Most medicinal mushrooms contain large, sugar-based molecules called polysaccharides that have demonstrated positive effects on components of the immune system and the ability to stand up to cancer cells—in test tube studies at least. More recently, preliminary research in people suggests that extracts from some of these fungi may also strengthen and balance immune response and may work alongside conventional chemotherapy drugs, in experimental protocols, to better attack a wide variety of cancers. Exciting news in the ongoing quest to find more effective cancer treatments.

In one review of five well-designed human studies, researchers concluded that adding a reishi extract to chemotherapy or radiation therapy improved effectiveness by 27 percent. Studies of a Japanese maitake extract suggesting it also helps, though cancer experts say more research is needed. A turkey tail extract called PSK, along with other treatments, seems to have helped people with cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, colon or breast to survive longer. And a polysaccharide from the shiitake mushroom, called lentinan, also seemed to improve quality of life and survival in people undergoing treatment for cancers of the colon, stomach and pancreas.

In an article entitled: “Edible Mushrooms: Improving Human Health and Promoting Quality Life” by Maria Elena Valverde, Talia Hernández-Pérez and Octavio Paredes-López, published online in the International Journal of Microbiology, the authors have created an exhaustively researched treatise on the enormous potential and value of medicinal mushrooms to human health: “A large variety of mushrooms have been utilized traditionally in many different cultures for the maintenance of health, as well as in the prevention and treatment of diseases through their immunomodulatory and antineoplastic properties. In the last decade, the interest for pharmaceutical potential of mushrooms has been increased rapidly, and it has been suggested that many mushrooms are like mini-pharmaceutical factories producing compounds with miraculous biological properties. In addition, the expanded knowledge of the molecular basis of tumorigenesis and metastasis has given the opportunity for discovering new drugs against abnormal molecular and biochemical signals leading to cancer.

“More than 100 medicinal functions are produced by mushrooms and fungi and the key medicinal uses are antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, antiallergic, immunomodulating, cardiovascular protector, anticholesterolemic, antiviral, antibacterial, antiparasitic, antifungal, detoxification, and hepatoprotective effects; they also protect against tumor development and inflammatory processes.” ¹

¹ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4320875/,

While we can’t control our age, we can control numerous factors that accelerate the aging process, including excessive exposure to sunlight, poor nutrition and stress. Unlike other organs in our body, we can apply sunscreens, moisturizers and other healthy beauty products directly to the skin. For that reason alone, there is absolutely no reason you can’t have healthy attractive skin throughout your life at any age.

Natural ingredients are at the forefront of today’s skin care research and can be found in many of the latest beauty products. From soy and oatmeal to complete organic formulations, scientists have identified a variety of skincare and beauty benefits within everyday natural ingredients—fusing science with the art of natural healing and adapting holistic wisdom from many different cultures. Recently added to this beauty-secret roster is the shitake mushroom and other medicinal mushrooms.

First cultivated in Asia over 1,000 years ago, shiitake mushrooms were recognized for their ability to enhance vitality and help slow the aging process. Now researchers have captured the natural benefits of rejuvenating shiitake mushrooms through the creation of natural shiitake products and along with other medicinal mushroom formulations that are able to accelerate the skin’s own natural renewal process. As we age, our collagen breaks down and that’s why we develop wrinkles. Natural medicinal mushroom products replenish surface cells faster so your skin looks and feels younger.