This post is an excerpt from the National Cancer Institute page on cancer treatments, specifically, Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM).
Medicinal mushrooms are mushrooms that are used as medicine. They have been used to treat infection for hundreds of years, mostly in Asia. Today, medicinal mushrooms are also used to treat lung diseases and cancer. For more than 30 years, medicinal mushrooms have been approved as an addition to standard cancer treatments in Japan and China. In these countries, mushrooms have been used safely for a long time, either alone or combined with radiation or chemotherapy.
In Asia, there are more than 100 types of mushrooms used to treat cancer. Some of the more common ones are Ganoderma lucidum (reishi), Trametes versicolor or Coriolus versicolor (turkey tail), Lentinus edodes (shiitake), and Grifola frondosa (maitake).
Mushrooms are being studied to find out how they affect the immune system and if they stop or slow the growth of tumors or kill tumor cells. It is thought that certain chemical compounds, such as polysaccharides (beta-glucans) in turkey tail mushrooms, strengthen the immune system to fight cancer.
This PDQ cancer information summary gives an overview of the use of medicinal mushrooms in treating cancer. The following information is given for Trametes versicolor, also called Coriolus versicolor (turkey tail), and Ganoderma lucidum (reishi):
How it is given or taken.
Reviews of laboratory and animal studies.
Results of clinical trials (studies in humans).
Side effects.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) information.
This cancer information summary has current information about the use of medicinal mushrooms in the treatment of people with cancer. It is meant to inform and help patients, families, and caregivers. It does not give formal guidelines or recommendations for making decisions about health care.
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