily in Brazil, has been showing exceptional anti-tumor qualities. Agaricus was recently approved in Taiwan as an anti-cancer remedy. European folk remedies include the Chaga and the unappetizing Stinkhorn to fight cancer. Even some gourmet delicacies served up by great chefs have anti-tumor action.

Sugars connected into long chains of complex carbohydrates called polysaccharides hold the key to most of the medicinal properties. The carbohydrate molecules play a role in cell to cell communication. One polysaccharide in particular, called beta-glucan, has pronounced anti-tumor activity.
 
 

Members of the woody polypore family (like the Reishi, pictured here) cannot be chewed or digested as food. But all mushrooms, even the fleshy gourmet varieties, must be heated to break the tough cell walls  that contain medicinal properties.

Similar glyconutrients are the healing agents in other remedies including echinacea, aloe vera, ginseng, and astragalus. Kombucha, the Manchurian mushroom (not a true mushroom but a culture of yeasts and bacteria) known as an elixir of long life, contains another variant--glucuronic acid to detoxify the body and the blood.

Other important chemical compounds are triterpenes that can help regulate blood pressure, and natural steroids to address liver toxicity. We don't know all the exact mechanisms by which mushrooms act as a "biological response modulator" or "adaptogen"--allowing our bodies to adapt to stress and regain balance, or respond to invaders rapidly and appropriately. The active chemicals may work through neurotransmitters, cytokines (proteins such as interleukin that regulate immune response) and hormones to potentiate the body's natural healing abilities.

One thing is clear. In many parts of the world, mushrooms have been considered medicine since ancient times, and today mushroom products comprise major cancer medicines and top-selling nutritional products in Japan. Clinical studies are "proving" what bodies of medical knowledge thousands of years old have repeatedly shown: mushrooms are natural healing allies.

Medicinal Parts of Mushrooms

Mushrooms grow from a network of filaments called mycelia, which are the actual fungal organism. Microscopic, threadlike cells quickly grow into something resembling a root system but function differently. They feed on decomposed matter by expressing enzymes outside the mycelial cells. Digestion takes place outside and the matter is reabsorbed as food. Breaking down cellulose and other organic material, they produce a long, stringy web.

Under the right conditions mycelia produce mushrooms, just as a tree produces fruit. Both the mycelia and their "fruit-bodies" (mushrooms) contain polysaccharides, complex carbohydrates that feed immune cells and stimulate immune function, improve resistance to bacteria, parasites, and fungus, and even inhibit tumor growth.

Mycelia are easy to cultivate (fed on wood chips and other matter), and grow rapidly. Because of the large quantity needed for concentrated, therapeutic use, medicinal extracts are often made from mycelia. By contrast, the time involved in producing the fruit-bodies can make them prohibitively expensive. Indeed, at one time only emperors had access to the limited supply of certain healing mushrooms. But cultivation of mycelia today changes that picture.

Still, according to John Seleen, President of Mushroom Science in Eugene, Oregon, some fruit-bodies are preferred for specific outcomes. The hard, red, Reishi mushroom cell wall, for instance, contains cholesterol-lowering compounds not found in mycelia alone. And Shiitake provides two different medicines, one from the mycelium and one from the mushroom. Mushroom Science cultivates and sells whole and ground medicinal mushrooms and extracts that ensure maximum bioavailability.
 

The actual fungal organism that produces mushrooms is a network of filaments called mycelia (shown magnified with a scanning electron micrograph). Mycelia exchange materials with their environment, to the benefit of the  organism and the soil. Both the mycelia and their "fruit-bodies" (mushrooms) have medicinal properties.

Although medicinal mushrooms are all "edible" in the sense that they are beneficial, many medicinals are part of the polypore family, a tough, woody, group of mushrooms, and are not digestible as food. But all mushroom cell walls--woody or fleshy--derive their strength from chitin (which is indigestible) and cannot be broken down without heat. The medicinal beta-glucans are components within the chitin. A heat extraction process is necessary to release the active chemicals, concentrate them to therapeutically significant levels, and allow them to be readily assimilated. The beta-glucans then enter the bloodstream unchanged by digestion and go right to receptor sites on immune cells. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) all mushrooms, hard or soft, are generally prepared as a decoction or tea. The medicines obtained from Coriolius, Maitake, and Shiitake are all extracted with heat. (See details under the individual headings.) Even the fleshy, delicious culinary mushrooms have no value raw.

