The two essential oils of frankincense and myrrh hold a little more mystery than any other oils used in aromatherapy today. The truth is they have profound healing potential, with “folklore” being supported by piling scientific reports. What are these oils all about? Where do they come from and how are they used? Here’s a look at these great aromatics, and how you too can use their important therapeutic properties.

The first unique thing about both these essential oils is their source: they’re both distilled from dried resin — essentially the collected sap of trees. Frankincense and myrrh are the proper terms for the dried resin from each tree (or shrub) itself, while the actual plants are called by different names. The resin is collected by catching it as it exudes from wounds in the trees — the resin’s production is actually a healing activity of the plant, sealing its wounds. Collection of the resin is considered not harmful, and can go on throughout the life of the tree. The dried resin forms into little balls, sometimes called “tears” or “pearls”.

Frankincense is collected from trees of Boswellia genus, commonly referred to as “olibanum”. There are several species from which the resin is captured, each with moderately differing aromas and medicinal properties. Myrrh is classically collected from the Commiphora myrrha tree, though recently resin from the gileadensis species is also being used as myrrh. All these plants have a tough and hearty appearance, indicative of their native north Africa regions.

The resins have been held in very high regard for many thousands of years. Their uses weave together the spiritual and medicinal. The smoke of burning frankincense has been a purifying agent for many religious rituals — and indeed the smoke has antimicrobial properties, and its aroma invokes a stillness of the mind. Its name is derived from the Old French term “frank”, meaning pure or free. Myrrh as an incense has an ancient history as well, being one of the earliest recorded aromatics, used over four thousand years ago.

Frankincense and myrrh are both available as classic steam distilled essential oils, or through the advent of modern technology, as “supercritical carbondioxide extracts”. Where many aromatherapists are not huge fans of these new “CO2’s”, some have come to appreciate the process for these two oils. One can imagine that frankincense and myrrh contain long-chain molecules that make up the “gum” portion of their chemistry. The steam distilled essential oils contain only a small fraction of the molecular makeup of the resins, whereas the CO2 distillations contain much more. In this respect, they can more closely resemble the resins themselves, both aromatically and medicinally.

As you might guess, the properties of the essential oils are similar in some respects, and are significantly different in others. The long history of spiritual use is continued in aromatherapy; you’ll find many authors recommending both these oils for enhancing spiritual practice, either by diffusing the oils, wearing them as natural perfumes, or applying to the center of the forehead. Both are highly recommended ingredients in aromatherapy skin care, particularly for anti-aging blends. Research has shown reduction of appearance of premature aging with regular use of formulas containing frankincense, and the ancient Egyptians had used myrrh for a similar purpose.

Myrrh’s primary role is as an antiseptic. The most common form is a tincture of alcohol and the resin itself, used to treat ulcers inside the mouth. The powdered dried resin is also used to treat tooth and gum infections: combine with slippery elm bark powder, moisten and “pack” in place around the base of the affected tooth. Many people have had nearly miraculous results with this preparation when treating excruciatingly painful toothaches.

Frankincense has been noted by one highly-regarded aromatherapist to be the number one immuno-stimulant in aromatherapy. It’s effects occur on two levels: by stimulating the immune system directly, and by uplifting spirits and invoking serenity — which enhances immune system function. Frankincense is the essential oil with the most scientific research backing its anticancer activity as well. Both the resin itself and the oil have shown impressive anticancer action, by specifically targeting cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells un-touched. It is likely that the CO2 extract may be the best choice for complementary treatment, due to the presence of larger molecules not found in the steam distilled oil.

Components in the CO2 oil are known “COX-2″ inhibitors, meaning that they prevent production of certain enzymes which cause inflammation. This makes the oil an excellent addition to formulas for reducing pain and inflammation of the joints.

Hopefully this quick look at frankincense and myrrh will give you a little insight into using these wonderful natural healers in your life. The resins and oils are readily available on the internet, with several sources providing “therapeutic grade” quality materials — which generally means you’ll get very fine aromatics as well. Enjoy!

