Hyla Cass
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 Cancer patients may also wish to investigate medicinal mushrooms (such types as reishi, shiitake, cordyceps, maitake, agaracus, and coriolus) as immune-boosting companions to chemotherapy. These medicinal mushrooms are sources of antitumor and immunity-modulating polysaccharides (a type of carbohydrate) that have been extensively researched. Formulas containing concentrated extracts of medicinal mushrooms are available; talk with your oncologist about which he or she might recommend.
Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). |
| These medicinal mushrooms are sources of antitumor and immunity-modulating polysaccharides (a type of carbohydrate) that have been extensively researched. Formulas containing concentrated extracts of medicinal mushrooms are available; talk with your oncologist about which he or she might recommend.
Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Many cancer patients also turn to acupuncture and TCM to help them get through the rigors of chemo.
Use herbs if you need help relaxing. Support your program by getting plenty of sleep and taking steps to cope with stress. |
| These medicinal mushrooms are sources of antitumor and immunity-modulating polysaccharides (a type of carbohydrate) that have been extensively researched. Formulas containing concentrated extracts of medicinal mushrooms are available; talk with your oncologist about which he or she might recommend.
Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Many cancer patients also turn to acupuncture and TCM to help them get through the rigors of chemo.
Use herbs if you need help relaxing. Support your program by getting plenty of sleep and taking steps to cope with stress. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Sadly, the WCRF still does not recommend that consumers use nutritional supplements to help protect themselves from cancer, indicating that the group still has a lot to learn about the role of medicinal mushrooms, sea vegetables, microalgae, Chinese herbs, rainforest herbs and superfood extracts in preventing and reversing cancer. But at least the group's recommendation that consumers now avoid all processed meat products is a huge step in the right direction. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 He personally feels that maitake is the most potent of the three medicinal mushrooms discussed here, though he uses all of them for different things.
Shiitake
The shiitake mushroom is one of the most widely cultivated specialty species of mushroom in the world and is deeply valued for its medicinal effects as well as for the fact that it tastes delicious. It contains enzymes and vitamins that do not normally appear in plants, like all eight essential amino acids and one of the essential fatty acids, linoleic acid. The caps contain more nutrients than the stems. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
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| Formulas containing concentrated extracts of medicinal mushrooms are available; talk with your oncologist about which he or she might recommend.
Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Many cancer patients also turn to acupuncture and TCM to help them get through the rigors of chemo.
Use herbs if you need help relaxing. Support your program by getting plenty of sleep and taking steps to cope with stress. For better sleep and relaxation, it's safe to use herbs such as valerian (150-300 mg) and passionflower (300^150 mg).
Note: Avoid St. |
Christopher Hobbs
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 As can be seen from a review of the bibliography of medicinal mushrooms, most of the laboratory and clinical studies were performed in China and Japan. The way in which these studies were designed, the care in which they were performed, and the data gathered and evaluated vary widely among research groups. In general, Japanese studies more closely follow accepted western protocols for scientific testing and evaluation, and the instrumentation available to the researchers is often of good design and quality. In China, the quality of the studies and instrumentation is much more variable. |
| This new interest has been greatly stimulated by the large number of scientific studies that have been conducted on medicinal mushrooms. These modern studies have confirmed the traditional uses of many fungi and have even found new applications for them in some cases. Let's take a brief look at some of the findings. For complete summaries, see the monographs on individual species in the materia medica section. |
| For instance, the works of Hippocrates, Dioscorides, the Pen T'sao, Gerard, Parkinson, and the Eclectics were reviewed for relevant information on medicinal mushrooms. Obviously many of the historical uses for mushrooms are very general and often based on a specific aspect of the appearance of a species (such as the phenomenally phallic stinkhorn). The theory that some morphological characteristic of a plant or other substance might give clues to its medicinal activity is called the "doctrine of signatures. |
David W. Grotto, RD, LDN
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 Wasser SP. medicinal mushrooms as a source of antitumor and immunomodulating polysaccharides. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2002 Nov;60(3):258-274.
Oats www.namamillers.org
Pins JJ, Geleva D, Keenan JM, Frazel C, O'Connor PJ, Cherney LM. Do whole-grain oat cereals reduce the need for antihypertensive medications and improve blood pressure control? JFam Pract,2002;51:353-359.
Pomeroy S, Tupper R, Cehun-Anders, Nestel P. Oat beta-glucan lowers total and LDL-cholesterol. Aust J Nut Diet. 2001 ;58:51-54.