Mushroom-Based Products

The most potent medicinal mushrooms are purchased as a liquid extract, a capsule, or in dried or powdered form to be made into a tea, paste, or soup. These can often be found in Asian markets, through practitioners of TCM, in health food stores, herb shops, or on the Internet (see contact list at end of article). Many tasty mushroom dishes have healing powers as well, though not as concentrated as the extracts or decoctions. There are now also a number of potent mushroom-based formulations, combining different mushrooms, or combining mushroom with other immune-boosting natural herbs and substances.
 
 

Many cultures throughout history have been drawn to the bright colors and archetypal shape of  Amanita muscaria.

Similarly, the anti-cancer properties of mushrooms help the body quickly recognize and respond to the underlying cancer process, often related to programmed cell death. A relatively new mushroom-based product called Grifron-Pro Maitake D-fraction extract was the subject of a study that showed it did just that. Last December a research group at the Department of Urology at the New York Medical College presented the results of their research at the American Academy of Anti-aging Medicine. Their study demonstrated that the Maitake D-fraction extract had a significant cytotoxic (cell-poisoning) effect on prostatic cancer cells, resulting in programmed cell death (apoptosis).
 
 

Fun(gus)Facts Did you know...   how far back do mushrooms go? * Mycelium existed in the primordial sea when life began. * Fungi were king after the great period of extinction when it is likely that meteor dust filled the air and caused a long period of darkness. * Mushroom gathering is such an old endeavor that it is depicted in prehistoric cave paintings, and in Mayan and Aztec stonework. * A 5,300 year old Ice Man discovered in the Alps in 1991 was carrying polypore mushrooms on his trek. * Ancient Meso-American civilizations took the mushrooms' protective role literally, placing them (or stones shapedlike them) on the land as guardians.   how big are mushrooms? * More than a mile of mycelia can be found in one cubic inch of soil. * The largest living organism is a subterranean mass  of mycelium found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan stretching 50 square miles and estimated to be 1,500 years old.

how many species of mushrooms are there? * There are close to 100,000 identified species  of mushrooms, with more awaiting discovery; over 50  are used in Chinese medicine, and more are being  studied. how are mushrooms eco-friendly? * Humans create more debris than any other organism, while mycelia rapidly recycle debris to create rich soils and food. * Mushroom mycelia have the unique ability to restore devastated regions of the earth by regenerating the soil  with nutrients and retaining moisture. * Gourmet Mushrooms, Inc. has received a research  grant from the European Economic Community to grow mushrooms on recycled boxes, and investigate the use of mushrooms to break down other industrial waste.       * The enzymes in oyster mushrooms can break  down heavy oils from industrial pollution in the ground.

Author, environmentalist, and martial artist Paul Stamets of Fungi Perfecti in Olympia, Washington, producers of MycoMedicinals^®, reminds us that mushrooms have been used by warriors in many civilizations. He recommends the extracts for endurance. His latest product, MycoSoft^®, (taken tongue in cheek...) delivers a blend of eight polypore mushrooms as a general immune-stimulating tonic.

MGN-3 is a nutritional supplement created by Lane Labs and available in health food stores. An extract of Shiitake is combined enzymatically with rice bran to create a potent immune-boosting compound. The Shiitake modifies the rice bran for greater absorption and immune action through the digestive system.

Dr. David G. Williams, editor of the newsletter Alternatives, considers MGN-3 one of the most significant finds in all his years of tracking new cures. Study results show that MGN-3 rids the body of toxins that cause environmental illness such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and puts cancer into remission. Dr. Mamdooh Ghoneum, who created this powerful healing combination, has seen remarkable recoveries. At the end of an eight-month study with breast cancer patients, two out of five were in complete remission. He also gives a case history of a man with a very rare and "incurable" cancer (multiple myeloma, which affects the bone marrow); after six months on MGN-3 he was cancer-free and remains so eight years later.

Dr. Ghoneum compares conventional cancer treatment to a terrorist attack, destroying everything around it, even white blood cells. Rather than attacking cancer cells, MGN-3 feeds the immune cells that attack the tumors. Instead of degrading the immune system, MGN-3 builds it, so the product is completely non-toxic. A study reported in the International Journal of Immunotherapy showed that MGN-3 worked within hours. After only a week at a dosage of 3 grams a day, patients had eight times the number of natural killer cells.
 
 
 

Culinary Magic While the tough, medicinal polypore family is best used as a tea or extract  (they can't be chewed or digested and taste bitter), the softer, gilled family  of mushrooms, such as Enoki, Oyster, Porcini, Morel, Chanterelle, and  Portobello, add taste delights to many dishes. The "meatier" varieties, like  Portobello, can be sliced and grilled like steaks. More delicate varieties like  Enoki make tasty hors d'oeuvres, and most varieties add body to soups and sauces. Oyster and Straw mushrooms are popular in Asian cuisine, while  Europeans and modern gourmets favor the subtleties of Chanterelle and  Porcini, or the sweet taste of the Morel. Oyster mushrooms, like those pictured in the dish above, are rich in amino  acids, iron, and B vitamins, and may provide tumor inhibition. Straw mushrooms lower blood pressure and are a good source of protein. Tender Enoki  mushrooms may prevent liver disease and ulcers, and inhibit tumors.  The sweet-tasting Morel is a tonic to the intestines and stomach, regulates Chi, and has anti-tumor action. Chanterelle prevents night blindness and  increases resistance to respiratory infection. Porcini mushrooms are known for tumor inhibition. Shiitakes are prized for the truffle-like way their mellow, rich flavor infuses food. Although their extracts are sold as medicine in Japan, Shiitake are members of a different family than the woody polypores--softer  and more digestible. Shiitake can be cooked in stews, soups and stir-fries  with Asian vegetables. Add spices and herbs such as ginger and lemongrass or garlic and onions.

 

Reishi

Aside from polysaccharides, Reishi contains chemicals that aid the liver and cardiovascular health. For such an organ tonic, only the fruit-body extracts are beneficial. Cancer patients report less pain and better appetites after using this important mushroom. Studies in China showed benefits for AML (acute myeloid leukemia). Take this mushroom as an extract or use the powdered form as a tea or in soup.

 

Coriolus

Coriolus is the top-selling nutritional product in Japan today and the number one selling medicinal mushroom product in the world for cancer treatment (over $600 million annually in Japan, Europe and North America). This is the only mushroom to have gone through double-blind clinical trials in humans. Tested both singly and in combination with conventional therapies, it doubled or tripled survival rates and immune function. In Japan, the extract known as PSK, or Krestin, is the top cancer medicine. It even combats the disabling side effects of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and compromised cellular immunity attributed to conventional cancer drugs. Studies following patients post colon cancer surgery showed that survival rates doubled when patients were given Coriolus extract; survival rates also improved for patients with non-small cell lung cancer who were treated with radiation. Other clinical studies showed that Coriolus enhanced cytotoxicity (cancer-killing ability) by 500% within seven days, especially for sarcoma, increasing the numbers and effectiveness of immune cells while also augmenting resistance to bacterial infection.

The same active chemical used in PSK can be purchased as an extract of Coriolus. Studies have shown that healthy individuals who were given a one-time dosage of 1 gram of the extract had significant improvement in cellular immune function within 12 hours.Coriolus is also effective with hepatitis and is being tested as a hepatitis C treatment at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon.

 

Maitake

Maitake has benefits for patients with AIDS, preventing the destruction of immune cells and reducing the growth of Kaposi's Sarcoma. This mushroom is also effective in controlling high cholesterol and triglycerides, diabetes, weight problems, uterine fibroids and constipation.

You can purchase this mushroom in dried or powdered form and make a tea. Lorenzo Hayes, president of Homegrown Herbals in Colorado, provides Maitake free or at cost to people with life threatening illness, such as those undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.

 

Cordyceps

This mushroom is an adaptogen, like ginseng, that responds quickly to stress and brings the body into balance. Cordyceps is energizing because it enhances epinephrine (adrenaline) without the jitters that might be caused by the plant compound ephedra, known as Ma huang in Chinese medicine (or the synthetic, pseudoephedrine), and therefore is a good substitute when Ma huang is not well tolerated. Cordyceps is used as a respiratory tonic (helpful for pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, and emphysema), a kidney tonic, and an immune booster. It lowers cholesterol and relieves irregular heartbeat, fatigue, impotence, and infertility. For centuries it was used as an aphrodisiac.

Cordyceps is known as a longevity agent and endurance builder. A runner in the Boston marathon reported cutting 25 minutes from the run after using the tea for a month. Chinese athletes have used it for years. In TCM, Cordyceps is prescribed as a tonic cooked with duck. Cordyceps is available dried or as a nutritional supplement.

 

Shiitake