Medicinal mushrooms

Part 2: Medicinal mushrooms

Although we are better informed about the plant kingdom than about the world of mushrooms or fungi, from an evolutionary point of view, fungi are closer relatives to humans than plants. That is, according to Paul Stamets, because we share more common genes with fungi than with plants, the theory suggests that fungi could provide greater health benefits to our body systems.

The curious thing is that humans suffer from many of the diseases that affect fungi, but in general we are not susceptible to those that infect plants. Science is beginning to realize that this relationship is due to the fact that we are more closely related to fungi than to any other kingdom, since we share a common ancestor more than 460 million years ago, and therefore we developed defenses against mutual microbial enemies.

Paul Stamets, author of the book MycoMedicinals: An Informational Treatise on Mushrooms , explains in his book,

"As fungi and animals share a more recent common ancestry than with plants, protozoa and bacteria, fungal medicines are active against many diseases that afflict humans."

Get to know the mushrooms specialized in cognitive health

Nutraceuticals World magazine tells us that there is a folkloric tradition that has transmitted knowledge of mushrooms through time, especially in Japan and China, where mushrooms are backed by decades of scientific research and are rooted in the cultural consciousness. Only in recent years have people begun to pay attention to the particular properties and benefits of mushrooms, which have also led to novel concepts such as nutraceuticals and/or adaptogens.

As far as trends go, maitake and shiitake may be the most well-known and researched medicinal mushrooms, however, other mushrooms such as cordyceps, agaricus, oyster mushrooms, and AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound, which is a liquid culture of shiitake mushroom mycelia) have received a lot of attention in recent years.

The reishi mushroom (you may have heard of Ganoderma coffee) has been around for thousands of years and has long been revered in Asian cultures.

According to Mr. Jeff Chilton, president of NAMMEX, Gibsons in British Columbia, Canada, reishi is the most important of the medicinal mushrooms. "Reishi has compounds that most other mushrooms don't have, including triterpenes, which are found in many longevity herbs." Western scientists are finally getting funding to do the research they need to see exactly what its benefits are.

Ms. Kristin Schierenbeck , a certified nutritionist at Quality of Life Labs in New York, USA, describes the background of AHCC.

"AHCC is a medicinal mushroom extract product containing a highly bioactive hexose molecule derived from the combination of basidiomycete fungi. This patented mushroom complex is primarily used in patients suffering from immunosuppressive diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes and hepatitis."

"According to research, AHCC supports normal immunity by improving the function of immune system cells. For this reason, AHCC is used not only by patients with chronic diseases, but also by anyone interested in optimal health and strengthening their immune system."

In an upcoming study, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, has provided funding to Fungi Perfecti to conduct a small clinical study using oyster mushrooms to mitigate the negative effects of protease inhibitors, which are antiviral agents used to treat AIDS patients. According to Mr. Stamets, this is the first NIH-approved clinical study on medicinal mushrooms.

"The problem with protease inhibitor drugs is that they interfere with lipid metabolism in the liver, causing hyperaccumulation of LDL," he said. "Oyster mushrooms contain a natural isomer of Lovastatin, which is an FDA-approved cholesterol-lowering drug. Oyster mushrooms also contain antiviral agents and glycoproteins, which are anti-HIV agents."

In addition to the oyster mushroom study, Mr. Stamets noted that the NIH has also provided funding for a much larger breast cancer study involving a few hundred people using turkey tail mushrooms.

Why can MUSHROOMS improve brain health?

Between 12% and 18% of people age 60 and older have been found to have mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition that is sometimes a precursor to Alzheimer's and affects memory, thinking ability and judgment, according to the Alzheimer's Association. A healthy diet is important for an aging brain, and mushrooms can be part of a preventative diet.

In a study of 663 adults aged 60 or older in Singapore, those who reported eating more than two servings of mushrooms a week were 57 percent less likely to develop MCI than those who ate them less frequently than once a week, according to a March 2019 study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. (The study used golden, oyster, shiitake, white button, dried and canned mushrooms.)

The possible reason for its cognitive protective properties is ergothioneine, which is not only an antioxidant, but also has anti-inflammatory properties, and together with glutathione (the master antioxidant), also present in some varieties, can protect against neuronal damage.

In a press release following the publication of an article in Food Chemistry, Robert Beelman, professor emeritus of food science and director of the Plant and Mushroom Health Center at Penn State, said that

“…according to the theory that humans oxidize food to produce energy, a series of free radicals are produced that are secondary products of that action.

