Do Some Mushrooms Have Healing Properties?
by Theresa Carbrey
Nature has focused remarkable energy in mushrooms. Some mushrooms are delicious, some are hallucinogenic, others are highly toxic, while others are potent medicines. Biologists classify mushrooms as fungi, a group of primitive organisms. Our Western cultural bias has led us to disregard the healing power of the lowly mushroom, but in the Far East the use of mushrooms and other fungi as medicine has a long history. The discovery of the powerful antibiotic properties of penicillin, a common mold, in 1929 stirred considerable interest in the medical community. Then in 1959, an antitumor substance was isolated in the common wild puffball mushroom. Since that time, many mushrooms have been found to have chemicals called polysaccharides that inhibit viral reproduction and stimulate the immune system, according to John Bellew in February 1991 East West magazine. Unlike many synthetic drugs, these natural compounds have no toxic side effects but rather work like gentle tonics, according to Andrew Weil, M.D. and author of Natural Health, Natural Medicine (Houghton Mifflin 1990). Two Oriental mushrooms, shiitake and reishi are available in stores and a newcomer, the Japanese maitake, may soon join these in renown.
Nature has focused remarkable energy in mushrooms. Some mushrooms are delicious, some are hallucinogenic, others are highly toxic, while others are potent medicines. Biologists classify mushrooms as fungi, a group of primitive organisms. Our Western cultural bias has led us to disregard the healing power of the lowly mushroom, but in the Far East the use of mushrooms and other fungi as medicine has a long history. The discovery of the powerful antibiotic properties of penicillin, a common mold, in 1929 stirred considerable interest in the medical community. Then in 1959, an antitumor substance was isolated in the common wild puffball mushroom. Since that time, many mushrooms have been found to have chemicals called polysaccharides that inhibit viral reproduction and stimulate the immune system, according to John Bellew in February 1991 East West magazine. Unlike many synthetic drugs, these natural compounds have no toxic side effects but rather work like gentle tonics, according to Andrew Weil, M.D. and author of Natural Health, Natural Medicine (Houghton Mifflin 1990). Two Oriental mushrooms, shiitake and reishi are available in stores and a newcomer, the Japanese maitake, may soon join these in renown.
Shiitake taste good and are good for you!
The large, meaty, flavorful black mushroom of Chinese cuisine, the shiitake (Lentinus edodes) is available both fresh and dried. Andrew Weil, M.D., writing in the May/June 1993 issue of Natural Health notes, "Good Japanese research confirms that shiitake lower serum cholesterol in both animals and humans. The responsible compound is called eritadenine. Other research suggests immune stimulatory activity of a polysaccharide component called lentinan. The "shii" of shiitake refers to the oak on which these mushrooms grow. "Take" means mushroom in Japanese, so it is redundant to say "shiitake mushroom."
Shiitake are ancient medicine
Ancient Oriental herbalists believed that wild shiitake is potent medicine. A paste made from the concentrated mushroom has a long history in Chinese folklore for the treatment of tumors, heart disease, high blood pressure and problems related to sexual dysfunction and aging.
According to John Belleno in the February issue of East West Journal, the Institute of Mushroom Research in Japan did more than 100 studies on shiitake under the direction of Dr. Kisaku Mori. Dr. Mori's studies "have focused on shiitake extracts that can rapidly lower serum cholesterol and which have potent antitumor, antiviral and antibiotic properties."
According to The Journal of Nutrition, rats fed the shiitake mushroom compound eritadenine, dropped their blood pressure 25 to 45 percent in just a few days. Studies with humans have shown 5-6 shiitakes a day lowers cholesterol 12 percent in a week.
The most dramatic experiment demonstrating shiitake's antitumor effect was performed on animals. At the National Cancer Research Center in Tokyo, mice suffering from sarcoma, a type of virally-induced cancer, were treated with small doses of shiitake extract over short periods of time.
The results, published in the U.S. journal Cancer Research in 1970, showed that six out of ten mice had complete tumor regression. At slightly higher concentrations, shiitake was 100 percent effective--all mice showed tumor regression.
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