Queenan KL et al. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 It is really the heart and soul of not only of medicinal mushrooms, but of holistic. We could talk for hours on what the reishi mushroom is capable of doing and what it can be used for. It's interesting, I was actually just in Hong Kong doing a lecture on medicinal mushrooms for cancer treatment. I went around and started looking in local stores. And you go into what would be like a 7-Eleven there, and you find reishi extracts actually on the shelf. That's how pervasive it is through at least parts of the Asian community. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Outstanding, high-potency medicinal mushrooms. I love their Reishi and Cordyceps products.
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Unbelievably great-tasting "Bliss Mix" product is now available. It contains the creamiest, most delicious cashews ever! Plus it has goji, cacao nibs, mulberries... oh yumm! Can you say, "RAWSOME? |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 These men, for example, are taking more nutritional supplements than ever before, and instead of pursuing the cheap, low-quality "bodybuilding" supplements that typify the past purchasing behavior of men, they're now consuming brain-enhancing nutrients (like bacopa, Lion's Mane, ginkgo and PS) and immune boosting nutrients (alkalizing greens, medicinal mushrooms, fish oils, etc.). They're turning away from over-processed, over-cooked and over-hyped brand-name foods and learning ways to eat more raw, organic and locally-grown produce. |
Christopher Hobbs
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| Clinical reports from the 20th century: written reports from clinicians of all types who have used medicinal mushrooms in their practices.
3. Scientific studies: organized laboratory studies in vitro, where various organisms (such as bacteria) or cells (such as human immune cells) were exposed to mushroom extracts to observe their influence, or in vivo laboratory or clinical studies with animals or humans, either controlled or uncontrolled. |
Hyla Cass
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| Formulas containing concentrated extracts of medicinal mushrooms are available; talk with your oncologist about which he or she might recommend.
Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Many cancer patients also turn to acupuncture and TCM to help them get through the rigors of chemo.
Use herbs if you need help relaxing. Support your program by getting plenty of sleep and taking steps to cope with stress. For better sleep and relaxation, it's safe to use herbs such as valerian (150-300 mg) and passionflower (300-450 mg).
Note: Avoid St. |
Bill Sardi
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 International Journal medicinal mushrooms 3: 291-98, 2001] Another small study in Korea also found a reduced risk for gastric cancer among adults who consume mushrooms. [International J Cancer 97:531 -5, 2002]
Another study documents the ability of mushroom extracts to raise immunity. The normal range of natural killer cells in humans is about 5 to 20 % of the white blood cell population, or about 75-1,800 cells per cubic millimeter. Treatment with extracts from coriolus mushroom extract raised natural killer cell count from 129 to 175, an increase of 35 %. |
| International Journal medicinal mushrooms 3: 86, 2001]
Other mushroom extracts that have been shown to have clinical effectiveness against human cancers are D-fraction extracted from the Maitake mushroom, and extracts from the split gill, turkey tail and Reishi mushrooms. In 1998, Maitake Products received FDA approval for an Investigational New Drug Phase II pilot study of maitake mushroom extract in the treatment of advanced breast and prostate cancer.
Dietary mushrooms and cancer
There is also some evidence that the consumption of mushrooms in the diet may ward off cancer. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Total body cleansing, including liver cleanse, kidney cleanse and digestive cleanse
Supplementation with trace minerals like selenium
Regular physical exercise that makes you sweat (sweating is the body's way to eliminate toxins)
Completely eliminating all smoking, eating processed foods and using common personal care products or cosmetics (which contain cancer-causing chemicals)
Daily consumption of medicinal mushrooms like Reishi (recommended brand: www.MushroomScience.com)
Daily consumption of anti-cancer rainforest herbs (like Cat's Claw or Una de Gato: See http://www.newstarget. |
Bill Sardi
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| Medicinal mushrooms... 445
Profits or cures? ... 446
Dietary mushrooms and cancer... 446
Mushroom extracts sometimes disappoint... 447 AHCC... 447 Beta glucan extracts... 447 Aloe and cancer... 448 Chaparral and cancer... 449 Ginkgo biloba ... 450 The phytoestrogens... 450
Flax among men ... 455
Flaxseed, flax oil or flax lignans? ... 455
Pomegranate ... 457
Graviola (Paw Paw)... 458
Ginseng ... 458
Ginger... 459
Olive leaf extract ... 460
Lycopene ... 463
Lycopene disappoints ... 465 Blood levels of lycopene ... 465 Dietary lycopene intake ... 465 Lycopene prostate concentration .. |
| Doctors prescribe drugs, but there are other just as promising, if not more effective, immune boosters, available directly to cancer patients in the form of medicinal mushrooms and purified mushroom-like molecules called beta glucan. nal antibodies (see chart above). Despite their unimpressive track regard, they have been a remarkably profitable class of drugs and doctors have not abandoned their use. Their effect wears off over time. |
| Although the Mayo Clinic regards the use of medicinal mushrooms as more traditional than scientific, they operate in a manner similar to prescription drugs known as monoclo-
Profits or cures?
