Do five randomized controlled trials of Reishi mushrooms in cancer patients show benefits in terms of response rate, survival time, or quality of life?
Can mushrooms be medicinal? Mushroom-based products make up an incredible chunk of the $50 supplement market. “This trade in the pro FI table gives a strong incentive to companies to test their customers and the unsupported verification has arrived to find a medical business.” For example, companies marketing herbal remedies “use references to studies that increase when they promote mushrooms and their edges for the treatment of all kinds of diseases” – NOT WRONG.
It wouldn’t be surprising if mushrooms have some powerful properties. After all, the fungus is where we get many drugs, not least round, as well as the cholesterol drug lovilastatin and the powerful cyclosporin. Can’t you imagine how many effects a small mushroom can have? Don’t forget that they can produce some of our most powerful poisons, too, like the poison of the Carolina lie that looks like toadstooly, and others, as you can see here and at 1: 15 in my video Mushrooms for cancer survivalhave more angels like the destroying angel – that’s the real real name – and as little as one spoonful can cause death, which is painful.
We should respect the capabilities of mushroom cameras, but what can they do that is good for us? Yes, eating shiitake mushrooms every day improves people’s immunity. Giving people one or two dried shiitake mushrooms per day (about the equivalent weight of five to ten) for four weeks led to an increase in GAMMA-Delta TL lymphocytes and doubled the increase in natural killer cells. Gamma-Delta T cells act as a FI RST line of proxy defense, and, preferably, natural killer cells that kill cancer. Shiitake mushrooms do all this while lowering markers of systemic inflammation.
Oyster mushroom extract does not seem to work either, but what we care about is that mushrooms can actually affect the effects of cancer. Shiitakes have yet to show a cancer survival benefit, but what about Reishiya mushrooms, which have been used as a cancer treatment throughout Asia for centuries?
What does science say about Reishiya mushrooms in cancer treatment? A meta-analysis of five randomized controlled trials showed that patients who were given Reishi Mushroom Supplements and chemotherapy and radiation were more likely to respond well, compared to chemotherapy / radiotherapy alone. Although the addition of Reishi Mushroom Extract resulted in improved response rates, “Data failed to show a Signi Fi ftuant effect on tumor shrinkage when used alone,” without chemo and radiation. Therefore, they are not recommended as a single treatment, but rather as an established treatment for patients with advanced cancer.
“Response rate” simply means the tumor is shrinking. Do Reishi Mushrooms Actually Improve Survival or Quality of Life? We do not have convincing data suggesting Reishi Mushroom products improve survival, but those reprogrammed in Reishi were found to have “better quality of life after treatment than those in the control group.” That is overcome as much as possible.
What about other mushrooms? Although all Shiitake mushrooms have not been tested for cancer yet, researchers said that Lentinan, extracted from shitakes, “absolutely prevents” the growth of a certain type of sarcoma in the room. But, honestly, it only worked in one type of mice and failed in nine others. So, are we like the 90% moung rats can’t work on? We need human trials – and we finally got them. There are data from nearly 10,000 patients treated with Shiitake Mushroom Extract injected directly into their veins. What did the researchers find? We’ll find out next.
Doctor’s Note
stay tuned White button mushrooms for prostate cancer.
And check Friday favorites: prostate cancer mushrooms and cancer survival.
For more on mushrooms, see Breast cancer vs mushrooms and Is it safe to eat raw mushrooms?.
