Vitality Mushrooms – Medicinal Mushroom Info

Vitality Mushrooms – Medicinal Mushroom Info

How to Test the Quality of a Reishi Product

Forget about all the claims by manufacturer on how pure and how good their Ganoderma product is. Follow these simple steps for accurate Ganoderma test for its efficacy.

Ganoderma Lucidium

Studies on Bioactive Substances and Medical Effects of REISHI Reishi, the fruiting body of Mannentake, Ganoderma lucidum has been known in Japan, China, and other countries as a food and raw material for the development of drugs. Recent studies have shown that that carcinostatic substance in Reishi is a polysaccharide, beta (1-3)- D – glucan. [...]

The Role of Reishi in Cancer Management.

The Role of Reishi Supplements in Cancer Management Ganoderma has been used as folk medicine since ancient times and it is a popular health food frequently promoted as a cancer cure. It is now well established from in vitro and animal studies that the polyshaccharide fraction of Ganoderma is largely responsible for its anti-tumor efficacy. [...]

Lions Mane Mushroom and NGF

September 23rd, 2011

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Lion’s Mane mushroom or Hericium Erinaceus is definitely a rising star among natural treatments for some of the world’s most difficult health problems. This mushroom has been highly prized in Chinese tradition, where it was eaten exclusively by the Emperors. Lion’s Mane’s medical benefits were claimed by Chinese doctors as a curative for problems of the digestive tract such as stomach and duodenal ulcers, as well as for cancers of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum.

Its beta glucan polysaccharides, along with polypeptides and fatty acids have a lot to do with these curative effects. Clinical studies have shown that these polysaccharides, along with adenosine and oleanolic acids, stimulate induction of interferons and modulation of the immune system, boosting the white blood cell count to help the healing process. These substances also enhance the function of the gastric mucus barrier, accelerate the healing of ulcers, and exhibit anti-inflammatory effects.

Lion’s Mane has also been shown to help regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels. It is completely safe, showing no signs of toxicity or side effects in any scientific research. One of the most exciting areas of potential is its ability to help combat some of the symptoms and underlying causes of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease as well as peripheral neurological dysfunction.

Dr. Hirokazu Kawagishi of Shizoka University Japan, a recognized authority on Lion’s Mane for the past 15 years, showed the mushroom to have the remarkable activity of stimulating the synthesis of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). A lack of NGF is considered one of the major causes of Alzheimer’s disease.

What is NGF? NGF is a protein molecule that was discovered by Rita Levi-Montalcini and isolated by Stanley Cohen, for which they jointly recieved the 1986 Nobel Prize for Medicine. It is synthesized in minute amounts in all vertebrate tissues.

Dr. Mark Tuszynski of University of California, San Diego explains that NGF is the prototype of the neurotrophion family of polypeptides. They play an essential role in the differentiation and survival of several nerve cell populations in the peripheral and central nervous system.

NGF as a protein, however, cannot pass through the blood-brain barrier, the semi-permeable membrane between the blood and brain, which allows only small, lipid soluble molecules to pass through it. NGF is too large to permeate the membrane; so in a brain with diminishing amounts of NGF, how do we maintain an adequate amount to support healthy neuron repair and renewal?

Dr. Kawagishi and his team isolated two types of molecules within Lion’s Mane which both stimulate NGF production and also crucially, pass unhindered through the blood-brain barrier. The first of these substances is found in the fruiting body (the part of the mushroom which sprouts out of the ground or tree stump) and are called hericenones. Hericenones stimulate the brain to produce more NGF. An even more powerfully effective group of substances called erinacines were found in the mycelia (the root system) of Lion’s Mane. Small enough to pass through the blood-brain barrier, erinacines work from within the brain to promote NGF production, which in turn helps make more neurons. This is one of the most significant discoveries of the last 50 years and is why the Nobel Prize was awarded for its discovery.
As Paul Stamets, one of the world’s leading mycologists and author of several reference works on medical mushrooms, puts it, “Lion’s Mane mushroom mycelium is nature’s nutrients for your neurons.” The Chinese have known this benefit for thousands of years, as the ancient herbalists promised nerves of steel and the memory of a lion to the privileged few who were allowed to east this restricted delicacy.

