information about Reishi, Lingshi, Shiitake, Shitake, Cordyceps, Maitake etc

Many species of medicinal mushrooms have been used in folk medicine for thousands of years. In the East we find the best documentation about the use of medicinal mushrooms in folk medicine. Medicinal mushrooms are now the subject of study for many ethnobotanists and medical researchers and the ability of some Medicinal Mushroomsmushrooms to inhibit tumor growth and enhance aspects of the immune system has been a subject of research for approximately 50 years. In the span of this time, compounds from more than 200 different species of mushrooms were found to possess anti-cancer activity. Recent research has found that the oyster mushroom naturally contains the cholesterol drug lovastatin, mushrooms produce large amounts of vitamin D when exposed to UV light, and that certain fungi may be a future source of taxol. International mushroom research continues today, with a focus on mushroom's that may have hypoglycemic activity, anti-cancer activity, anti-pathogenic activity, and immune system enhancing activity. Research conducted in the past with fungi has led to the discovery of penicillin, lovastatin, ciclosporin, griseofulvin, cephalosporin, and ergometrine. Medicinal Mushrooms, Chinese medicine / Herbal medicine The concept of a "medicinal mushroom" is far from new. The Ancient Egyptians has hieroglyphics dating back 4,600 years associated mushrooms with immortality and they considered mushrooms a special food item for royalty. For thousands of years in China, mushrooms were thought to promote health and longevity and in general civilizations spanning throughout Asia, Eastern Europe, and Russia have long been mushroom-friendly, taking part in mushroom hunting, and incorporating mushrooms in local cuisines. Mushrooms have been viewed from a different light in places like the UK, Ireland, and North America. There are numerous possible explanations but one explanation is due to the fact the Ancient Greeks and Romans were silent about any possible health benefits of mushrooms. Another explanation is that these countries often associated mushrooms with filth and were acutely aware of the fact some are poisonous. Other factors which may have contributed to the negative image of mushrooms was the death of Roman emperor, Claudius, who was long rumored to be killed by mushroom poisoning. Another event which helped give mushrooms a negative image was the Middle Ages, where mushrooms and folk medicine were associated with the devil. Currently in the East, mushrooms continue to enjoy a great reputation and the Western world is beginning to examine the concept of medicinal mushrooms and their potential. In 2008, UC Davis published a review of medicinal mushroom research and encouraged further research by way of clinical trials. However, the review stated that currently there is not enough known about medicinal mushrooms to begin promoting their use in the treatment of specific diseases. Institutions furthering medicinal mushroom research include the City of Hope National Medical Center, as well as the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Research suggests the compounds in medicinal mushrooms most responsible for up-regulating the immune system, are a diverse collection of polysaccharides, particularly beta-glucans, and to a lesser extent, alpha-glucans. These polysaccharides are made up of repeating units of D-glucose monomers and come in a huge variety of shapes (due to the multiple locations available for glycosidic bonding between D-glucose units) and molecular weights (due to the varying lengths possible for D-glucose chains). Proteins can also be attached to these mushroom polysaccharides. An example of this would be the protein-bound beta-glucans that are contained in Polysaccharide-K. Beta-glucans are currently known as "biological response modifiers", and their ability to activate the immune system is well documented. Specifically, beta-glucans stimulate the innate branch of the immune system. Research has shown beta-glucans have the ability to stimulate macrophage, NK cells, T cells, and immune system cytokines. The mechanisms in which beta-glucans stimulate the immune system is only partially understood. One mechanism in which beta-glucans are able to activate the immune system, is by interacting with the Macrophage-1 antigen (CD18) receptor on immune cells. Other human receptors have been identified as being able to receive signals from beta-glucans such as Toll-like receptor 2, Dectin-1, lactosylceramide, and scavenger receptors. Mushrooms may be able to influence the production of certain human hormones, due to evidence from enzyme assay analysis. Mushrooms like Agaricus bisporus may be able to partially inhibit the activity of aromatase, the enzyme responsible for producing estrogen. Mushrooms like Reishi may be able to partially inhibit the activity of 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme responsible for producing dihydrotestosterone. [edit] Direct anti-viral and anti-microbial properties HSV-1 cultured in a petri dish. Research has shown that some mushrooms exhibit in vitro anti-viral properties. * Agaricus blazei - Polio, Western equine encephalitis * Cordyceps sinensis - Hepatitis B * Coriolus versicolor - HIV * Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) - HSV-1, HSV-2, Influenza virus, Vesicular stomatitis * Hypsizygus tessellatus - Epstein-Barr virus * Inonotus obliquus (Chaga) - Influenza virus * Kuehneromyces mutabilis - Influenza virus * Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) - HSV-1, HIV, Influenza virus, Vesicular stomatitis (contains a proteinase inhibitor.) * Piptoporus betulinus - Pox virus * Pleurotus eryngii - Tobacco mosaic virus * Pleurotus ostreatus (Oyster mushroom) - HIV Research has also shown that some mushrooms exhibit in vitro anti-microbial effects on the following organisms. * Agaricus blazei - escherichia coli * Flammulina velutipes (Enokitake) - staphylococcus aureus * Fomes fomentarius - escherichia coli, pseudomonas aeruginosa * Ganoderma applanatum - Bacillus cereus, escherichia coli * Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) - aspergillus niger, Bacillus cereus, candida albicans, escherichia coli * Grifola frondosa (Maitake) - candida albicans * Hericium erinaceus - aspergillus niger, Bacillus cereus, candida albicans * Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) - candida albicans, listeria monocytogenes, mycobacterium tuberculosis, staphylococcus aureus, steptococcus pneumoniae, streptococcus pyogenes * Piptoporus betulinus - Bacillus cereus, pseudomonas aeruginosa, pseudomonas fluorescens * Pleurotus ostreatus (Oyster mushroom) - aspergillus niger, Bacillus cereus, escherichia coli, plasmodium falciparum, pseudomonas aeruginosa, pseudomonas fluorescens * Sparassis crispa - Bacillus cereus * Trametes versicolor - aspergillus niger, candida albicans, escherichia coli, steptococcus pneumoniae