Are Medicinal Mushrooms Magic?

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Post subject: Are Medicinal Mushrooms Magic?

 

 

By Terry Willard Ph.D.

 

From the vision-producing mushrooms the shamans used in their incitation rites

to the mushroom hunter of northern Europe, mushrooms have always held a great

fascination for man. Many a fairy tale has included members of the Fungi kingdom

as part of the backdrop. Yes, mushrooms are members of the Fungi kingdom. People

often shutter when they hear the word fungi. It brings up images of some life

forms taking over a university students refrigerator, athletes foot, dirty

showers or maybe a yeast infection. There are more than 100,000 different

species of fungi, some beneficial to man, some not. Some are edible, some

poisonous, some produce visions and some have strong medicinal properties. In

the Western world, medicinal mushrooms have not played as much a central role as

they have in Asian culture. We can find references in Western culture for

medicinal mushrooms as far back as 455 B.C. with Hippocrates use of them. Fungi

are also mentioned in the works of Pliny ( 23-78 AD), Dioscorides

(55 AD) and Galen (130 - 200 AD), showing that the ancients were quite familiar

with their uses.Even in present day, after the discovery in 1928 of penicillin

(a fungus), we find them playing a prominent role, making up a whole class of

antibiotic medicines. But for the richness of folklore on medicinal mushrooms,

we have to delve into Asian culture, where there is more than 3,000 years of

recorded fungi use, continuously maintaining a prominent spot in their medical

systems.

 

 

It shouldnt be surprising that some mushrooms have strong medicinal properties

when you consider their basic role is that of transmuting waste material into

good, nutritious material. It is surprising that they are considered panacea,

making medicinal mushrooms almost seem magical.

 

Claims from being tonic and energy enhancing, with beneficial effects on the

immune, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, nervous, digestive and

skeletal/muscular systems, make one wonder if they are a little over-stated.

 

The fact that they are used to reduce tumors, blood cholesterol, blood pressure,

bronchial inflamation, nervous tension, viral infection, insomnia, duodenal

ulcers, allergies, diabetes, hepatitis, progressive muscular dystrophy and

high-altitude sickness makes us wonder how they work.

 

They are also being used to reduce symptoms of AIDS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,

Fibromyalgia, Asthma, Cancer and the side effects of chemo-therapy.

 

At the same time these wondrous medicinal mushrooms are being used to enhance

over- all energy, athletic feats, intellectual challenges, environmental

stresses and are considered longevity herbs.

 

What make them tick? Besides the myths of their transmuting our toxic waste

material and negative emotions into healthy ones, we can gain some insight by

looking at their biochemistry.

 

There are three basic groups of chemicals that seem to be responsible for a

large amount of the medicinal effects of these mushrooms. They are branched

polysaccharide-protein complexes, triterpenes and nitrogen-containing compounds,

like adenosine. Polysaccharides have been extensively studied in the last

several years for their immune regulating abilities.

 

Many well-known medicinal herbs such as Echinacea, and Astragalus have

polysaccharides as a major part of the immune-enhancing actions. It now appears

that the polysaccharide-protein complexes are even more important than the

individual polysaccharides.

 

Most of the medicinal mushrooms are very rich in these complexes, resulting in

many of the immune responses credited to their action. Triterpenes are an

interesting group of compounds that have a steroidal nature, being similar to

our own hormonal system.

 

Working as hormonal communicators, these biochemicals have a profound effect on

subtle actions in our body. The amino acids are known to be building blocks of

our basic cellular material of RNA, also being very important in our energy

system, with adenosine being the core of cAMP and ATP From these fundamental

biochemical roles we can understand why medicinal mushroom can have such a wide

range of therapeutic action.

 

To demonstrate some of these actions, I am going to briefly discuss five of my

favorite medicinal mushrooms: Reishi, Maitake, Shiitake, Cordyceps and Poria

Cocas.

 

By far my favorite of the medicinal mushroom is Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum, and

related species) because it has all of the above biochemical groups and it holds

the prominent position in Asian medicinal folklore. Reishi has a large range of

therapeutic uses, growing around the world. My favorite description of Reishi is

the Chinese by-line, " . . . to protect an academic from their own mind. " Reishi

will calm the nervous system, reduce insomnia, lessen paranoia and readjust what

the Chinese call disturbed Shen Qi (spiritual mind). One of my patients

suggested that by taking Reishi, it was like getting an additional half hour of

meditation a day. Meditation in a bottle; is North America ready for that or

what? Reishi is revered for its effect on the heart and respiratory tract

because it relieves tightness in the chest. Reishi also affects the circulatory

system by lowering blood pressure, blood cholesterol, while balancing LDL/HDL

ratios and reducing other blood lipids. Reishi is also

specific for asthma, allergies, bronchitis along with many other respiratory

problems. This herb is considered a longevity tonic because of its antioxidant

effect.

 

Reishis antimicrobial action works against bacteria, fungi and viruses.

 

Several countries use this mushroom to treat cancer, AIDS, fibromyalgia and

chronic fatigue syndrome. Reishi calms the autonomic nervous system. It also

reduces spasticity, ulcers, colitis and detoxifies the liver. Reishis

anti-allergenic effect works for air bound and food bound allergens.