The Ananda Apothecary is a fully-stocked source of therapeutic grade essential oils, including organic rose and wildcrafted Indian sandalwood.

There is an inaccurate perspective in our culture today that many feel “water is just water”. We often forget about the health benefits of water by thinking any source of water is quite the same. Nonetheless, today medical science surely tells that it is the hexagonal arrangement of the water within our bodies that actuates our essential well-being. This is mostly why in clinics in places like Japan and Korea have been utilizing Kangen Water as a very helpful healing method for many health issues for more than four decades. Yes, that means simply drinking hexagonal Kangen Water may indeed heal health disorders and considerably extend our lifespan.

Both our planet and our bodies are comprised of 70 percent water. Within surviving organisms, every little thing happens in water. However, we manage to forget that this simple-structured however not absolutely comprehended material is the basis of our existence. To provide an example, researchers, under a modern technical field, are exploring innovative alternatives to answer food and energy related concerns, testing to use it as a biomaterial. As you can see, water is certainly a magical resource and that’s why we need to be aware of the water we drink, because namely hexagonal-structured Kangen Water can possess significant health benefits.

So what’s Hexagonally-Structured or Kangen Water? Hexagonal Water is composed of tiny ring-shaped molecular groups. That’s why Kangen Water travels easily within the cellular matrix of the body, assisting nutrient consumption and waste extraction. It aids metabolic processes, strengthens the immune system, makes a contribution to everlasting vitality and behaves as a transporter of dissolved oxygen. Hexagonal Water additionally provides alkaline minerals to the body.

It is a fact that Hexagonal Kangen Water improves the cellular level water exchange. Metabolic rate has been correlated with the level of cell water turnover in the human body; both have been correlated with wellness and the effects of aging. In our body’s cells, getting older triggers a shift in the proportion of water inside and outside cells. When Hexagonal Water has been introduced, it bettered the molecular water environment on a cellular level, thus contributing to the deceleration of aging.

So, how do we formulate Hexagonal Water? We must begin by inspecting our source water as it has to be multi-stage filtered with absolutely no chemical additives inside. Preferably, the water should come from mountains or a spring and not reused like the water of most municipalities. And then we are presented with 2 main choices: We can “super-cool” the water, by the application of electric currents. We can also add ions such as Calcium, but this might not sufficient by itself to create true hexagonal water. We have the choice to also insert ions like Calcium, but this might not prove sufficient by itself to generate genuine hexagonal water.

To create hexagonal water at room temperature, strong energetic forces are applied and these energetic forces are produced by electrolysis process using Kangen Water Ionizer technology. During the creation of hexagonal water, the realignment of water molecules takes place via electrolysis technique therefore bypassing the requirement of freezing temperatures.

We shouldn’t forget the fact that Kangen Water has bio-available minerals including Calcium. The Calcium ion is known as a structure-building ion, so that when calcium is present in water, the amount of hexagonal structures increases. Both water and calcium ratios decrease with maturation and they are interrelated. This is why strengthening each of our bodies with hexagonal-structured Kangen Water proves itself as a intelligent preventative measure to fight water and calcium depletion.

Many of us consume filtered or unfiltered tap water, bottled, sparkling or delivery water that all made of pentagonal-structured H2O molecules (instead of hexagonally-structured Kangen). Scientific studies show that Pentagonal Water is associated with cancer, diabetes and various other abnormal conditions. Pentagonal water cannot adequately penetrate inside our cellular membranes, and that’s why we remain dehydrated and toxic no matter how much water we drink. Hexagonal Kangen Water is dynamically more vital, intensely hydrates our cells, flushes out the toxic. Thanks to scientific research, today we understand that this “water is just water” perception is not true. We now know that improving the molecular structure of our water and consuming Kangen Water can greatly improve our well-being. Even the study of water is now a separate division of science because the mysteries of this untypical material are still not entirely understood. Without a doubt, this life-creating miraculous element called water deserves more of everyone’s awareness and understanding, considering simply our bodies and our planet are both 70 percent water.

