Mushrooms are underrated and undereaten, in my opinion. Their health benefits are significant in the edible varieties like Shitake, Porcini, Portabello, Chantrelle, and Reishi.
Wikipedia:
The most well known "medicinal mushroom", Reishi. Certain mushrooms have a long history in folk medicines, and some compounds isolated from mushrooms, such as lovastatin and penicillin are an integral part of modern medicine. Most notable species include those of the genus Agaricus,[12][13] Ganoderma,[14] and Cordyceps,[15] which are used in the treatment of several diseases.[16] Research has identified compounds produced by these fungi that have inhibitory biological effects against high blood sugar,[17][18] viruses[19][20] and cancer cells.[21][12] Specific fungal metabolites with biological or antimicrobial activities, such as lovastatin,[22] polysaccharide-K, ergotamine, and ?-lactam antibiotics, are routinely used in clinical medicine. Highly purified beta-glucans, like lentinan (derived from the Shiitake mushroom) and Polysaccharide-K (derived from the Trametes versicolor mushroom), have been used as an immunoadjuvant therapy for cancer since 1980, primarily in Japan.[23]
• Ganoderma Mushrooms (Ganoderma applanatum, Ganoderma lucidum (lingzhi, reishi)
• Trametes versicolor
• Grifola frondosa (Maitake)
• Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom)
• Agaricus bisporus (white mushroom, common mushroom)
• Agaricus subrufescens (Agaricus blazei)
• Lentinula edodes (Shiitake)
• Inonotus obliquus (chaga mushroom)
Polysaccharide-K (Krestin, PSK), is a protein-bound polysaccharide isolated from Trametes versicolor, which is used as an immune system boosting agent in the treatment of cancer in some countries in Europe as well as China and Japan. In Japan, PSK is approved as an adjuvant for cancer therapy[1] and is covered by government health insurance. PSK has documented anticancer activity in vitro[2], in vivo[3] and in human clinical trials.[4] Research has also demonstrated that the PSK can reduce mutagen-induced, radiation-induced, and spontaneously-induced cancer development.[1] PSK has shown to be beneficial as an adjuvant in the treatment of gastric, esophageal, colorectal, breast and lung cancers.[5] Human clinical trials suggest Polysaccharide-K can reduce cancer recurrence when used as an adjuvant[4][6] and research has demonstrated the mushroom can inhibit certain human cancer cell lines in vitro.[7][8][9]
References
1. ^ a b , http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Coriolous_Versicolor.asp
2. ^ Jiménez-Medina E, Berruguilla E, Romero I, et al. (2008). "The immunomodulator PSK induces in vitro cytotoxic activity in tumour cell lines via arrest of cell cycle and induction of apoptosis". BMC Cancer 8: 78. doi:10.1186/1471-2407-8-78. PMID 18366723.
3. ^ Yamasaki A, Shoda M, Iijima H, et al. (March 2009). "A protein-bound polysaccharide, PSK, enhances tumor suppression induced by docetaxel in a gastric cancer xenograft model". Anticancer Res. 29 (3): 843–50. PMID 19414318.
4. ^ a b Oba K, Teramukai S, Kobayashi M, Matsui T, Kodera Y, Sakamoto J (June 2007). "Efficacy of adjuvant immunochemotherapy with polysaccharide K for patients with curative resections of gastric cancer". Cancer Immunol. Immunother. 56 (6): 905–11. doi:10.1007/s00262-006-0248-1. PMID 17106715.
5. ^ Fisher, M; Yang, Lx (May 2002). "Anticancer effects and mechanisms of polysaccharide-K (PSK): implications of cancer immunotherapy" (Free full text). Anticancer research 22 (3): 1737–54. ISSN 0250-7005. PMID 12168863. http://symptomresearch.nih.gov/tablecontents.htm. edit
6. ^ Sugimachi K, Maehara Y, Ogawa M, Kakegawa T, Tomita M (4 August 1997), "Dose intensity of uracil and tegafur in postoperative chemotherapy for patients with poorly differentiated gastric cancer", Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 40 (3): 233–8, doi:10.1007/s002800050652, PMID 9219507
7. ^ Hsieh TC, Wu JM (January 2001), "Cell growth and gene modulatory activities of Yunzhi (Windsor Wunxi) from mushroom Trametes versicolor in androgen-dependent and androgen-insensitive human prostate cancer cells", Int J Oncol 18 (1): 81–8, PMID 11115542
8. ^ Dong Y, Yang MM, Kwan CY (1 January 1997), "In vitro inhibition of proliferation of HL-60 cells by tetrandrine and coriolus versicolor peptide derived from Chinese medicinal herbs", Life Sci 60 (8): 135–40, doi:10.1016/S0024-3205(96)00695-9, PMID 9042394
9. ^ Yang MM, Chen Z, Kwok JS (1 January 1992), "The anti-tumor effect of a small polypeptide from Coriolus versicolor (SPCV)", Am J Chin Med 20 (3-4): 221–32, doi:10.1142/S0192415X92000230, PMID 1471606
10. ^ Best Hospitals: Cancer, U.S. News and World Report, http://www.usnews.com/directories/hospitals/index_html/specialty+IHQCANC/, retrieved 12 July 2009
11. ^ "Coriolus versicolor", Complementary and alternative therapies for cancer patients (San Diego: University of California), http://cancer.ucsd.edu/Outreach/PublicEducation/CAMs/coriolusversicolor.asp
• "Danske storsvampe. Basidiesvampe" [a key to Danish basidiomycetes] J.H. Petersen and J. Vesterholt eds. Gyldendal. Viborg, Denmark, 1990. ISBN 87-01-09932-9
• "Mycoremediation, fungal bioremediation" [a encyclopedia of fungal bioremediation] Harbhajan Sing. Wiley, 2006. ISBN 978-0-471-75501-2
• Entry of Trametes versicolor at Fungal Databases, Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory Nomenclature Database, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.
And so we should all try to eat more mushrooms! There are many different recipes out there, some are delightful like making reishi cucumber sauces to enhance your vegetables, reishi tea, miso soup with shitake, portabello and reishi risotto with a white wine cream sauce, topped with fresh spring onions and parsley and a sprinkle of cinammon, cloves, tumeric and cumin. Mushroom omlettes, grilled and fresh mushrooms on all of your salads. Mushroom gravy, mushroom grilled garden veggie wraps, mushroom sashimi with a drizzle of shitake vinagrette, mixed mushroom vegan un-meatloaf. Mushroom burritos, quesadillas, tacos, pizzas, calzones, quiches with mushrooms, noodles and stirfrys and grill parties!!! Mushrooms!!! The anti-cancer and disease fighting fruit of the woods and immune boosting, enzyme and probiotic producing mushroom, especially Shitake and Reishi.
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