Mushrooms help keep a
healthy body and ward of diseases. Mushrooms have high medicinal
value and can help lose weight also. Mushrooms are gaining importance
as health food and source of valuable medicines. It is estimated
that there are 100,000 different kinds of mushrooms, of which
700 can be used as food. They are nutritious and rich in minerals.
They are rich in minerals, vitamin D (ergosterol),
thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), dietary fibre as
well as all the essential amino acids and are low in fat and
calories.
Approximately 200 species appear to have medicinal
value, each with its own unique chemistry.
Extensive research on medicinal mushrooms has
been going on since
the past 20 years in many countries. There are many plants that
act as adaptogens (also known as biological response modifiers)
to assist the body in adapting to environmental and psychological
stress. All the important systems of the body including the
nervrous, endocrine, adrenal, and immune systems benefit from
adaptogens by increasing or decreasing their function as needed.
Studies suggest that mushrooms are pro-biotic.
They keep our body healthy and ward off diseases by maintaining
physiological homeostasis. The compounds they contain have been
classified as Host Defence Potentiators (HDP), which enhances
the immune system. Researches also show that there are thousands
of semi essential, non-vitamin factors in mushrooms that protect
the body against many diseases including cancer.
Medicinal mushrooms such as Reishi, Shiitake
and Maitake enhances immune function by stimulating cell-mediated
immunity. Such mushrooms seem to turn on cells in the immune
system called T-cells that appear to have significant cancer-fighting
properties. Three different anticancer drugs extracted from
mushrooms have been approved by the Japanese Health and Welfare
Ministry. They are Lentinan, derived from Shiitake, Schizophyllan,
derived from Suehirotake and PSK, derived from Kawaratake. PSK
sold in Europe and Japan, is the best-selling cancer drug in
the world. In Japan, only 30 percent of cancer treatment includes
radiation, chemotherapy and surgery.
Maitake
Maitake (Grifola frondosa) is a mushroom highly
regarded in Japan for its medicinal and culinary properties.
The studies show that the extracts from Maitake protect against
hepatitis, tumours, and are effective in regulating blood presure,
blood sugar, cholesterol and obesity. A polysaccharide known
as beta-glucan, which activates immune cells, is believed to
be largely responsible for Maitake's anti-tumour effects. Japanese
physicians are using a Maitake extract for tumour inhibition,
potentiating shark cartilage supplements, inhibition of cancer
metastasis (cancer spreading), cancer prevention, and reversing
HIV positive status to HIV negative. Cancer Treatment Centres
of America, with hospitals in Chicago, Los Angeles and Tulsa,
Okla, is now undertaking clinical double-blind placebo tests
using Maitake D-fraction combined with chemotherapy in patients
with advanced colorectal cancer. Data collected from 250 cancer
patients indicate that side effects from chemotherapy, such
as nausea and hair loss, are significantly reduced by it Maitake
is also showing promising results with the HIV virus.
Reishi
Reishi (ganoderma Lucidium) meets all the qualifications
of being both a tonic and an adaptogen. A tonic strengthens
and invigorates organs, and an adaptogen helps the body adapt
to stress by readjusting to altered body conditions. In China,
many pharmacological, chemical and biochemical studies have
been conducted with Reishi. Reishi appears to strengthen the
immune system and improve overall healthe. Specifically, it
improves or prevents a variety of diseases and conditions including
viral hepatitis, allergies, insomnia, neurasthenia (fatigue
due to exhaustion of the nervous system) as well as some types
of cancer. Reishi has also been clinically demonstrated to alleviate
high blood pressure in humans. Reishi is rich in active organic
compounds such as polysaccharides, amino acids, proteins, triterpenes,
ascorbic acid, sterols, lipids, alkaloids, glucose, courmarine
glycoside, volatile oil, riboflavin and more. These compounds
are being studies for their positive effects on the immune system,
including anti-tumor activity. Reishi is used as a daily tonic
to maintain and improve good health increasing longevity, in
the treatment of cancer and resistance to and recovery from
diseases.
Shitake
The shitake mushroom (Lentinus Edodes) is closely
related to Reishi. Shitake is Japan's largest agricultural export
and is now the most popular and most cultivated exotic mushroom
in teh world. In China, Shitake has a history that dates back
to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D). The mushroom was used not
only as a food but was taken as a remedy for upper respiratory
diseases, poor blood circulation, liver trouble, exhaustion
and weakness and to boost chi, or life energy. It was also believed
to prevent premature aging.
