Medicinal Mushrooms A Clinical Guide 2nd Edition Martin Powell Contents Preface Acknowledgements A Note on Mushroom Names Disclaimer Quick Reference – Mushrooms Quick Reference – Conditions Introduction Members of the Fungal Kingdom Rich Sources of Pharmacologically Active Compounds Polysaccharides (beta-glucans, proteoglycans and related compounds) Proteins Triterpenes Phenols Sterols Statins Indole Compounds Chitin Enzymes Mushroom Polysaccharides - Essential Nutrients for our Immune System? Pharmacokinetics of Mushroom Polysaccharides Th1-Th2, Mushroom Polysaccharides and Immune Balance Understanding Mushroom Products Fruiting Body/Conk/Sclerotium Extracts Spores Mycelium Mycelial Biomass Combination Products Prescribing Medicinal Mushrooms Side effects Candidiasis or other fungal conditions With conventional treatment With other nutritional supplements While pregnant or breastfeeding Medicinal Mushrooms Agaricus subrufescens Agaricus brasiliensis Agaricus blazei Antrodia camphorata/Antrodia cinnamomea Armillaria mellea (Honey Mushroom) Auricularia auricula/Auricularia polytricha (Wood Ear) Coprinus comatus (Lawyer’s Wig / Shaggy Inkcap) Cordyceps species Flammulina velutipes (Enokitake) Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) Grifola frondosa (Maitake) Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s Mane) Inonotus obliquus (Chaga) Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Phellinus linteus (Mesima) Pleurotus ostreatus (Oyster Mushroom) Polyporus umbellatus/Grifola umbellata Poria cocos Sparassis crispa (Cauliflower Mushroom) Trametes versicolor/Coriolus versicolor (Turkey Tail) Tremella fuciformis (Snow Fungus) Medicinal Mushrooms in Cancer Therapy Medicinal Mushrooms and Chemotherapy Medicinal Mushrooms and Radiotherapy Medicinal Mushrooms and Surgery Cancer Prevention Bladder Cancer Brain Cancer Breast Cancer Cervical Cancer Colorectal Cancer Endometrial Cancer Gastric Cancer Leukaemia Liver Cancer Lung Cancer Lymphoma Ovarian Cancer Pancreatic Cancer Prostate Cancer Skin Cancer Clinical Notes Medicinal Mushrooms for Other Conditions Allergic Rhinitis (Hayfever) Alzheimer’s Disease Asthma Bacterial Infections Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) Candidiasis Cardiovascular Health Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS - ME) Dementia Depression Diabetes Epilepsy Erectile Dysfunction Exercise-induced Immune Suppression Fluid Retention Gastric Ulcers Hepatitis Herpes HIV HPV Hypercholesterolaemia Hypertension Infertility Inflammatory Bowel Disease Influenza Insomnia/Anxiety Liver Damage Meniere’s Syndrome Multiple Sclerosis Nerve Damage Parasitic Infections Parkinson’s Disease Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Psoriasis Renal Health Rheumatoid Arthritis Skin Repair Stroke Appendix, Glossary, Index and Additional Resources Medicinal Mushrooms According to Traditional Chinese Medicine Glossary Index Additional Resources Preface The use of medicinal mushrooms is one of the most exciting areas of natural health, offering significant therapeutic benefit, supported by a long history of traditional use and increasing scientific evidence. However, many questions remain to be addressed if it is to fulfil its potential1. In particular the lack of standardisation of mushroom products and lack of comparative clinical research remain significant obstacles to more widespread use. Given the fact that research has to be paid for, it is perhaps inevitable that most is designed to show the widest range of activity, and therefore sales opportunities, for individual mushroom products, rather than provide the information that clinicians need to decide: Which is the best mushroom or combination of mushrooms for my patient? What is the best form to give it in - extract or whole mushroom - mycelia or fruiting body? What dosage is therapeutically effective? This book sets out to address these questions and it is my hope that it will assist practitioners and patients alike by providing at least partial answers. The variable quality of much of the available information, together with the lack of standardisation among mushroom products and the extensive overlap of functionality between different mushrooms, means that there will inevitably be room for differences of opinion regarding the answers to the above questions. As well as suggesting answers, I have therefore given an overview of the research so that readers can evaluate it for themselves and draw their own conclusions. In putting the book together I have tried at all times to maximise its usability. A Quick Reference section is included at the beginning with brief summaries of individual mushrooms’ main therapeutic application(s) and active constituents, and of the mushroom(s) commonly used for specific conditions, with suggested dosage formats. In addition to the quick reference section, the book is divided into four parts: Introduction to medicinal mushrooms and mushroom products Individual monographs on the therapeutic potential of the major medicinal mushrooms Discussion of the use of medicinal mushrooms in cancer treatment Survey of the clinical application of medicinal mushrooms for other clinical conditions There is also an appendix on the energetics of mushrooms in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for those practitioners trained in this approach. Additional Comments on the Second Edition Although it is only four years since the first edition was published, those four years have seen considerable advances in our understanding of medicinal mushrooms and their therapeutic value making a second edition timely. As well as updating the information contained in the book in the light of recent research and expanding areas where feedback has indicated that a more detailed treatment was required I have included discussion of the use of mushrooms in several new conditions. I have also added two additional mushrooms and expanded the sections on others to more fully reflect their clinical use.