Why the future of cancer treatment includes mushrooms

It’s medical treatment using mushrooms, and it’s been around for ages.

Over the years, fungotherapy has been used to treat some serious stuff… including cancer. In fact, fungotherapy was the go-to treatment for tumors in ancient China.

But even though fungotherapy’s been used for centuries, it’s not an outdated form of medicine. Far from it. Right now, fungotherapy’s future looks brighter than ever… especially in the area of cancer research.

It turns out, the ancient Chinese were on to something when they used fungotherapy to tackle tumors. Recent research shows certain mushrooms have some serious cancer-fighting powers that actually can go after various tumor types.

Need proof?

Check out these four mushroom species from Asian folk medicine that researchers say could be the future of cancer treatment and fungotherapy…

Fungotherapy of the past… and future

An international team of scientists from the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU), University of Lausanne, and the Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity FEB RAS examined the available research on four mushroom species with proven cancer-fighting abilities. Here are the four species they looked at:

1. Fomitopsis pinicola (Red-banded polypore)
2. Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s mane)
3. Inonotus obliquus (Chaga mushroom)
4. Trametes versicolor (Turkey tail)

All of these mushrooms have a long history as a folk remedy for cancer, which is why researchers chose them. They wanted to see if any of them contain the anti-cancer compound of the future.

The extensive body of research they examined shows that all four of these species can selectively target certain tumors. Some of the tumor types they worked against include:

• Sarcoma
• Leukemia
• Rectum cancer
• Colon cancer and carcinoma
• Stomach cancer
• Liver cancer

These mushrooms can target tumors because they contain bioactive compounds, like polyphenols, polysaccharides, glucans, terpenoids, steroids, cerebrosides and proteins. Research shows that, not only do these compounds kill cancer cells, but they boost the effectiveness of chemo. That means, they have potential as a standalone or complementary cancer therapy.

In fact, some of these mushrooms are already used in anti-cancer drugs in other countries. But researchers are hoping to create more mushroom-based cancer drugs that fight tumors with low toxicity.

“In ancient China, mushrooms were considered as the most effective treatment for the various types of tumors,” says study researcher Professor Vladimir Katanaev. “Contemporary fungotherapy represents a promising field for scientific research. The natural chemical compounds contained in fungi have a huge therapeutic and particularly anti-cancer potential that has not been yet fully studied.”

Fungotherapy for overall wellness

It’s exciting to think about the future. But how can you use fungotherapy now to improve your health?

Well, the good news is, most of the mushrooms in the study are easily found in mushroom supplements.

In fact, you can head to the health food store right now and come home with a supplement that contains lion’s mane, chaga and turkey tail. The red-banded polypore is trickier to find, but three out of four isn’t bad, right?

These mushrooms contain many bioactive compounds, which are known to fight oxidative stress and inflammation. They also have immune-boosting, anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. That means, they can improve your health in many, many ways.

The best part is, medicinal mushrooms have become so big nowadays that you don’t have to take them in a boring old supplement if you don’t want to….

You can drink mushroom coffee, tea and elixirs that are fun and tasty. There are even mushroom coffee houses. Although, they’re mostly in health-conscious places like L.A.

If you live somewhere without an active mushroom coffee house scene yet (don’t worry, most of us do), then just head to the health food store and pick up a mushroom-infused beverage or supplement, so you can experience this folk medicine of the future firsthand.

Sources:

1. Mushrooms of the Far East hold promise for anti-cancer therapy — MedicalXpress
2. Medicinal mushrooms as an attractive new source of natural compounds for future cancer therapy — Oncotarget