The body has mechanisms to control most of them, such as ergothioneine and glutathione, but over time enough of them accumulate to cause damage, which has been linked to many of the diseases of aging, such as cancer, coronary heart disease and Alzheimer's.” ( source )

Healthy soil - healthy food - healthy humanity (people)

A study published on January 27, 2022 of 8 pairwise comparison crops (one conventional and one specialized in regenerative agriculture) carried out in 8 states in the United States showed that the crops in regenerative crops were significantly healthier, with higher content of certain minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals.

The curious thing is that, although not everyone consumes mushrooms, all people have ergothioneine in their bodies, considering that mushrooms are the main food source.

Because of this, Professor Beelman and his colleagues suspected that ergothioneine from mushrooms was being absorbed by crops through underground association with mycelium (fungal threads that exist beneath the soil surface) and that when humans and animals eat ergothioneine-rich plants, ergothioneine enters their bodies.

What's more, according to a study conducted in collaboration with the Rodale Institute, they found that oats grown on conventionally tilled land had a third less oats than those grown on untilled land.

Beelman believes this demonstrates a clear link between soil, crop and human health . "When you till the soil, you reduce the amount of ergothioneine that reaches the crop."

 

Get to know nutraceuticals

In terms of nutraceuticals, the mushroom category has been based on a small group of mushrooms commonly found in dietary supplements, such as reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), chaga, cordyceps (Cordyceps sinensis), turkey tail (Trametes versicolor), and lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus).

Some promising mushrooms that have received much attention in the research community are agaricus (Agaricus brasiliensis), oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus), and AHCC (Active Hexose-Correlated Compound).

Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus)

Image from www.hawlik.ch

They are known as the mushrooms that boost brain function. Research indicates that supplementing with Lion's Mane helps repair the myelin sheath found in the nerves of the brain and spine.

The compounds erinacines and hericenones present in this mushroom help promote nerve growth factor inside the brain, the absence of which would lead to Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

It is also helpful for people recovering from brain or spinal cord damage.

Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor)

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It is a small mushroom that grows wild in the eastern forests of North America and is often considered a weed.

It is a polyporous mushroom from which spores are released and has been used in traditional Asian medicine for centuries. Today, it is one of the most researched and studied mushrooms. Most studies focus on the various ways in which turkey tail mushroom can treat cancer. In addition, it has been shown to have antimicrobial properties, effects that counteract diabetes and improve intestinal health. In addition, it has been shown to support the health of the immune system.

In Japan, it is used as part of the protocol to treat cancer, with the credit that it has almost no side effects, which is very positive since the drugs that are generally used have various side effects and adverse reactions.

Cordyceps (cordyceps sinesis)

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Cordyceps develops when ants walk over a mold called cordyceps, which will pierce the ant's armor and spread through its muscles, nerves, and brain, taking control of the ant's movements, making it unable to return home. This mold secretes a toxin that kills the ant, and a small structure also called cordyceps emerges from the back of its brain.

Perhaps because of the way cordyceps is produced, it is the most expensive mushroom in the world, being a genus of fungus that infects insects. Cordyceps sinesis is grown from the heads of caterpillars in Nepal, China and Tibet.

In North America and elsewhere, a more accessible and beneficial type of cordyceps militarus has been developed.

For their part, humans have used it to improve physical performance, the health of the immune system and the cardiovascular system, especially in the sports field in a cyclical manner.

Chaga

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Chaga is the only mushroom that grows inside birch trees and, in fact, the benefits of this mushroom are a direct consequence of its relationship with this tree.

Chaga is a hardened mass of the mycelium of this mushroom and birch wood. The substances it produces and that grows on the tree is Betulin. It is not enough to cultivate chaga in isolation or the mycelium in a seed because it would not contain Betulin.

Chaga has one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants in the world of natural products. It is used to maintain digestive health, skin health and as an immune support.

If you are going to consume Chaga, make sure you get a product that has been wild harvested and harvested correctly.

Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)

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It is known as the king of medicinal mushrooms and is widely used for its sedative properties.

To conclude, they are considered adaptogens: something like your body will use them for what it needs them for. For example, these mushrooms share immuno-regulatory properties that will strengthen your immune cells when fighting an infection and at the same time, if you start to have an adverse immune reaction, it will balance it. That is, it will adapt to your need.