Mushrooms contain some of the most potent natural medicines on the planet. Of the 140,000 species of...

1. Studies Locate That Mushrooms Improve Health
Mushrooms contain some of the most potent natural medicines on the planet. Of the 140,000 species
of mushroom-forming fungi, science is familiar with only 10 percent, according to world-renown
mycologist Paul Stamets, who has written six books on the topic.
About 100 species of mushrooms are being studied for their health-promoting benefits. Of those
hundred, about a half dozen really stand out for their ability to deliver a tremendous boost to your
immune system.
It's important to eat only organically grown mushrooms because they absorb and concentrate
whatever they grow in — good OR bad. This is what gives mushrooms their potency. Mushrooms
are known to concentrate heavy metals, as well as air and water pollutants, so healthy growing
conditions is a critical factor.
While it may sound strange, we're actually more closely related to fungi than we are to any other
kingdom, as we share the same pathogens, meaning bacteria and viruses.
As a defense against bacterial invasion, fungi have developed strong antibiotics, which also happen
to be effective for us humans. Penicillin, streptomycin, and tetracycline all come from fungal
extracts.
The Many Health Benefits of Mushrooms
The FASEB Journal recently published nine studies on mushrooms that were also presented at
Experimental Biology 2013, which detailed a wide variety of health benefits,1 including:
Weight management: One study2, 3 found that substituting red meat with white button mushrooms
can help enhance weight loss. Obese participants with a mean age of just over 48 years ate
approximately one cup of mushrooms per day in place of meat. The control group ate a standard diet
without mushrooms.
At the end of the 12-month trial, the intervention group had lost an average of 3.6 percent of their
starting weight, or about seven pounds. They also showed improvements in body composition, such
as reduced waist circumference, and ability to maintain their weight loss, compared to the control
group.
Improved nutrition: One dietary analysis4 found that mushroom consumption was associated with
better diet quality and improved nutrition.
Increasing vitamin D levels through your diet: Consuming dried white button mushroom extract was
found to be as effective as taking supplemental vitamin D2 or D3 for increasing vitamin D levels (25-
hydroxyvitamin D).5
Improved immune system function: Long chain polysaccharides, particularly alpha and beta glucan
molecules, are primarily responsible for the mushrooms' beneficial effect on your immune system. In
one study, adding one or two servings of dried shiitake mushrooms was found to have a beneficial,
modulating effect on immune system function.6 Another study done on mice found that white button
mushrooms enhanced the adaptive immunity response to salmonella.7

2. Parasitic Fungi Showing Promise for
Immune Disorders and Cancer
Cordyceps, also called caterpillar
fungus or Tochukasu, is a favorite of
athletes because it increases ATP
production, strength and endurance,
and has anti-aging effects.8
This parasitic mushroom is unique
because, in the wild, it grows out of an
insect host instead of a plant host. It
has long been used within both
traditional Chinese and Tibetan
medicine.
It has hypoglycemic and possible antidepressant effects, protects your liver and kidneys, increases
blood flow, helps normalize your cholesterol levels, and has been used to treat Hepatitis B.
Cordyceps has antitumor properties as well. Scientists at The University of Nottingham have been
studying cordycepin, one of the active medicinal compounds found in these fungi,9 and the one
identified as a potential cancer drug. More recent studies suggest it also has potent anti-
inflammatory characteristics that may be helpful for those suffering from:
Asthma
Rheumatoid arthritis
Renal failure
Stroke damage
A question that was begging for an answer was how cordycepin could produce so many different
beneficial effects at the cellular level. Researcher Dr. Mushrooms have actually been being utilized
for numerous reasons for hundreds of years, in old civilizations, as well as now in contemporary
western medication. A few mushrooms cure ailment, while at the same time a few are being looked
at to aid with mental ailment. Think of psychedelics and also you'll likely think about brilliant colors,
hallucinations, spirituality, and also an overall "magical" experience. For centuries these medicines
have actually been used in social, spiritual as well as medicinal contexts by societies around the
world. Today, the capacity of these medicines to change our brain feature is being touched into as a
potential restorative for a stove of mental health problems from stress and anxiety as well as anxiety
to obsession and also obsessive uncontrollable disorder (OCD).Cornelia de Moor told Medical News
Today:10
"We have shown that cordycepin reduces the expression of inflammatory genes in airway smooth
muscle cells by acting on the final step in the synthesis of their messenger RNAs (mRNAs) which
carry the chemical blueprint for the synthesis of proteins.
This process is called polyadenylation. Commonly used anti-inflammatory drugs either work much

