Anyone taking Medicinal mushrooms?
Does anyone do medicinal mushrooms? I'm talking about AHCC (Immpower and other brands) Reishi, Maitake, Shiitake, Phellinus lineus, ABM, etc? Comments? I've looked them up on Google and finding very interesting information about immune stimulating and cancer fighting properties.
Hugggs! Maddy Mason, Hudson Valley, NY
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Hi Maddy,
I remember a discussion about mushrooms from a year-and-a-half ago -- here is the URL:
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/79/topic/507680?page=3#post_862755
I'm not sure I can make that work as a link, but if you paste it into your browser address window, you should be able to find it...
P.S. The link works for me -- hope it does for you!
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I also remember that discussion and it probably was one that started me on mushroom supplements you mentioned. I happen to like the taste of mushrooms and do eat them regularly in my salads, etc.
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Mushrooms are typically listed in the articles about "foods that fight cancer". I just read an article in Prevention by Dr. Weil (he is all about healthful living through good good, meditation, and exercise). He does not take a lot of supplements but does take mushroom supplements. I take 12 ImmunoKonoko pills daily (or am suppossed to) per my naturopath.
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Hi Maddy--
I do take AHCC and have since I started chemo in april. It was recommended to me by a nutritionist who claims it helps your immune system fight cancer. I don't about that BUT I did have a spectacular response to chemo. So I'm a believer!
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Thanks- will read through that thread. I, too, recently read (I think Ralph Moss wrote a column on it) that even the common supermarket button mushrooms are anti-cancer, so I've stared eating them frequently. I toss them into my stir-fried dishes which I eat almost daily. And, BTW, asparagus is also supposed to be a strong anti-cancer food. There is a protocol which calls for blending up canned asparagus and eating/drinking 4 ounces of this a day. I prefer the frozen organic asparagus cuts by Cascadian Farms- I just toss a box of those into my stir-fries also. Simple and delicious!
Anyway, I was hoping someone had heard information about these ABM and Phillinus mushrooms. Not too much info. that I could dig up on the 'Net, but seems to be a promising avenue of holistic treatment.
I always make a big dish of mixed sherried mushrooms for part of my Thanksgiving dinner, and there is never a single one left over!
Hugggs! Maddy Mason, Hudson Valley, NY
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Interesting stuff! I LOOOOOVE mushrooms (the more exotic the better) so that is great news (I always thought mushrooms were a "guilty pleasure" -- they taste great but I didn't know they had any nutritional value).
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Maitake D extract is one of the best studied of the medicinal mushroom extracts. It is absorbed orally and has biological effects. There are many published articles, and research currently under way at a US hospital (Memorial Sloan Kettering) relating to breast cancer treatment. They completed a phase I trial and confirmed that it did indeed have profound and complex effects on the immune system, "the clinicial significance of which is not known." Its fairly expensive, Grifon Pro is the one being studied. It is around $60-$70 for a month's supply.
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I have been using Fungi Perfect's Stamets seven mushroom Blend for years (according to Dr. Weil, that's one of the best brands).
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I take the Maitake D fraction by Grifon-Pro. I don't remember it costing as much as Timothy posted above, I will have to look into it. I have a 60 ml bottle and take 18 drops per day. The bottle has lasted a few months.
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I take a reishi mushroom supplement from the Block Center in Evanston, IL. They are an integrative oncology practice and have their own line of supplements. The reishi tablets are REALLY expensive, but I like their supplements because I trust them and they have developed the supplements and monitor quality and potency. I feel like if I take something from them I don't have to wonder if it really contains what it's supposed to. And since many of the supplements are developed by doctors and researchers at the center, I feel like they are backed up by evidence.
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I was taking Reishi mushroom capsules about a year ago. I oly took them for about a month. I stopped because they were too much money.
I love mushrooms in general. I love shitake mushroom sushi rolls. I eat them often.