Author Herbert Martensy is part of the Captain Kangen Water team who are water experts. Their team is enthusiastic about openly providing details on alkaline diet, water filtration and Kangen Water. Become a member to get your FREE E-Book & Video to learn how you can enhance your health just by consuming Kangen Water in as little as 21 days!

For many years hormone replacement therapy was considered the medical norm to give to women who were going through menopause. Now known as hormone therapy, was a therapy that they thought not only treated the symptoms of menopause but may have also had a factor in lessening the threats of heart disease and osteoporosis.

Doctors started questioning the validity of this therapy after a clinical study in 2002 that produced evidence that hormone replacement therapy may not be as healthy as once thought that it was. Parts of the clinical testing revealed that this therapy actually might be causing more health hazards than preventing. Once doctors started studying the results of this particular test, they started changing their minds about whether or not their patients should be on this therapy long term.

The treatment takes estrogen and combines it with the man made hormone progestin. Given to patients who had trouble with handling the symptoms of menopause like hot flashes and other symptoms that come a long with menopause. This therapy use to be a long term therapy that lasted over a period of years. Because of the test however; long term use is rarely used as compared to its more common short term use presently.

Doctors have discovered that if the Bioidentical Hormone Replacement therapy is given short term, some of the health benefits can still be achieved. Doctors are discovering that with short term use, the threat of osteoporosis is lessened, heart disease with short term use might still be lessened but the therapy should be administered to the woman when they are in the early stages of post menopause. When used in moderation it is possible that the therapy can lower the risk of colorectal cancer.

If a woman has entered menopause, it is really important that she seriously consider whether or not she wants to risk taking the therapy over a long extended period of time. If they feel that the extent of their menopause is too much for them to handle as compared to the possible hazards, they might want to see if their doctor will put them on the therapy to help make menopause more tolerable.

Women and doctors both need to consider the risks seriously. It is now suspected that with long term use of hormone therapy it might actually increase the risk of heart disease. Long term use of hormones might also increase the risk of breast cancer. The increase in strokes has also been linked to the long term use as well as more false positive mammograms.

With women who have only taken estrogen for therapy it was discovered that they did not seem to have an increase in heart disease, but they still had an increase in strokes, an increase in blood clots of the legs and there seemed to be more mammograms that tested positive when they were negative.

Should a woman strongly believe that the symptoms she is suffering during menopause is far too life disrupting and they feel the risks are small compared to the menopause it would be advisable for them to contact their doctor and sit down and discuss the possible implementation of hormone therapy. Other things that might influence a woman to take the therapy is if the doctor has discovered that the woman is suffering from bone loss. Another reason might be if the woman began menopause before the age of 40.

If you happen to be suffering from any of the symptoms mentioned above, then trying the hormone therapy on a short term basis, might be able to help you with your problems. It will be up to your doctor however; to decide whether you should be put on long term versus short term.

Compounding pharmacists are professionals with specialized and trustworthy expertise in the medical field. Among the best within their industry, they have knowledge of procedures like the Bioidentical Hormone Replacement, or better known as the BHRT.

Hormone replacement therapy, now more commonly known as hormone therapy, use to be medical worlds standard treatment for those women suffering from hot flashes and other side effects of going through menopause. They also thought that it could help prevent osteoporosis and even heart disease.

In 2002 however; the minds of many in the medical field changed when they saw the results of a clinical test. What the test uncovered is that the hormone replacement therapy could actually be causing a lot more health hazards than benefits. As the doctors saw the increase of health hazards with women on this therapy they began to prescribe it less and less and a lot of women completely stopped it on their own when they heard the news about it may being dangerous.

