Medicinal Mushrooms!

BEATING DIS-EASE AND EVEN CANCER WITH THE HELP OF MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS

If you stop in to visit me, you will most likely be offered a cup of tea. However, it isn’t just any cup of tea! It is a cup of warm chaga, astragalus and Reishi mushrooms steeped for hours and blended with water, raw cacao, fresh coconut or coconut powder and a pinch of local honey. We just call it “heaven in a cup!”

We enjoy and use medicinal teas daily, so I wanted to make sure we covered some of the medicinal mushrooms in a special area of this book. Because medicinal mushrooms are thought of as one of the most powerful immune system builders and overall cell integrity strengtheners, I thought ending this cancer section with medicinal mushrooms was the perfect placement!

HUMANS HAVE BEEN USING MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS SINCE PALEOLITHIC TIMES WITH MAJOR HISTORICAL USE IN GREECE, INDIA, AND MESOAMERICA. EVEN SOME OF THE FIRST WESTERN MEDICINE CAME FROM MUSHROOM EXTRACTS!

Medicinal mushrooms are adaptogenic, meaning they help the body “adapt” to factors brought on by your external and internal environment. Often they significantly increase the body’s resistance to illness, trauma, anxiety or fatigue. We use these mushrooms often in our wellness centers to normalize the over-activity or under-activity of the body’s organs, glands and hormones, as well as for weight loss, memory, cancer and disease. WE LOVE MUSHROOMS! Go online to read all you can. You will fall in love with those growths found in the ground and on trees!

“Mushroom polysaccharides prevent oncogenesis, show direct antitumor activity against various synergetic tumors, and prevent tumor metastasis.” – Solomon P. Wasser, Ph.D.

“Other mushroom extracts that have been shown to have clinical effectiveness against human cancers are D-fraction extracted from the Maitake mushroom, and extracts from the split gill, turkey tail and Reishi mushrooms. In 1998, Maitake Products received FDA approval for an Investigational New Drug Phase II pilot study of maitake mushroom extract in the treatment of advanced breast and prostate cancer. There is also some evidence that the consumption of mushrooms in the diet may ward off cancer.” – You Don’t Have to be Afraid of Cancer Anymore by Bill Sardi

“Many of the medicinal mushrooms, including chaga mushroom, maitake mushroom, ganoderma mushroom, and cordyceps mushroom, contain cancer-preventive and cancer-fighting actions. Like many other medicinal mushrooms, reishi mushroom can be used to treat cancer patients due to its ability to activate NK cells, macrophages, T-lymphocytes, and cytokines, all important immune system components…There have been 150 species of medicinal mushrooms found to inhibit the growth of different kinds of tumors, especially cancers of the stomach, esophagus, and lungs, but chaga seems to stand out from the rest.” – Alan Keith Tillotson, Ph.D., A.H.G., D.Ay.

Turkey Tail - Immune Warrior Mushroom!

• Boosts immune function & gut health

• Rich in prebiotics for digestive balance

• Anti-inflammatory and full of antioxidants for cellular protection

• Anti-Viral, Antimicrobial – inhibits growth of many bacteria – and useful for HIV!

 Lion’s Mane- Natural Nootropic for Mental Clarity & Focus

• Enhances memory, focus & cognitive performance

• Supports nerve growth & brain cell regeneration

• Promotes mental clarity without jitters or crashes

• Gut Health, Immune Strength!

Shiitake - Power for Immune Strength

•  SHIITAKE is used in Japan for cancer patients due to the mushroom’s immune-enhancing functions. One of the compounds found in Shiitake – Lentinan, has been used as an intravenous anti-cancer drug! Clinical studies using lentinan show a lessoned recurrence of cancer, and a higher quality of life and survival rate. Animal studies show positive rates of cancer regression.

•  Supports a strong immune system

• Promotes heart health and healthy cholesterol

• Rich in beta-glucans, vitamins Bs & D, and antioxidants

• Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine

 Cordyceps - Natural Energy & Performance Booster

•  CORDYCEPS is widely included in Chinese Medicine anti-cancer formulas. Acting as an immune stimulator, it strengthens the T Cells and Natural Killer Cells. As well as aiding as a protection to the kidneys from chemotherapy, it also prolongs the life of white blood cells. Cordyceps has been used in Chinese and Tibetan medicine. Scientists at The University of Nottingham have been studying one of the active medicinal compounds found in cordyceps – cordycepin – as a potential cancer treatment drug. Exciting as it is, myelogenous type of cancers (those originating in the bone marrow or blood) did not have favorable results using this mushroom. This fungus grows on insects and arthropods, making caterpillars easy prey. The caterpillar dies after the attack, and the fungus grows. Seems slightly displeasing, until the research and health benefits outweigh the thought!

• Supports energy, stamina, and endurance

• Improves oxygen use and athletic performance

• Supports lung and respiratory function

• Longevity, immune, mental focus

 Chaga - Antioxidant Powerhouse

•  CHAGA is used as traditional medicine in Russia and Eastern Europe. Studies show Chaga offers reduced toxicity from radiation. Betulinic acid comes from botulin which is found in Chaga Mushrooms. Betulinic acid has been shown to inhibit topoisomerase, a cancer- promoting enzyme. Chaga shows that it inhibits tumor cell growth. Chaga is used to treat skin, brain, ovarian, head and neck cancers, because it promotes apoptosis – which you recognize from the cell chapter as cell death.

•  Extremely good for Cancer, rich in antioxidants for cellular protection 

• Supports immune system balance

• Helps fight inflammation and oxidative stress

• Antiviral!! HIV, Hepatitis C

 Reishi - The Mushroom of Calm & Longevity

•  REISHI is best known as a longevity tonic, and is used in China, Japan, Korea and other Asian countries. Reishi is used in cancer treatment as studies show it enhances immune response, vitality, strength and stamina and raises antioxidant capacity. It is anti-inflammatory. It may also help prevent cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Further studies show that side effects from chemotherapy such as nausea and kidney issues are often softened and even eliminated when consuming reishi.

• Supports relaxation and stress reduction

• Sleep, heart disease, diabetes, frequent UTI’s

• Tumor growth, autoimmune, immune system function

• Liver disease, digestive health, skin issues

 Maitake - The Dancing Mushroom – Grows at base of old oak and maple trees

•  MAITAKE is used widely in Asia for hypertension and diabetes. It is also known for greatly enhancing the immune system and protecting cells with its antioxidant properties. Studies show Maitake as having potential anti-metastatic properties helping to stop the spread of cancer. The anti-cancerous effects come from the ability Maitake has to activate macrophages, natural killer cells, and T cells. Maitake is used in both Chinese and Japanese medicine, and is DELICIOUS when cooked! 

• Balances blood sugar

• Lowers cholesterol levels and reduces blood pressure naturally

• Immune function

• FERTILITY!

Agaricus Blaze - The Almond Mushroom

•  AGARICUS BLAZE was the entree for animals in a study conducted by the Medical Department of Tokyo University, The National Cancer Center Laboratory and Tokyo College of Pharmacy. It proved to be quite effective in treating cancer. 99.4% of test subjects experienced anti-cancer effects while the rate of complete recovery within test animals was as high as 90%! Agaricus blaze has several anti-tumor effects and is recognized as an angiogenesis inhibitor.  

• Boosts NKC by 30%!

• Immune modulation – activates macrophages, cytotoxic T-Lymphocytes

• Vitality and pain reduction in ulcerative colitis and cancers

• Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory

So who's excited to pick up some mushrooms today!?  Just a note - Don’t just go pick any mushrooms now, some are deadly…thus all are edible, but some only once! KNOW YOUR MUSHROOMS!!

 Yo you best health EVER!

ZuZu!

Karen Armes

www.ZuZuUnleashed.com.