Magnificent mushrooms!
There’s now quite compelling scientific evidence for a variety of health-promoting effects from what are referred to as ‘medicinal mushrooms’. Many of these mushrooms have been used for a very long time in both traditional Eastern and Western medicine. For instance, the famous 5,000 year old Ötzi the Iceman, who was found sticking unceremoniously out of a glacier in 1991, had a pouch with him carrying two different types of mushroom. One type consisted of large pieces of mushroom threaded onto leather bands. These were believed to have been used as an anti-inflammatory or antibiotic by Otzi.
Fast forward 5000 years, and the medicinal potential of mushrooms is an active area of scientific research, with pharmaceutical companies hoping to extract, patent and profit from the bioactive compounds they contain. For those interested, this 2021 scientific paper gives a detailed description of the bioactive compounds discovered in mushrooms and how they’ve been tested in clinical trials. This paper comments;
“Medicinal mushrooms have been shown to have many different pharmacological properties and are the subject of increasing interest. Many of them are already being used, particularly in the field of oncology, for their immunomodulatory and anti-tumour actions, which complement traditional treatments, improving their action and reducing their side effects”
Although there are dozens of different mushrooms being studied, today I will just mention one called Reishi, latin name Ganoderma Lucidum. Reishi is one of the most famous and widely studied of all the medicinal mushrooms and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for millennia. It has been shown to contain at least 400 different bioactive compounds, including peptides, peptidoglycans, polyphenols, sterols, alkaloids and fatty acids.
More importantly, modern scientific research has indicated that Reishi can boost the immune system, decrease anxiety and depression and also have an anti-cancer effect. These effects may go some way to explain how Reishi acquired its other nickname, ‘The mushroom of immortality’.
As a long-term cancer survivor I’m always looking for ways to boost my immune system and keep myself healthy, and medicinal mushrooms (particularly ‘the mushroom of immortality’ for some reason..) are part of my personal strategy. However, whilst I’m a fan, if you are considering taking any medicinal mushrooms, you should do plenty of research yourself and always consult your doctor first. This is because just like pharmaceutical medicines, mushrooms can potentially have side effects and could also interact with other drugs you are already taking.
I sincerely wish you luck getting an appointment with your GP to chat about mushrooms. Let me know how it goes.
If you are looking for an East Grinstead Osteopath please get in touch with:
Cliff Russell, Registered Osteopath
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