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deni63, the monthly cost I quoted is based on a 120 lb woman taking the weight based dosage I calculated, which works out to 60 drops daily for that body weight. At that level of intake, a bottle doesn't last a month. Our plan is for Bev to keep taking it at that dosage for 6 months, because in the Japanese report it took six months for a woman taking Maitake D extract to have her BC tumour completely disappear. I'm hesitant for Bev to stay on it longer than 6 months at that dosage, as the Memorial Sloan Kettering work shows that it both enhances and suppresses various markers and components of the immune system, depending on the dosage. Their view of its effect of dosage vs immune response was that it was "complex". For some markers of the immune system, as you increased dosage, the marker went up. But for some of these, at a certain dosage, it went down. The mg/kg body weight dosage we are using is based on the manufacturor's recommendation and is higher than the level used for general health quoted on the bottle.
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Here's an article about cancer and Maitake from Japan. It is the one that writes of the observed cure of a recurrance in a BC patient, and other cancers. It also discussed immune enhancement and prevention of metastasis.
http://www.orthomolecular.org/library/jom/1997/pdf/1997-v12n01-p043.pdf
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thanks for the article Timothy. I am going to have my husband print it out for me. The dosage that I take was recommended by my ND as part of my regimen. Yes, I would guess at the dosage that your wife is taking it would get quite expensive!
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For those of you taking a mushroom supplement, I have a question. Since they are pretty expensive, do you think it makes any sense to maybe use one less than daily? I currently eat mushrooms as often as possible because I believe in their immune building benefits. So I was wondering if you think it would make any sense to occasionally pop a supplement as well, like maybe once or twice a week? Deanna
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I take a reishi mushroom extract which is a liquid compounded by my naturopath. Have been doing so since starting chemo. I also take PSK which is an extract of the coriolus versicor mushroom, which I get as a tablet bought via the naturopath. I take both daily and yes, they are very expensive!! I am sure every bit helps so surely once or twice a week is better than none!
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Hi Maddy! I've been taking Coriolus Versicolor #52 by Bell Lifestyle Products. My WBC counts during my chemo treatments blew off the charts. I finished my last chemo on Oct 29th, and will continue taking this mushroom supplement until I feel my immune system has fully recovered from the chemo. BTW, this product was not expensive, but, you'll have to work with a local herbalist that can order the product, because the company does not sell over the web.
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I take powdered mushrooms from Mushroom Harvest, one of a couple of companies that grow their own organic mushrooms. They go in my morning drink: orange, bannana, frozen blueberries or raspberries, yogurt, pomegranate juice, wheat germ, Dr. Hagiwara's green magma barley powder, TJ green power: The current mix of powders includes agaricus blazei, coriolus versicolor, phellinus linteus, and a mix that adds reishi, poria, and shitake. 13 teaspoons or 26 grams. I've ordered cordyceps. The pills are just too expensive. The powders are $30 a pound and last a long time. I think the mushrooms help maintain my stamina.
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lol, when i saw the title of this thread i immediately thought of my trip to amsterdam a couple of years ago and "no, but i'd like to"
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Medicinal mushrooms? I have been using the Stamets Mushroom Blend.
Miracle: I think I am going to switch to the powder. It looks more convenient, in addition to being less expensive......
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Studies have shown women undergoing treatment for breast cancer might benefit from turkey tail mushroom agents. Maitake mushroom are beneficial as well. Including mushrooms in your diet can be hard, using supplements can help. This product has turkey tail and maitake both and I've heard great reviews : ADAPTOGENIC MUSHROOM MCT CREAMER by Augustus Formulas
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I try to have good old grocery store supplied criminis every day as part of my main meal. I too have seen evidence that they can be helpful, but the supplements are "iffy" in my book. I'm familiar with the Stamets Turkey Tail supplement (My Community brand?) and it was used in a study that gets touted at times, however, the good results were seen with far more, dosage wise, than the bottle of capsules recommends. If you took as many capsules every day as they say you would need to get the successful dose from the study, the cost would be through the roof. My understanding is that just eating common mushrooms regularly can provide a lot of benefit. Also, I understand that in Japan they use mushroom as treatment alongside chemo. Not sure which mushroom, though.
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