Examples of Mushrooms to Add to Your Diet A few of my favorite health-enhancing mushroom species include: •Shiitake (Lentinula edodes): Shiitake is a popular culinary mushroom used in dishes around the world. It contains a number of health-stimulating agents, including lentinan, the polysaccharide for which it was named. Lentinan has been isolated and used to treat stomach and other cancers due to its antitumor properties, but has also been found to protect your liver, relieve other stomach ailments (hyperacidity, gallstones, ulcers), anemia, ascites, and pleural effusion. One of the more remarkable scientific studies demonstrating shiitakes antitumor effect was a Japanese animal study, where mice suffering from sarcoma were given shiitake extract. Six of 10 mice had complete tumor regression, and with slightly higher concentrations, all ten mice showed complete tumor regression. Shiitake mushrooms also demonstrate antiviral (including HIV, hepatitis, and the common cold), antibacterial, and antifungal effects; blood sugar stabilization; reduced platelet aggregation; and reduced atherosclerosis. Shiitake also contains eritadenine, which has strong cholesterol-lowering properties. •Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum): Reishi is known as Lingzhi in China, or spirit plant. Its also been called Mushroom of Immortality — a nickname that kind of says it all. Reishi has been used medicinally in Asia for thousands of years. One of its more useful compounds is ganoderic acid (a triterpenoid), which is being used to treat lung cancer, leukemia and other cancers. The list of Reishis health benefits includes the following ◦Antibacterial, antiviral (Herpes, Epstein-Barr), antifungal (including Candida) properties ◦Anti-inflammatory, useful for reducing symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis ◦Immune system up-regulation ◦Normalization of blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure ◦Reduction of prostate-related urinary symptoms in men •Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor): Turkey Tail is also known as Coriolis, or cloud mushroom. Two polysaccharide complexes in Turkey Tail are getting a great deal of scientific attention, PSK (or Kreskin) and PSP, making it the most extensively researched of all medicinal mushrooms with large scale clinical trials. A seven-year, $2 million NIH-funded clinical study in 2011 found that Turkey Tail mycelium improves immune function when dosed daily to women with stage I–III breast cancer. Immune response was dose-dependent, with no adverse effects. PSP has been shown to significantly enhance immune status in 70 to 97 percent of cancer patients.22 Turkey tail is also being used to treat many different infections, including aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, E. coli, HIV, Herpes, and streptococcus pneumonia, and is hepatoprotective. It may also be useful for chronic fatigue. •Himematsutake (Agaricus blazei): Himematsutake, also called Royal Sun Agaricus, is a relative of the common button mushroom. Himematsutake was not cultivated in the East until fairly recently but is now a very popular natural medicine, used by almost a half million Japanese. Himematsutake mushroom is attracting many scientists worldwide due to its remarkable anticancer properties23 related to six special polysaccharides. Like many other medicinal mushrooms, this fungus can also protect you from the damaging effects of radiation and chemotherapy. But its benefits dont stop there — Himematsutake may also help decrease insulin resistance in diabetics, normalize your cholesterol, improve your hair and skin, and even treat polio
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 17:49:18 +0000
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