The erinacines, by promoting NGF production throughout the body, also help to alleviate symptoms of peripheral neurological dysfunction. Dr. Will Boggs reports in Neurology magazine that NGF significantly improves the pain symptoms of HIV-infected patients with sensory neuropathy. Sensory neuropathy affects as much as 35% of all AIDS patients.

Dr. Giovanni Schifitto from the University of Rochester, New York studied the safety and effectiveness of human NGF for HIV-associated distal sensory polyneuropathy in 200 affected patients. Their symptoms were significantly alleviated with the administration of the NGF. As the numbers of sufferers needing some type of NGF replacement therapy climbs ever higher, and with no cure in sight from modern medicine, many people are starting to turn to Lion’s Mane mushroom as a real way to slow down and reverse the symptoms of these devastating diseases.

The breakdown in healthy neurological function can be prevented by adding Lion’s Mane mushroom to the diet. A national trend to add Lion’s Mane to our daily supplemental requirements would go a long way to improve the quality and length of life.

The more we know about the intricate details of this wonder food, the more we begin to understand the prized value it held among the royal palaces of the Orient.

Source: http://www.magicmushroom.com.au/

Mushrooms for Health and Longevity by Ken Babel

August 23rd, 2011

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Mushrooms for Health and Longevity by Nutritional Councilor Ken Babel is both informative and essential to anyone looking to reap the medicinal and nutritional benefits of the world of medicinal mushrooms.
In addition to the vitamins and nutritional essence of each mushroom, he provides the medicinal value of each, and it’s application to the various illness’ and diseases we face in our world today.

Through case studies and clinical research, he give us the evidence to walk away with a new consciousness of the world of fungi.

“Today mushrooms are still considered the greatest of all tonics, promoting overall well-being and vibrant health. In natural food and supplement stores, mushrooms are carving out their own niche as dietary supplements apart from herbs and vitamins.”

he says. At the same time he also reminds us with a collection of delicious mushroom recipes and even mushroom desserts, where mushrooms such as Tremella Fuciformis, Shiitake and Enoki are key ingredients, that introducing medicinal mushrooms into our diets, is a great way to balance the body, and promote a healthy immune system.

Mushrooms for Health and Longevity is a book that can actually change your life. The information on the benefits of these medicinal mushrooms is often overlooked in North America and western medicine. Ken Babel has brought to our attention the power medicinal mushrooms can have in our daily lives.

Cheers! To our health and longevity.

Bryan Warman
Fungi Health

Mycelium Running

August 5th, 2011

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Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save The World
by Dr. Markho Rafael

Paul Stamets’ Mycelium Running is a must have reference book for anyone working the land in any form, whether it be farming, forest management or environmental cleanup. But also for people who, like me, enjoy growing things, especially delectable edibles.

Mycelium Running is filled to the brim with useful tips on things such as using mushrooms to improve soils and boost productivity in forestry and farming (gardening) with decreased use of expensive fertilizers and pesticides; filtering waste-water (mycofiltration); and clean up toxic waste from the land (mycoremediation).

For example, an easy do-it-yourself method of creating a mycofiltration bed for filtering waste water is delineated in detail. Recommended materials are listed along with suggested mushroom species to use and the ideal dimensions of the bed. In Stamets’ examples, these mycofiltration beds are used to effectively filter and neutralize farm runoff but they could also be used to filter industrial waste water.

An added benefit of using mycofiltration beds on farms include the production of delicious food mushrooms, which sprout out of these beds. And every 2-3 years, the material in the bed can be dug out and used as a rich fertilizer on the fields of the farm.

Also useful for farmers is the information on no-till farming, which involves a method of leaving the stubble on the field until the next crops is planted. This encourages the development of saprophytic fungi, which break down old plant matter at a pace that’s highly beneficial for new plant life. In contrast, the conventional method of plowing down the stubble after harvest promotes anaerobic bacteria, which decompose organic substrate too rapidly. The saprophytic fungi also help prevent soil erosion and leaching of valuable nutrients and top soil.

For forestry, not only do saprophytic fungi help break down and recycle organic matter. They also help combat many parasitic fungi (blights) that may kill large numbers of trees. Stamets gives useful suggestions on how to seed beneficial saprophytic fungi in blight infested forests as a natural “fungicide,” fighting fire with fire, so to speak.

The symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi can also be seeded in forests to promote healthy trees. Or they can be protected and naturally promoted through wise and informed forest management.

Most plants form symbiotic relationships with mushrooms. The mushroom mycelium more effectively absorbs water and nutrients, exchanged with trees for sugars, making the trees healthier and more drought resistant. Mycorrhizal fungi also provide trees with natural antibiotics against pathogens.

Mushroom mycelium can also be utilized to clean up toxic waste sites through a method known as mycoremediation. The term was invented by the author of Mycelium Running, Paul Stamets, but was in common use before the publication of this book.

Synthetic toxic compounds including petrochemicals, dioxins, neurotoxins, toxic industrial waste and much more can be effectively broken down by fungi into harmless compounds. Bacterial contaminants such E. coli can be killed by anti-bacterial compounds excreted by the fungi. And toxic levels of heavy metals may be absorbed and concentrated by mushrooms, which can then be harvested and safely deposed.

Mycoremediation is extremely economical, at less than 5% the cost of some conventional methods for cleaning up toxic waste.

This plethora of information is merely the first half of this 300-page tome. Part III, which makes up the second half of the book, is an instruction manual on how to cultivate your own mushroom mycelium, which can be used for the above listed purposes, or to grow your own medicinal or culinary mushrooms. And seriously, who doesn’t love gourmet mushrooms? In other words, this is a reference book for every household.

Dr. Rafael has worked in the natural health field since finishing Chiropractic College in 1996. He currently specializes in medicinal fungi, frequently consulting two reference books: Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets for medicinal, biological and chemical properties of mushrooms, and Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora as the most complete identification guide for North American mushrooms.

Medicinal Mushroom Study by Cancer Research UK

July 29th, 2011

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A major study of medicinal mushrooms by Cancer Research UK is the most comprehensive ever undertaken and was very positive.

The popular and wide spread use of medicinal mushrooms in Asia left the researchers wondering why we are not making better use of them in the West. They note, “The huge world wide sales of such products, can testify to the beliefs of many, of their efficacy.”

The Cancer Research UK team were impressed by “the remarkable ability of many of these non toxic compatible compounds to reduce the debilitating effects of traditional chemo-therapeutic drugs.’

Mushrooms have been treasured as remedies for disease and as natural health supports for thousands of years and are an incredibly popular food in most countries. Actually, world trade in mushrooms is as big as the trade in coffee.

The Cancer Research UK report continues, “These compounds have been shown to be safe when taken over long periods of treatment and significantly, these compounds appear to reduce the adverse effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. These results are in marked contrast to the well documented adverse side effects associated with most chemo therapeutic compounds and also to a lesser extent, certain immuno therapeutics.”

More remarkable still they found, “There are also many examples where the use of these compounds allows the reduction in dose level of the toxic chemo therapeutic compound without reduced efficacy.”

Recent studies in New Zealand show that a combination of Reishi and Cordyceps extracts had beneficial effects on the quality of life for some advanced cancer patients. Researchers believe that a mixture of the active ingredients from different mushrooms maximizes the immune response by providing multiple stimuli to the body’s natural defenses.

A fully functional immune response is critical to the recognition and elimination of tumor cells. The increased incidence of spontaneous tumors in immunosuppressed individuals indicates that the immune system provides a significant mechanism for resistance against cancer. Several major immune stimulating substances have been isolated from Reishi that have extraordinary effects on the maturation, differentiation and proliferation of many kinds of immune cells. Reishi is a proven potent activator of interferon, interleukins, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), natural killer cells (NK), T lymphocytes, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL’s) and lymphokine activated killer cells (LAK). The spontaneous regression of some tumors is usually explained as a phenomenon of the individual’s own immune system attacking the tumor burden.

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy invariably damage or weaken the patient’s immunological defenses which may also have been damaged by the cancer itself. Although responding favorably, cancer patients are in danger of opportunistic infections that can invade their systems because unfortunately the therapy designed to kill the pathogenic cells also kills their protective immune cells. Cancer Research UK confirm that the active compounds in Reishi cause a marked increase in the action of macrophages, thus there is a heightened response to foreign cells, whether bacteria, viruses or tumor cells. The study points out, ‘It was evident from clinical trials that Reishi extract significantly enhanced the immune systems of the elderly people taking it’.