3. earlier in the activation of inflammatory genes, such as prednisone, or work on one of the final
products of the inflammatory reaction (e.g. ibuprofen).
These findings indicate that cordycepin acts by a completely different mechanism than currently
used anti-inflammatory drugs, making it a potential drug for patients in which these drugs don't
work well.
However, it is a surprise that cordycepin does not affect the synthesis of mRNAs from other genes,
because nearly all mRNAs require polyadenylation."
According to Dr. de Moor's research, the mechanism responsible for cordycepin's many varied
effects may stem from its ability to alter the synthesis of many classes of rapidly induced genes that
help counteract inflammatory genes, thereby slowing down otherwise rapid cellular responses to
tissue damage. It may also help prevent over-activation of inflammatory responses.
"However, it also indicates that cordycepin could have adverse effects on normal wound healing and
on the natural defenses against infectious diseases," the featured article states.11
"Dr. de Moor said: 'We are hoping to further investigate which genes are more dependent on
polyadenylation than others and why this is the case, as well as test the effect of cordycepin on
animal models of disease. Clinical testing of cordycepin is not in our immediate plans, as we think
we first have to understand this drug in more detail before we can risk treating patients with it.'"
Foragers, Beware of Toxic Mushrooms
An November 2012 article in The Atlantic12 highlighted recent cases of lethal food poisonings
related to eating wild mushrooms, and the need for caution when foraging food:
"Of the over 10,000 species of mushrooms, only about 50 to 100 are toxic. About 6,000 Americans
each year end up eating them. Over half of those cases involve unsupervised small children. So if
you're considering treating that special person in your life to a wild mushroom-based dish, take the
following into consideration: Over 90 percent of deaths, including these most recent ones, are
caused by amatoxins."
As mentioned in the article, the North American Mycological Association13 offers critical
information on a number of toxic mushrooms and the symptoms they cause, including those for
amanitin (amatoxins), which is one of the most serious:
Stage 1: A latency period of 6 to 24 hours after ingestion, in which the toxins are actively destroying
the victim's kidneys and liver, but the victim experiences no discomfort.
Stage 2: A period of about 24 hours characterized by violent vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and severe
abdominal cramps.
Stage 3: A period of 24 hours during which the victim appears to recover (if hospitalized, the patient
is sometimes released)
Stage 4: Relapse, during which kidney and liver failure often occurs, leading to death. Patients may
also "bleed out" and die due to the destruction of clotting factors in the blood. There may be more
than one relapse.

4. Warning: If you have any reason to suspect that someone has ingested an amanitin-containing
mushroom, DON'T WAIT for symptoms to appear! There is no antidote for amanitin poisoning, and
the best hope is to rush the person to the hospital where the toxins can be removed before being
fully absorbed into the body.
It's also important to eat ONLY organically grown mushrooms because they absorb and concentrate
whatever they grow in — good OR bad. This is what gives mushrooms their potency, for better or
worse. Mushrooms are known to concentrate heavy metals, as well as air and water pollutants. One
way to know what you're getting is to grow your own. You can find a variety of DIY garden kits
available online,14 which will eliminate any questions about what kind of mushroom you're picking.
Improving Your Nutrition with Mushrooms
Two years ago, I interviewed Steve Farrar, who worked and studied mushrooms professionally for
the last 30 years. The first 20 years he spent growing them and working primarily with gourmet
chefs, but in the past decade, he's started applying his expertise of mushrooms to health purposes.
According to Farrar, Americans consume about 900 million pounds of mushrooms a year, but 95
percent of that is just one species: the common button mushroom and its relatives, the Crimini and
the Portabello mushrooms.
Granted, the button mushroom is an excellent low-calorie food, especially for diabetics. It contains a
number of valuable nutrients, including protein, enzymes, B vitamins (especially niacin), and vitamin
D2. However, there are many other types of mushrooms worthy of consideration if you want to
improve your diet. I'll review a few of my favorites below. Farrar's focus has been on growing
various gourmet mushroom species, particularly the wood decaying mushroom species, which differ
greatly from your average button mushroom in terms of biology, nutrition and medicinal value.