Those who took the hormone replacement therapy were given estrogen and progestin. This therapy would ease some of the symptoms of menopause making life easier for the women going through a difficult menopause. The long term prescriptions for this are rarely given now, on occasion though, women are given the treatment for short term.

If the bioidentical hormone replacement is given short term, there still might be some health benefits. Over short periods of time, doctors have discovered that it can help lessen the chances of getting osteoporosis. If used moderately, the hormone therapy may still be able to lower the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Heart disease risk can be lowered if estrogen is given in the early stage of postmenopausal years but not throughout the entire cycle of menopause.

There are risks for taking hormone replacement therapy and women who are experiencing menopause should weigh the facts and figure out if menopause is causing that much disruption in their lives that it would be worth chancing the hazards that come with the therapy.

Long term use of the therapy actually increased the threat of heart disease in women who took the real therapy. Breast cancer appeared to increase with long term use. Strokes increased in women that took the long term therapy. There were also an increase in false positive mammograms.

On the other hand, if women only took estrogen did not seem to have an increase in heart disease or breast cancer, but; they did have an increase in strokes, blood clots in their legs and an increase in abnormal mammograms.

If your menopausal symptoms are far greater than the risk, you should talk to your doctor if the following things are bothering you the most. If you have severe hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms that are interfering with daily life. It has been discovered that you have lost bone mass and you have stopped having your period before the age of forty.

If you experience any of the above mentioned situations, it might be wise for you to consider the treatment anyway. Your doctor will be able to identify whether or not what you are experiencing is extreme enough to begin you on the hormone therapy.

Compounding pharmacists are professionals with specialized and trustworthy expertise in the medical field. Among the best within their industry, they have knowledge of procedures like the Bioidentical Hormone Replacement, or better known as the BHRT.

If you discover a black, cancerous mass on a birch, you may be looking at a Siberian chaga mushroom. It can also, less commonly, be found growing ash, beech, elm or hornbeam.

In Europe and Asia, chaga has been used for centuries to treat cancers of the heart and liver, digestive ailments, and tuberculosis. [121]

The traditional use was to peel the black skin of the mushroom and then boil it into a tea. Being a compact and easily portable medicinal made it very valuable to healers throughout history.

Today’s scientific focus on chaga extract is primarily as an anti-tumor remedy. In fact, it was approved in Russia as a cancer drug already in 1955, successfully used to treat cancers of the stomach, lungs, breasts and cervix. [122]

A modern study conducted in 1998 showed that chaga extract does indeed inhibit the growth of cervical cancer cells under laboratory conditions. [123] Another study from the mid-90’s found the active compound betulin to cause growth inhibition and death of melanoma cells, also in lab. [124, 25]

Further research has confirmed that some of the active compounds of Siberian chaga do decrease cancer cell growth. [125, 126]

Betulin is a medically active compound from the birch tree that gets concentrated in the black outer skin of the chaga mushroom, which has been found to contain 30% betulin, [127] whereas the inside of the chaga mushroom contains fungal lanostanes. It would therefore be suggested that chaga tea is better made from the whole mushroom, including the black skin.

Better yet are chaga extracts made with both the mycelium (“root”) and the whole mushroom fruit body. The mycelium is richer in medicinally active proteins than the mushroom itself.

Research on chaga has also reported potent anti-viral properties. Two studies on influenza virus [127] and HIV [128] were published with positive results in 1996. Chaga probably works on viruses indirectly by enhancing the human immune system, as indicated by two papers published in 2002 and 2005. [25, 129] Historical use of chaga as an anti-inflammatory may be attributed to that same mechanism. [130]

An alcohol extraction of chaga was reported to lower elevated blood sugar levels. [131] Chaga also contains powerful antioxidants. [132, 133]

As an amusing aside not related to human health, Siberian chaga may even be used as a tree medicine. Paul Stamets relates a story of a Quebec arborist using a chaga poultice to heal chestnut blight. Not only does it cure the tree, but the tree even becomes resistant to further infections of blight after having been treated. [134]

Note: The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Never use any herb (or mushroom) except as advised by a licensed medical practitioner.

