Scientists discover how Cordyceps mushrooms fight cancer

For thousands of years, the mushroom known as Cordyceps has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat problems ranging from coughs and fatigue to impotence and cancer. And once Western scientists started considering that anecdotal reports of the mushroom's curative powers might be something more than "folk tales", research started accumulating that backs up many ancient claims about Cordyceps' health benefits. For example, scientists from the University of Nottingham in Great Britain say they've documented how Cordiceps can fight cancer and the new discovery could increase the effectiveness of mushroom-derived cancer treatments.

For the study, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Dr. Cornelia de Moor of the University of Nottingham and her colleagues investigated a drug called cordycepin, which was originally extracted from wild growing Cordyceps and is now prepared from a cultivated form of the mushroom.

"Because of technical obstacles and people moving on to other subjects, it's taken a long time to figure out exactly how cordycepin works on cells. With this knowledge, it will be possible to predict what types of cancers might be sensitive and what other cancer drugs it may effectively combine with. It could also lay the groundwork for the design of new cancer drugs that work on the same principle," Dr. de Moor said in a statement to the media.

The University of Nottingham scientists found that the Cordyceps-derived treatment has two important effects on cells that could impact the growth of malignant tumors. At low doses, cordycepin inhibits the uncontrolled growth and division of cells while at high doses it prevents cells from sticking together, essentially blocking the cells from growing.

The research team concluded that each of these effects most likely is the result of a single underlying mechanism -- cordycepin interferes with how cells make proteins. Specifically, low doses of the mushroom-derived treatment interfere with the production of mRNA (the molecule that directs cells to assemble a protein) and at higher doses cordycepin directly interacts with the making of proteins.

"Our discovery will open up the possibility of investigating the range of different cancers that could be treated with cordycepin," Dr de Moor stated. "We have also developed a very effective method that can be used to test new, more efficient or more stable versions of the drug in the Petri dish.This is a great advantage as it will allow us to rule out any non-runners before anyone considers testing them in animals."

Scientists at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, published research in the November 30th edition of the journal Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy showing that oral Cordyceps can reduce the occurrence of cancer spreading to the lungs in metastatic breast cancer. Although the researchers found that Cordyceps does not reduce the growth of the primary breast tumor, they noted that deaths from breast cancer are primarily due to the development of metastases. That means a treatment that stops the spread of metastatic tumors could save countless lives.

Although various medical therapies currently exist that attempt to stop the growth of cancerous metastatic tumors, they have little effect -- so this makes the Dalhousie University research into Cordyceps very important. The Canadian researchers stated the evidence they have so far suggests that the mushroom reduces the growth of metastases due to Cordyceps' effects on the tumors' cell cycles.

Mesothelioma Disappears After Mushroom Use

A mesothelioma patient takes a medicinal mushroom, Agaricus blazei Murill, and has a clinical tumor disappearance during a 29-month follow-up period.

In 2003, a 75-year old man with a history of asbestos exposure was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma.  Biopsy revealed that the mesothelioma was of the epithelioid type.  The man was scheduled to undergo an EPP (extra-pleural pneumonectomy) on September 30, 2003.  However, because of the aggressiveness of the tumor the EPP was not performed.  Instead a cytoreduction pleurectomy was completed.  Postoperative intrathoracic chemotherapy (carboplatin) was administered followed by systemic chemotherapy (gemcitabine).  A CT scan in December 2003 demonstrated that the patient had stable disease.  

Agaricus blazei Murill (ABM) mushroom

In May 2004, the man had chest pain and was feeling poorly.  Another CT showed that the mesothelioma had recurred in the right pleural cavity.  The patient refused further treatment.  Instead he took a mushroom called Agaricus blazei Murill Kyowa.  This is a type of Agaricus blazei Murill (ABM) mushroom.

The mesothelioma patient also used alternative parasympathetic nerve stimulation therapy (PNST).  PNST is modified acupuncture modality.  The parasympathetic nervous system promotes digestion, the synthesis of glycogen, and allows for normal function and behavior.

After starting this alternative regimen, the mesothelioma patient had high fever for about two weeks.  After the fever passed his general condition improved greatly.  Four months after he started these therapies the mesothelioma tumor had significantly decreased.  A subsequent CT demonstrated that the tumor had completely disappeared.  

