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Ewww. Fungi. That’s what many people are likely to say. We in the dirt-conscious West tend to be more cautious of fungi, even though mushrooms have been used for healing in the Orient for thousands of years.

All mushrooms contain compounds called polysaccharides, which have both anti-tumoral and immune-stimulating properties. Medicinal mushrooms also contain compounds called terpenes and steroids, some of which also promote anti-tumour activity. Three of the most widely recognized and used medicinal mushrooms today are shiitake, maitake and reishi.

Shiitake

Shiitake is often referred to as "the nice-smelling mushroom." It’s the second most widely grown mushroom in the world and is an excellent source of nutrients. It’s higher in amino acids than peanuts, soy beans, corn and kidney beans, and also contains thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, dietary fibre, enzymes and ergosterol, which can be converted into vitamin D by sunlight.

Western scientists are currently interested in extracting a polysaccharide substance called lentinan from the shiitake mushroom–not just for its anti-tumoral properties, but also for its cholesterol-lowering and blood pressure-lowering effects. In Japan a highly purified form of lentinan is already approved as an anti-cancer drug, used in conjunction with chemotherapy. It has been shown to be helpful in reducing the chromosomal damage caused by anti-cancer drugs. Eritadenine, another constituent of the shiitake, may be responsible for the reduction of blood levels of cholesterol and fats by promoting their excretion.

Yet another compound in shiitake, lentinula edodes mycelium, may prove to be helpful in treating and preventing cancer, heart disease, hypertension, infectious disease and hepatitis. However, if you are on blood-thinning anticoagulant medication, it is important to consult with your physician, as these mushrooms may possess blood-thinning properties.

Maitake

Maitake mushrooms have been prized in Japanese herbology for hundreds of years for strengthening the body and improving overall health. In the United States, the National Cancer Institute has allocated millions of dollars to study the active ingredients in maitake mushrooms. Recent research appears to confirm maitake’s ability both to stimulate immunity and inhibit tumour growth. In addition, maitake has been shown to benefit AIDS patients and may also help lower blood pressure as well as blood sugar levels in diabetics.

Maitake is considered an adaptogen, which means it aids the body in adapting to physical and emotional stress and helps to restore and maintain the body’s homeostasis. Active ingredients in maitake are polysaccharides, and in particular, a unique beta-glucan called D-fraction. D-fraction protects the body by stimulating immune cells to fight cancer. While some mushroom extracts need to be injected to show anti-tumour activity, maitake D-fraction is effective orally and can be obtained as a supplement. In addition, maitake may make chemotherapy drugs more effective and thus reduce the need for high dosages of medication.

Preliminary research also indicates that maitake may prevent the destruction of T-helper cells by HIV. Initial animal studies also show that this unique mushroom may also be able to reduce blood pressure and inhibit the escalation of blood glucose levels, indicating anti-diabetic activity.

Reishi

Another type of mushroom, reishi, is known as the "medicine of kings" because it is full of medicinal compounds. This mushroom is recognized for its use as an immune system stimulator as part of cancer therapy. It contains high levels of polysaccharides, which in addition to their tumour-fighting properties have been shown to induce the production of interferon, a protein produced inside cells to fight viral infection.

Chinese studies indicate that this mushroom is an excellent cardiotonic with the ability to lower blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein (harmful cholesterol) levels. Recently, Russian scientists found that reishi has a dramatic preventive action against the buildup of fats along the walls of the arteries, meaning that it may prevent atherosclerosis.

Natural health-care practitioners are also beginning to use reishi for its calming and sleep-promoting effects. Compounds called triterpenes are thought to be responsible for reishi’s calming effect on the nervous system.

There are several ways you can incorporate mushrooms into your diet. Each of these types can be obtained fresh or dried from health food stores to be used in cooking. If you’re not wild about eating mushrooms, then you can take them in supplement form. For the more ambitious, growing kits are available so that you can cultivate them yourself. Whatever your preference, rediscovering these fantastic fungi may be the key to innumerable health benefits.

Fantastic Fungi Effects

• Shiitake: rich in nutrients and amino acids, fights tumours, reduces chemotherapy side-effects, and lowers cholesterol and blood pressure.
• Maitake: boosts immunity, inhibits tumour growth, lowers cholesterol and blood sugar levels in diabetics, may inhibit cell destruction by HIV.
• Reishi: stimulates the immune system, fights tumours, lowers blood
  pressure and cholesterol and calms the nervous system.

Wild Mushroom Salad

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Corinna Richards is an international freelance health writer, Web editor and designer, and the co-author of an upcoming book on wellness and integrative medicine.

Source: alive #234, April 2002