Credit: Thank you to Paul Stamets for source material.

Dr. Markho Rafael has worked with natural health since finishing Chiropractic College in the mid-90’s. He currently specializes in medicinal mushrooms in partnership with Cordyceps Reishi Extracts, LLC, a U.S. business offering Siberian Chaga Mushroom Extract and much more. For the scientific references to this article, go to the Siberian Chaga Extract page and click on any number indicating a reference.

The bowel, large intestine or colon ” all the same thing and all words which arent usually found in polite conversation! This is a vital part of our bodies and is essential to the efficient running of any human metabolism.

Ignoring it can affect your whole healthy – below are three reasons why you should reconsider your colon.

1. Detoxification – Detox is an important part of maintaining our bodies. Over recent years there have been many books about detoxing diets and eating regimes, but what is the use of this if there are years of toxins stored in the colon.

If you have toxin build up in the bowel there is the chance that the body will reabsorb this through the intestinal wall and then it will be carried around the body by the blood. This defeats the object of detox through diet.

2. Digestive efficiency – good digestion is about absorbing as many of the good nutrients in our food as possible and about expelling the toxins.

Sounds simple – but if it goes wrong what will happen? In short, your efforts will be wasted. Successful nutrition requires maintenance of the whole digestive tract.

3. Long term health – Aging can be scary, but what if we could make it easier on ourselves? There are several complaints which are a direct result of inefficient digestion and expulsion.

Diverticulitis is a painful and common complaint with is directly related to inefficient toxin elimination. Colon cleansing could help avoid this and other conditions.

There is an association between some treatments and a costly bill at a health spa – colonic cleansing does not have to be one of them!

You can now buy home colonic irrigation kits. These kits are easy to use and can be purchased online to maintain complete anonymity.

Read more about colon cleansing All aspects and methods of colon cleansing are cover at http://buttfacts.com

Out of Korea comes a new and increasingly popular medicinal mushroom known as Phellinus linteus. It does have a rarely used English common name, Black Hoof Fungus. But you are more likely to hear it referred to by its Japanese name as Mesima.

Phellinus linteus is common in Southeast Asia as well as the southern United States. It grows on hardwood species of oak, mulberries and poplar, and sometimes on pines. [1]

Most medicinal mushroom species used today in America came to us via China or Japan. Phellinus linteus is a break from this trend, as it first became popular in Korea where it’s commonly used to complement traditional cancer treatment.

The reputation of Phellinus linteus as a powerful medicinal mushroom has rapidly spread across the world and today it is increasingly popular with medical professionals from the U.S. and Japan to Turkey and Israel as an immune booster [2-11], especially for the prevention of cancer metastasis. [5,10,12-17]

It may have all began when a’96 Korean study reported that Phellinus linteus extract exhibited a broader range of immune enhancing and anti-cancer properties than the extracts from other species of medicinal mushrooms. [4]

World renown American mycologist Paul Stamets took this a step further when he published research in 2003 which compared seven of the world’s most popular medicinal mushroom species, including Reishi, Cordyceps, Maitake, Chaga, Lion’s Mane and Agaricus blazei. [18]

Among the seven species of medicinal mushrooms compared in this study, Phellinus linteus had the most powerful effect on enhancing macrophage activity, by 5,700%. Macrophages are an important part of the immune system’s cancer fighting arsenal. The amount of Phellinus linteus extract used was equal to 3,750 mg for an adult of average weight (165 lbs). [18]

It should be noted that macrophages may promote cancer growth as well as fight cancer. The research that has been published about Phellinus linteus extract indicates that it enhances the anti-cancer properties of macrophages. [8,14,19,20]

In addition to these studies, there are at least three published cases of spontaneous regression of cancers after patients of their own accord used Phellinus linteus extract:

1. A Japanese article from 2004 reported a “dramatic remission of hormone refractory prostate cancer achieved with extract of the mushroom, Phellinus linteus.” [15]