 

Instead of taking Reishi completely alone for long periods of time, take Reishi

with other supplements. Vitamin C and ginger are particularly good companions

for it. A useful formula for the above is: Reishi solid extract 1:15, Echinacea

root, Ginger root, and Barberry root. This is one of the most prominent formulas

we use in our clinics.

 

Maitake (Grifola frondosa), also known as the dancing mushroom, is a prized

medicinal mushroom from Japan. Its strongest effects are on the immune system.

Some studies suggest it has even stronger immune action than Reishi, while other

studies dispute that data. It does definitely have an advantage in the fact that

it is a great edible mushroom, while Reishi is not. A special preparation called

the D-fraction is a polysaccharide-protein complex that seems to be responsible

for much of its immune modulating effect. Maitake has been successfully employed

in AIDS patients, reducing symptoms and slowing down its progression.

 

As an anti-cancer agent it has reduced tumors as well as the side effects of

chemotherapy. It has also been shown to reduce blood pressure, help recovery

from hepatitis B, and reduce blood sugar in diabetics. As a weight management

herb, it has slow, but consistent results to aid in weight loss. As with some of

the other fungi, Maitake can aid in reducing uterine fibroids. However I have

found that Cordyceps is better in our clinical experience.

 

Shiitake (Lentinus edodes) is beneficial in reducing dermatitis, liver

cirrhosis, vascular sclerosis, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol. It

has been used for preventing toxicity from acid foods, inhibit growths of

sarcoma 180 (97.5%) and Ehrich carcinoma (80%), and used successfully for

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. LEM (Lentinis edodes mycelium) is often the form used

in medicine these days. This delicious mushroom can be found as a popular

addition to both Japanese and Chinese cuisine.

 

Cordyceps Sinensis (Dong chong xia cao) is also known as the Caterpillar fungus

because it grows on insect caterpillars. It has been getting quite a lot of

attention due to it ability to enhance athletic performance, being heavily

consumed by Asian athletes in the last few Olympics. Besides its strong tonic

effect, it can be used to increase oxygen uptake in the lungs, while reducing

bronchial inflammation and working as an expectorant. It is well known to

relieve exhaustion, night sweats, sexual impotency and as a sedative. It

benefits the kidneys, lungs and gonadal function, increasing sperm count. It is

specific for reducing uterine fibroids. Cordyceps stimulates immune function

(due to CS-1) by activating T-cells and B-cells, while increasing interleukin-1

and Gama-interferon. It is still one of the most expensive of Chinese herbs.

 

Poria cocas (Fu ling) is one of the most used fungi in the Orient, being

incorporated into many formulas. It has been shown to have a relaxing effect on

the nervous system and smooth muscles. Poria cocas will also lower blood

glucose, reduce diarrhea and edema, working as a good diuretic. Its tonic effect

aids in digestion and absorption of food, while having a quieting effect on the

spirit, strengthening the heart and reducing insomnia and forgetfulness.

 

I often combine all of the above medicinal mushrooms together in a formula to

get the full effect of medicinal mushroom power. We use this formula in the

clinic for a variety of things including a calming tonic that enhances the

immune system, while reducing some of North America worse health issues.

 

As you can see with the huge amount of both folklore and scientific information,

these medicinal mushrooms can play an important role in almost anyones health

program. Even though it is true that several mushrooms should not be consumed by

people with Candida Yeast infections, all of these mushrooms are not only safe

in these patients, they can often reduce the symptoms and underlaying causes of

this problem.

 

There are many myths around these mushrooms, but my favorite is the one I

learned from one of my teachers, an Amazon Shaman. In trying to understand more

about the personality of a medicinal mushroom, I asked him to explain it to me.

I wanted to know more about his use of Reishi (G.lucidum) that grew in his area.

He stated that the part we use is its fruit. The actual plant lives underground,

often covering several acres and even up to a couple miles under the Amazon

jungle. He explained that these fungi are very old Beings, living in earth

(Gaia) energy for 1,000s of years. This has created a calming, wise energy to

these mushrooms an energy that we might consider a wise sage of possessing. By

using its fruit as medicines, we take on some of the calming wise energy,

helping to ground us. A thing that many in western society could use.

 

References:

 

1. Hobbs, C; Medicinal Mushrooms; Bontanica Press, Santa Cruz CA; 1995 p7-19.

 

2. Benjamin D; Mushrooms poisons and panaceas; W.H. Freeman & Co; New York,

1995.

 

3. Ying J, Mao H; Icons of Medicinal Funfi From China; Bejing; 1987.

 

4. Chihara G, et al Antitumor polysaccharide derives chemically from natural

glucan; Nature 225;943-944 1970.

 

5. Willard T.; Reishi Mushroom; Herb of spiritual Potency and Medical Wonder;

Sylvan Press Issaquah Was; 1990.

 

6. Townsend Letter for Doctors, May 1994, pp. 432-434;

 

7. Explore! For the Professional, Vol. 4, No. 5, 1993, pp. 17-19.

 

8. Willard T.; Textbook of Advance Herbology; Wild Rose College; Calgary AB

Canada; 1991.

 

 

 

 

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