Cancer patients need to understand the disconnect between the supposed mission to cure cancer and the objective of the companies that make monoclonal antibodies, which appears to be profits above delivery of an effective treatment. The total therapeutic monoclonal antibodies market was estimated at $296 million in 2002, and was projected to surge to $2.8 billion by 2010. |
| Applied Microbiology Biotechnology 67: 453-68, 2005] The critics will claim medicinal mushrooms are unproven. So oncologists continue to prefer disproven monoclonal antibodies over unproven mushroom extracts.
In fact, a number of mushroom molecules have proceeded through phase I, II, and III clinical trials. (Phase I tests a new drug or treatment in a small group; Phase II expands the study to a larger group of people; Phase III expands the study to an even larger group of people; and Phase IV takes place after the drug or treatment has been licensed and marketed. |
Mike Adams
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 On the supplement side, I recommend cod liver oil, policosinol, macadamia nut oil and medicinal mushrooms like Reishi and Shiitake. And if you really need a boost from supplements, try red yeast rice.
In addition to good nutrition, achieving healthy cholesterol levels also requires avoiding all dairy products (milk, cheese, etc.) except, perhaps, raw organic milk. It also requires giving up animal fats, which means avoiding all meat consumption other than very lean meat such as buffalo, ostrich or turkey. Beef is out of the question as far as I'm concerned. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| It's interesting, I was actually just in Hong Kong doing a lecture on medicinal mushrooms for cancer treatment. I went around and started looking in local stores. And you go into what would be like a 7-Eleven there, and you find reishi extracts actually on the shelf. That's how pervasive it is through at least parts of the Asian community.
Mike: These mushrooms have been used medicinally throughout Asia for literally thousands of years, and quite effectively and safely, I might add. Here in the Western world, many people are just now waking up to the medicinal qualities of mushrooms. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Some say even late stage diseases can be reversed with powerful medicinal mushrooms, superfoods, or innovative therapies that I'm not even going to detail here.
We do not have to have a society of degenerative disease. We do not have to live in a society of obesity and skyrocketing healthcare costs. We don't have to live in a society where our children can't focus, where their nervous systems are impaired because of the diets they're fed and the artificial foods and colors they're being served not only at home, but right there in the school cafeterias! |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| Mike: Now, it seems conventional medicine is increasingly comfortable with the idea of people perhaps using nutrition or medicinal mushrooms in conjunction with chemotherapy, but they're very uncomfortable with the idea of people moving away from chemo and only turning to mushrooms or cancer therapies that are in the alternative world. Do you have any comments you can share on that, or is that dangerous ground to even talk about?
Kaylor: Well, it's always dangerous ground, but I always speak up. I like to think that people are becoming more receptive as far as using these things. |
Christopher Hobbs
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| Cordyceps spp.), ling zhi, zhu ling, hoelen, and Mylitta lapidescens (=P. mylittae), were mentioned. Shiitake was included in a work on herbal medicine first in 1309 in the Materia Medica in Daily Use (Wang, 1985).
A number of ancient Taoist works mention "chi" as a plant that brings happiness and immortality. In both the Pen king and the Pie lu the name chi is applied to various mushrooms, six of which are talked about in detail. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 This book teaches you about medicinal mushrooms -- the reishi mushrooms and the shitake mushrooms. Beyond that, we have anti-cancer oils: salmon oil, flax oil and cod liver oil. The list just goes on and on.
I haven't really covered them all, but in addition all those healing foods, there are all the foods you can eliminate from your diet to stop poisoning your body and stop giving yourself cancer. What are those foods? |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
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 OTHER MUSHROOM VARIETIES
In addition to the "big three" medicinal mushrooms listed above, there are many other types of mushrooms that have various health benefits.
ABM Mushrooms
Identified by the initials of its Latin name, Agaricus blazei Murill, the ABM mushroom grows in Brazil. Studies at Tokyo University showed the ABM to have a remarkable effect on the human immune system. When compared to other powerful medicinal mushrooms, including reishi and shiitake, ABM had the highest level of beta-glucan. |
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