In August 2007, the mesothelioma started to regrow.  The patient continued his alternative therapies and in November 2008 the tumor was growing slowly.  The doctors concluded that “some immunological reactions” of the patient to the tumor are responsible for the successful clinical outcome in this case and they discussed the fact that the ABM may have possibly played a role although the tumor disappearance could not be “categorically explained.”

ABM is an edible mushroom that grows naturally in North America, Israel, Taiwan, and Brazil.  It has been used in Brazilian folk medicine to treat a variety of diseases including cancer, diabetes, hepatitis, and arteriosclerosis.  In the mid-1960’s ABM spores were taken to Japan for research and commercial cultivation.  The research has revealed that ABM is an immunomodulating agent and it contains a number of biological response modulators such as proteoglucans and beta-glucans.  These substances induce the secretion of nitric oxide and proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-8.  Research has suggested that these substances may be of benefit to cancer patients.  Studies in cell cultures and animals have revealed that ABM has anti-cancer effects in at least eight different cancers.  In one very interesting study, mice fed ABM and marine phospholipids had their myeloma tumors vanish.  (Marine phospholipids are compounds that contain omega-3 fatty acids and other essential nutrients.)  And there are anecdotal reports of some patients with hematological cancer who have been cured when supplementing their prescribed hospital treatment with ABM.  However, all of these results need to be validated in a controlled clinical setting.  

Today, research into ABM and cancer continues in China, Brazil and some European countries.

Beating cancer with the help of medicinal mushrooms

Important personal views

Many of the medicinal mushrooms, including chaga mushroom, maitake mushroom, ganoderma mushroom, and cordyceps mushroom, contain cancer-preventive and cancer-fighting actions. Research has focused on the polysaccharides with beta 1,3 glucan linkages. Indole-3-carbinol is a nutrient found in large quantities in cruciferous vegetables. It is a potent antagonist of breast cancer, reducing formation of cancerous compounds from hormones and participating in blockage of cancer cell progression.- The One Earth Herbal Sourcebook: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese, Western, and Ayurvedic Herbal Treatments by Alan Keith Tillotson, Ph.D., A.H.G., D.Ay. 

Other mushroom extracts that have been shown to have clinical effectiveness against human cancers are D-fraction extracted from the Maitake mushroom, and extracts from the split gill, turkey tail and Reishi mushrooms. In 1998, Maitake Products received FDA approval for an Investigational New Drug Phase II pilot study of maitake mushroom extract in the treatment of advanced breast and prostate cancer. There is also some evidence that the consumption of mushrooms in the diet may ward off cancer.- You Don't Have to be Afraid of Cancer Anymore by Bill Sardi

Mushrooms add the 'meat'

Mushrooms make food “meaty,” adding a tender but chewy texture that makes for a satisfying “bite” to a dish. Mushrooms are also fantastic little sponges, soaking up the briny, salty or savory flavors of liquids in a dish and happily releasing them as you chew.

Pairing mushrooms with pork tenderloin makes the whole barbecue better, adding the smooth mushroom texture to the shreds of pork, both sopped with the sauce they were cooked in. This barbecue is cooked on the grill, but it also works beautifully when simmered all day in a slow cooker.

Quick & Easy Barbecue Pork and Mushrooms

1 whole pork tenderloin, trimmed (about 1 pound)

1 tablespoon barbeque sauce, honey-smoked

2 Portabella mushroom caps, sliced into 1/4 inch strips

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon grill seasoning, mesquite 

Pre-heat grill to 350 degrees. Place pork on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Rub the barbecue sauce on the pork. Spread the mushroom strips around the pork and drizzle oil over the pork and mushrooms. Sprinkle the grill seasoning over the mushrooms.

Fold the sides and ends of the foil up and crimp to seal. Place pork packet on the grill, close cover. Let the pork cook 45 minutes, remove from the grill and let rest 15 minutes. Carefully unwrap the foil and remove the pork.

Cut into 4 sections. With two forks, shred the pork. Mix the shredded pork with some of the remaining juices from the foil to moisten. 

Top with the mushrooms and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: Calories 190; total fat 6g; saturated fat 1.5g; trans fat 0g; cholesterol 75mg; sodium 340mg; carbohydrate 6g; dietary fiber 1g; sugars 2g; protein 26g.

Eating Mushrooms Slashes Risk of Breast Cancer by Two-Thirds

Regular mushroom consumption can decrease a woman's risk of breast cancer by two thirds, researchers have found.

