Chinese Mushroom And Cancer | Anticancer Activity Of Mushrooms | Mushroom In Cancer Treatment
Mushrooms
of Immortality: Anti cancerous use of mushrooms in Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine has used mushrooms for
thousands of years.
There are over 200 species of mushrooms in China that are
used to practice healing. An amazing 25 percent of these mushrooms are credited
with tumor-fighting capabilities.
All varieties of mushrooms possess cleansing
capabilities. Another amazing property of mushrooms is a compound named
Polysaccha- rides.
This enables mushrooms to boost the immune system and
fight the growth of tumors. Medicinal mushrooms also contain other compounds
that further enhance tumor-fighting capabilities (Kidd, 2000).
Long-chain polysaccha- rides, particularly alpha- and
beta-glucan molecules, are primarily responsible for the mushrooms beneficial
effect on immune system (Sakagami and Aoki, 1991; Wasser, 2002).
Other compounds in mushrooms such as fungal proteins,
lectins, peptides and laccases have also been reported to have significant
effects on immune function.
A protein-bound polysaccha- ride extract from turkey tail
mushrooms is also being used to boost cancer patients’ immune function. An
extract from maitake mushrooms has also been shown to stimulate the immune
system in breast cancer patients.
Mushrooms in Cancer Treatment:
From long time mushrooms have been valued by humankind as
a culinary wonder and folk medicine in Oriental practice.
Here are six of the well-researched anti-cancer mushrooms
rich in polysaccharides and beta glucans, the primary active immune-enhancing
constituents.
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| Chinese Mushroom |