Fungi affect humans so profoundly and are such good sources of medicinally useful products because on a cellular level fungi and animals have more in common with each other than they have with higher plants. The potent ability of medicinal mushroom bioactive compounds to modulate so many important immune cells may be due to their structural diversity and variability. Polysaccharides from medicinal mushrooms have the greatest potential for structural variability and the highest capacity for carrying biological information, e.g. the number of possible permutations for four different polysaccharides is 35,560 unique tetrasaccharides, whereas four amino acids can only form 24 different permutations.

Reishi has been rated the top medicinal herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for over 2000 years with Ginseng in second place and so highly treasured it was traded for its own weight in gold and only available to Emperors. It is still the most important herb in the Orient and the most thoroughly researched. The results of many hundreds of scientific and medical studies are supporting traditional health claims. It contains over 200 active ingredients and unique compounds that are the most biologically active obtainable from any plant source. In order to obtain maximum benefit Reishi is best taken as an extract because it is a very tough, woody mushroom and the raw biomass is very difficult to digest. Its dynamic antioxidant action and immune stimulating effects are why Reishi is so highly valued as a longevity herb and called ‘The Long Life Herb’, ‘The Great Protector’ and even ‘God’s Herb’.

Cordyceps is not as well researched as Reishi but Cancer Research UK suggests that, ‘Cordyceps may be useful for cancer patients due to its enhancement of cell-mediated immunity, oxygen free radical scavenging and support for cellular bioenergy systems’.

Medicinal mushrooms have latent cancer preventative properties. Studies in Japan and Brazil strongly suggest that regular consumption over prolonged periods significantly reduce the levels of cancer incidence. Cancer Research UK also found increasing experimental evidence that medicinal mushrooms can have a cancer preventative effect, demonstrating both high anti-tumor activity and restriction of tumor metastasis. A 14-year survey in Japan revealed cancer rates of workers at medicinal mushroom farms were 1 in 1000 compared to 1 in 600 for the general population.

Howell Lewis
LIFEFORCE HERBS
Howell@lifeforce-herbs.co.uk
+44 0 1296 425744
http://www.lifeforce-herbs.co.uk

Health Benefits of Agaricus Blazei.

June 18th, 2011

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In Brazil, China, Taiwan, and Korea, Agaricus blazei is believed to stimulate the immune system, fight cancer, reduce blood cholesterol levels, cure digestive and circulatory disorders, prevent peptic ulcer and osteoporosis, improve the quality of life of diabetics, and fight emotional and physical stress. A growing number of scientific researches support these claimed health benefits of the Agaricus blazei, especially on cancer treatment.

Complex polysaccharides isolated from Agaricus blazei like beta-glucans have been found in laboratory studies to inhibit tumor growth and directly kill cancer cells. Other studies also suggest the ability of Agaricus blazei extract to inhibit cancer metastases.

Beta-glucans from Agaricus blazei works on a cellular and molecular level to stimulate the vital components of the immune system such as neutrophils, eosinophils, macrophages, monocytes, and natural killer (NK) cells. These immune system cells do not only help the body fight infection but also fight tumors and cancer cells.

Agaricus blazei has also been found to exhibit antioxidant properties. The antioxidants in the mushroom will prevent the oxidation of cholesterols, which form plaques in the inner linings of blood vessels, hardening blood vessels and obstructing blood flow. Cholesterol plaques in blood vessels are the major culprits in incidents of heart attack and stroke. Antioxidants also benefits the body by neutralizing unstable and harmful free radicals that damages cells and tissues.

In one study, Agaricus blazei extract protected laboratory mice from fatal septicemia (serious bacterial infection). The extract also increased the survival rate of the infected mice.

Agaricus blazei extract showed anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hypertriglyceridemic, anti-arteriosclerosis, , and anti-hypertriglyceridemic activities in laboratory rats with streptozocin induced diabetes.

In Japan, thousands of patients are using Agaricus blazei to improve their quality of life after undergoing chemotherapy. Patients who are taking Agaricus blazei report improvement of the side effects of chemotherapy such as appetite loss, alopecia (hair loss), emotional instability, and general weakness.

Studies on human subjects show that both systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly reduced in subjects that take Agaricus blazei than those who take placebo.