Scientists from the University of Western Australia in Perth conducted a study on 2,018 Chinese women, half of whom had been diagnosed with breast cancer. After adjusting for known cancer risk factors such as obesity, smoking, lack of exercise and lower education level, the researchers found that women who ate at least 10 grams of button mushrooms per day were 64 percent less likely to develop the disease. Women who ate dried mushrooms regularly also significantly reduced their cancer risk, although not by as much.

The study was published in the International Journal of Cancer.

This is not the first time scientists have found evidence of mushrooms' cancer-fighting properties. Laboratory studies have found that mushrooms may suppress the body's production of the sex hormone estrogen, much like the breast cancer drugs known as aromatose inhibitors. High estrogen levels are a well-known risk factor for breast cancer. 

Mushrooms have also been found to strengthen the body's immune function and block tumor development. Mushroom extract has been shown to stop the growth of breast cancer cells, sparking an ongoing study into whether taking mushroom extract twice per month can prevent a recurrence of the disease. 

While the Chinese study focused on the culinary mushrooms Agaricus bisporus (button mushrooms), the study on extracts is focusing on the traditional medicinal mushroom Phellinus linteus. In Eastern medicine, this mushroom is used to help refresh the body and lengthen lifespan.

Researchers believe that P. linteus acts by blocking the action of an enzyme known as AKT, which plays a role in controlling cell growth. Prior studies have suggested that the mushroom hampers the activity of skin, lung and prostate cancer cells. It reduces uncontrollable cell growth and blocks the development of blood vessels that keep tumors alive.

Mushrooms Synthesize Vitamin D When Exposed to Ultraviolet Light

Recent research recommends that like humans, some animals and certain species of algae, mushrooms may also be able to synthesize vitamin D upon exposure to sunlight.

Vitamin D is synthesized by the body upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight. Synthesis of the vitamin does not appear to be possible in the absence of ultraviolet radiation. The vitamin D in the diet of fish, for example, ultimately comes from several varieties of shallow water algae that produce it from sunlight.

Mushrooms, however, contain 4 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D per serving, and early studies suggest that this can be increased to 100 percent simply by exposing the mushrooms to sunlight for just five minutes.

A further test of this phenomenon was recently conducted by researchers from Crosby House Surgery in England. In a case study, a single 30-year-old, vitamin D deficient Indian man was fed mushrooms that had been treated with ultraviolet-B radiation. After three months of eating the mushrooms daily, his blood vitamin D levels increased by 129 percent.

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that functions as a hormone precursor and also plays a critical role in calcium absorption and bone health. Researchers have long known that deficiency can lead to bone deformities in children and adults, as well as increasing adults' risk of osteoporosis and fractures. New research suggests, however, the vitamin D deficiency may also increase the risk of autoimmune diseases, cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Many studies suggest, however, that nearly 50 percent of people in the United States may be vitamin D deficient. 

Doctors recommend that light-skinned people get 15 minutes of sun on the face and hands per day to ensure sufficient vitamin D levels; more exposure might be needed during the winter for those living far from the equator. People with darker skin need correspondingly more exposure.

Mushrooms: The Underestimated Super Food

Mushrooms: The Underestimated Super Food

Scientific Research:

Several scientists addressed the health benefits of mushrooms in a session in July 2008 at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo in New Orleans.

Mushrooms are low in calories, cholesterol and sodium, and they provide plenty of fiber and flavor when cooked. But the big news is that they are high in antioxidants, selenium, riboflavin and other healthful substances that protect the immune system and fight cancer.

Mushrooms contain high amounts of beta-glucans, compounds that occur in the bran of cereal grains and in yeast. These substances help to keep immune cells in a state of vigilance, guarding against disease, said Lana Zivanovic, Ph.D., with the University of Tennessee's Department of Food Science and Technology.

Mushrooms also contain cancer-fighting substances, said Shiuan Chen, Ph.D., director of surgical research at the Beckman Research Institute in Duarte, Calif.

Chen's lab experiments show that mushrooms' cells contain mechanisms that suppress breast and prostate cancer cells. He is following up his lab work with clinical trials funded by the Mushroom Council. Results should be out in a year, he said.

Research is showing that mushrooms contain ergothioneine, an antioxidant that contributes to immune support and protection of the eyes, skin, liver, kidneys and bone marrow.

Scientists have unearthed other mushroom benefits including robust amounts of selenium, vitamin D and potassium. "White button mushrooms have more protein, potassium, copper and selenium than oyster or shiitake mushrooms”