Ten Mushrooms that Prevent Disease and Stop Cancer

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Some of the world’s oldest and greatest natural healing systems have long used the medicinal powers of mushrooms. In both Indian and ancient Chinese medicine, mushrooms were often the prescription healers gave to persons suffering from a wide range of health issues, everything from fatigue to chronic and serious diseases. Europeans love mushrooms for their significant healing compounds, which are often thought to be due to their very dense concentration of essential nutrients.

Ancient Egyptians believed that mushrooms could grant you immortality, and the ancient Romans believed mushrooms were the foods of the gods.

Unfortunately, our toxic drug based medical communities have completely forgotten about the healing elements of many foods and plants that had kept people healthy for centuries before pharmaceutical drugs were invented. Ongoing research shows that some mushrooms are unbelievably powerful disease fighting dynamos.

Keep reading and find out the 10 healing mushrooms that offer you protection for everything from degenerative brain diseases to cancer.

1. White Button Mushrooms

Plain old white button mushrooms have more potassium, protein, selenium, and copper than almost any other mushroom. These mushrooms have powerful protection against inflammation. Inflammation in the body leads to a wide range of chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

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2. Shiitake Mushrooms

Shiitake mushrooms contain a substance called lentinan, a compound that actually heals damage to chromosomes that are often caused by anti-cancer treatments such as chemotherapy. These mushrooms also have lentinula edodes mycelium ( LEM) that are known to help prevent and treat certain cancers, heart disease, infectious diseases, high blood pressure, and hepatitis.

3. Maitake Mushrooms

These mushrooms are so powerful; they have been shown in studies to improve the health of those suffering from AIDS and the blood sugar levels of diabetics. Studies show that maitake mushrooms also stop the growth of tumors while improving your immune system.

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4. Turkey Tail Mushrooms

Turkey tail (trametes versicolor) is a mushroom with beautiful patterns and color that remind many people of the tail feathers of wild turkeys, hence the name. It grows wild around the globe and is often found in large colonies on the wounds of living trees or around the trucks of fallen, dead trees.

This mushroom has perhaps the strongest cancer fighting compounds of any mushrooms. ISRN Oncology published one study in 2012 that showed that taking 9 grams of turkey tail extract every day improved the immune status of subjects that had breast cancer. In 2013, another study published in the International Journal of Molecular Medicine, found that this mushroom, when combined with reishi, another disease fighting mushroom, induced cell death in leukemia cells.

5. Chaga Mushrooms

Chaga (inonotus obliquus) a wood and rather hard mushroom that loves the coldest parts of Europe, especially Russia. Although it looks like a dried and cracked piece of old charcoal, this mushroom has terrific medicinal value and has a long history in the folk stories of Europe.

Chaga is a very versatile tool for fighting many different diseases; it seems to do its best work in treating metabolic disorders such as diabetes. This is due to this mushrooms high concentration of secondary metabolites. Phytotherapy Research published a study in February of 2014 that showed that this mushroom had beneficial effects for helping diabetics and might one day become an antidiabetic agent. In June of 2008, the Journal of Ethnopharmacology showed that chaga mushrooms lowered glucose levels and prevented the oxidative degradation of lipids in mice with diabetes.

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6. Oyster Mushrooms

These mushrooms help strengthen the walls of the blood vessels. They can help prevent anemia because they are rich in iron and can even help ease tight tendons, keeping you more flexible and limber.

7. Reishi Mushrooms

These mushrooms have been getting a great deal of attention lately and with good reason. Their beta-glucans increase T-cell levels in the immune system which can help those suffering from AIDS and other auto immune disorders.

By improving the immune system, these mushrooms can help slow cancer cell growth and the spread of cancerous tumors.

These mushrooms can also help lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels in the blood, reduce the risk of developing blood clots, and correct arrhythmia.

This mushroom has been called the king of medicines because it can also improve the memory and concentration. It also works as a sleep aid and calming agent. Reishi is a bitter and woody mushroom so unless you are a hardcore mushroom lover; you might want to think about supplements.

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8. Cordyceps Mushrooms

There are numerous studies showing that these mushrooms fight cancer by stopping cancer cells from dividing and growing by interfering the way cancer cells make proteins. This stops the metastatic spread of cancerous tumors. Read more about top 5 cancer fighting foods.

9. Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

This is a globe shaped mushroom that has cascading spines with white spores on the ends, giving it its name. Others call this the pom pom blanc, since it also looks like the white pomp oms used by cheerleaders.

No matter what name you want to call it, the positive effects of this mushroom on brains function are well-noted. Biomedical Research published a study showing that participants who took a lion’s mane supplement daily for four weeks had lower levels of depression and anxiety when compared to a group that only received placebos in a study done in August of 2010. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology published a review in March of 2014 and they listed lion’s mane mushrooms as one of the best mushrooms for preventing age-related degenerative brain diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

10. Coriolus Mushrooms

Coriolus versicolor, commonly just called coriolus are known to activate T-lymphocyte, macrophage acitiity, and stimulate other functions in the immune system of the body. This mushroom has been used in traditional herbal remedies in Asia for hundreds of years. The main substances, polysaccharide K, and polysaccharide-peptide are being studied at this time as a possible cancer treatment since there have been numerous reports of a complete remission of cancer from multiple individuals. Back in the 1980’s, the Japanese government approved the use of these substances for treating several types of cancer. In fact, it’s currently the bestselling anti-cancer drug in the country. There have been numerous animal studies of this mushroom that show it slows the spread of cancer cells and has strong immune boosting properties. This mushroom also has a strong anti-oxidant compound that blocks free radicals, which are oxygen activated molecules that damage cells in the body, which leads to premature aging as well as the mutation of cells, causing cancer.

Sources:
http://Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

http://Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov