Mushrooms are becoming recognized as a valuable health food. They are low in calories, high in vegetable proteins, chitin, iron, zinc, fiber, essential amino acids, vitamins & minerals and have a long history of use in Chinese medicine. Their legendary effects on promoting good health and vitality and increasing your body's adaptive abilities have been supported by many scientific studies. These studies suggest that mushrooms help your body strengthen itself and fight off illness by restoring your bodies balance and natural resistance to disease. The compounds they contain have immune system enhancement properties. In Japan, Russia, China, and the U.S. several different polysaccharide antitumor agents have been developed from the fruiting body, mycelia, and culture medium of various medicinal mushrooms. Many scientific studies performed in universities and medical facilities have produced volumes of studies on the medicinal effects of mushrooms on many different ailments affecting humans. A medicinal mushroom blend will usually contain Shitake (Lentinus edodes), Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), Maitake (Grifola frondosa), and/or Cordyceps (Cordyceps sinesis) as well as many other possible, but less well known candidates. Another popular mushroom is Coriolus versicolor. The 3 mushrooms which have the broadest range of action are Shitake, Reishi and Maitake.

Reishi has been called an “immune potentiator” and can increase the production of Interleukin-1 and 2. It has been reported that Reishi extracts “exerted an inhibition effect on tumor growth”. Studies have also indicated that Reishi has a number of other effects: analgesic, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-HIV activity, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, improves mucous flow and reduces coughing, lowers blood pressure and serum cholesterol, protects the liver and protects against ionizing radiation.

The lentinan found in Shiitake has been licensed as a anti-cancer drug by the Japanese FDA. Lentinan has shown some effect on bowel cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, ovarian cancer and lung cancer. Lentinan stimulates the production of T-lymphocytes and natural killer cells and can potentiate the effect of AZT in the anti-viral treatment of AIDS. Shiitake and maitake mushrooms have some of the same actions as Reishi, strengthening your immune system’s ability to fight bacterial and viral infection.

Human clinical studies indicate that cordyceps can be effective for treatment of high cholesterol, poor libido/impotence, arrhythmia, lung cancer, and chronic kidney failure. It is also reported that cordyceps causes smooth muscle relaxation. This can make it especially helpful for treating bronchitis and asthma.

PSK is the popular Japanese extract made from Coriolus versicolor. As clinically and anecdotally reported, the mushroom extract works well against colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and liver cancer. There was significant prolongation of disease-free periods for patients with colorectal cancer who took PSK compared with controls. [Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy 31: pp.261-268, 1990]

PSK acts directly against tumor cells as well as indirectly in the host to boost cellular immunity by increasing white cell activity and increasing natural killer cell function. The list of cancers for which it is known to be useful in animals includes adenosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, mastocytoma, plasmacytoma, melanoma, sarcoma, carcinoma, mammary cancer, colon cancer, and lung cancer.

Advanced or difficult cases may require higher doses, such as 4 capsules tid for periods of a month or longer. Because of the many favorable responses reported, patients with chronic and debilitating problems are encouraged to take these higher doses for at least a month to determine whether there will be any benefit. As mushroom extracts tend to be expensive, you should use a product manufactured by a reputable company.