What Research Has Revealed about Medicinal Mushrooms

What Research Has Revealed about Medicinal Mushrooms

Introduction

The branch of medicine that involves the consumption of foods as medicine is called Functional Medicine or or the new scientific discipline of “functional food science.”  The father of medicine, Hippocrates, once said, “Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine thy food.” There are many healing and health benefits that can be achieved when consuming certain foods.  The nutritional value of mushrooms is high due to the amount of minerals, protein and vitamins like D2, C, B that they contain.   Mushrooms are antiinflueza, anti-inflammatory, anticancerous, antiinfective, antidiabetic and antimicrobial (Elkhateeb, Daba, Thomas & Wen, 2019; Ganeshpurkar, Rai & Jain, 2010; Sabaratnam et al., 2013).  If one is looking for the richest source to aid in relief of these types of conditions, they should look no further than the medicinal mushroom.  People in countries of Asia (Japan, Korea, China) and eastern Russia have widely used mushrooms as medicine to treat various ailments and diseases.  Research about the health benefits of medicinal mushrooms will be briefly discussed in this article. 

Medicinal Mushrooms and Cancer

Mushrooms belong to a group of macro fungi of the taxonomic category of basidiomycetes and ascomycetes.  Though it’s estimated that 140,000 species of mushrooms exist on the earth, only 22,000 are presently classified.  Mushrooms are able to modulate the response of immune cells thereby providing an enhanced immune response.  The continued exploration of mushrooms and their properties will be useful for the treatment of cancer and anti inflammatory conditions especially in cases where there is drug and  vaccine resistance.  The polysaccharides inherent in mushrooms such as P. Linetus (Phellinus Linetus) of the group Lentinus edodes were isolated in a study completed in 2003 and researchers observed anti-cancerous activity (Ganeshpurkar, Rai & Jai, 2010).  Invasive cancerous cells were inhibited and metastatic activity decreased (Kim et al., 2003; Mizuno, 1999).  The antitumor and anticancerous activity of Lentinus edodes have proven to be much greater than other types of mushrooms.  Studies have observed individuals with colectoral and gastric cancer and concluded that these patients had higher survival rates when given lentinan mushrooms (Ganeshpurkar, Rai & Jai, 2010).  

Polyphenols and phenolic compounds can also contribute to anticancerous activity.   Pyrogallol was isolated from the mushroom Agaricus Bisphorus (A. Bisporphus) and produced positive bio reactions (Elkhateeb et al., 2019).  This medicinal mushroom acts as an inhibitor of free radicals and possesses immunostimulating properties.  Agaricus bisphorus, found in the typical white button mushroom, also reduces the risk of hormone-dependent breast cancer in women  (Ganeshpurkar, Rai & Jai, 2010).

Medicinal Mushrooms for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative diseases continue to affect the aging population at astounding rates.  Alzheimer’s disease can lead to significant loss in cognitive function.  During the process, neurons in the forebrain, hippocampus and cerebral cortex essentially die.   Medicinal mushrooms such as sarcodon scabrosus (Bitter tooth fungus), Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi), Grifola frondosa (Maitake), and Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s Mane) can serve as helpful functional medicine used to delay further deterioration of the brain (Sabarahtnam et al., 2013).  

Hericium erinaceus or Lion’s Mane has been studied for its effectiveness against neurogenerative disease.  Hericinone when isolated from the Lion’s Mane fruiting body together with erinacines from the mushroom’s mycelium were found to reduce the risk of neurodegenerative disease induced cell death (Sabarahtnam et al., 2013).  A study completed by Fujiwara, Egashira & Mishima (2019) understood the neuroprotective properties of Lion’s Mane in mice that had brain damage.  The mice were fed Lion’s Mane for a period of 14 days after surgery and after examination; the brain damage was significantly less.

A double blind study consisting of Japanese men and women between the ages of 50-80 was conducted.  Participants in the Lion’s Mane group consumed four 250 mg Lion’s Mane capsules orally three times per day. The study confirmed that the participants’ cognitive function improved.  There were also no adverse effects from the consumption of Lion’s Mane.

Medicinal Mushrooms for Covid-19

Medicinal mushrooms from the basidiomycete and ascomycete categories can serve as a prophylactic or therapeutic remedy for treating Covid-19 (Cicero & Colletti, 2021; Hapuarachchi & Wen, 2022).  Polyphenols and polysaccharide compounds (specifically Beta Glucan polysaccharides) within medicinal mushrooms help to produce probiotic effects that aid in stimulation of the gut microbes.  These gut microbes are beneficial for the immune system response. 

Covid-19 often produces an immune response that wreaks havoc on the body and this contributes to inflammatory conditions.   Medicinal mushrooms can strengthen the Th1 immune response of a host (Cicero & Colletti, 2021).  A Th1 response is significant for the successful recovery of individuals with coronavirus-19.  Beta glucan fractions from medicinal mushrooms are able to modulate the Th1 response in individuals with coronavirus.  One significant fact that was seen in Covid-19 patients is bacterial infection with Streptococcus Pneumoniae.  The infection was seen in 43% of admitted elderly Covid-19 patients and in 82% of bodies that perished due to Covid-19 (Cicero & Colletti, 2021).  

A medicinal mushroom supplement under the brand name Andosan™ was found to counteract pneumococcal disease in mice that was caused by the strain Streptococcus Pneumoniae. Andosan™ is a mixture of the medicinal mushrooms, Lion’s Mane and Maitake in a water extract mixture of 82% Agaricus Blazei Murill (AbM). The administration of supplementation such as Andosan™ to patients who passed away as a result of Coronavirus and infection due to the S. Pneumoniae strain could have possibly offered life-saving benefits.

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