2. In 2005, a Korean paper related the case of a 65-year-old patient with liver cancer and skull metastasis who experienced “spontaneous regression” after one and a half years of using Phellinus linteus. [17]

3. And then one year later, in 2006, another Japanese article was published on “a case of spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma with multiple lung metastases.” The 79-year-old patient had been taking an extract of Phellinus linteus Mycelium for a month. When examined by his doctor 6 months later, his tumors had disappeared. [16]

This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The mushroom Phellinus linteus has not been approved by the FDA for medicinal use. Always consult a licensed medical practitioner before using any herb or mushroom medicinally.

Dr. Markho Rafael currently focuses on medicinal mushrooms research, having worked with natural health since the mid-90’s. He partners with Cordyceps Reishi Extract, LLC, a business offering premium quality medicinal mushroom products including Phellinus linteus mushroom extract. For article references, go the Phellinus linteus reference page.

Medicinal mushrooms, hugely popular for thousands of years in the Orient, are coming in vogue today also in the West. On the coattails of their increasing popularity follow issues of quality and ethical representation between competing brands.

This information applies to all species of medicinal mushrooms. For practical purposes, this article will focus on the most popular medicinal mushroom species, red reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), over which the most intense battle of conflicting claims is being fought.

The first and perhaps obvious caution is to stay away from cheap mass-produced brands of medicinal mushrooms that may only contain dried and pulverized mushrooms, in which case the medicinal compounds are still inaccessible behind the mushrooms’ cell walls.

There are many real therapeutic brands on the market, though. But even among them, there are significant differences. They all claim to be the best, naturally, because they all want to sell their particular brand. So let’s sift the data, get the facts straight, and clear up misleading information that is out there.

Below are three common methods for extracting medicinal compounds from reishi. Each method results in different compounds. All groups have been shown to have therapeutic effects in scientific studies.

1. Water Extraction, Hot (polysaccharides and more)

2. Alcohol Extraction (triterpenoids, etc.)

3. Fermenting (arabinoxylanes, etc.)

Polysaccharides have been shown to possess powerful anti-tumor qualities through enhancing the immune system and by inhibiting blood profusion through tumors. They are also strong antioxidants. [1]

Through alcohol extraction, we get triterpenoids, a large group of lipids with many sub-groups. Research shows triterpenoids help regulate clotting, blood pressure and cholesterol. More importantly, they are the anti-inflammatory compounds that are the reason why reishi often gets recommended for arthritis, asthma and allergies. [1]

Less researched are the “secondary metabolites” that come from fermenting reishi. “Secondary” because they result when the original medicinal compounds get broken down by bacteria. These new compounds have been shown to possess therapeutic properties that are unique, including immune enhancement, anti-tumor and blood-sugar regulation. [2]

This article is intended to give general guidelines to help you choose an effective reishi product, not to recommend any particular brand. But there are at least two reishi companies on the market which both state only hot water extract is useful while alcohol extracts are of no value.

Naturally, the reason they say so is because they want to sell their own brand. However, those statements are scientifically untrue. Hot water and alcohol extractions both contain critical compounds.

To determine if a brand of reishi (or Ganoderma) contains all the important medicinal compounds from the mushroom, find out if it utilizes both alcohol and hot water extraction. An additional plus would be if it also includes fermented reishi.

As a last point, when you look for the best reishi extract, one thing to look at is the form it comes in. For example, any reishi extract that fully dissolves in a water-based liquid such as coffee probably only contains hot water extracted reishi. So while reishi/ganoderma coffee certainly makes for a superbly delicious and healthy cup loaded with polysaccharides, it won’t include the important anti-inflammatory triterpenoids.

On the other hand, alcohol tinctures can actually contain both water soluble polysaccharides and alcohol soluble triterpenoids. The way you know is that the polysaccharides will fall out of solution because of the alcohol, and will make the tincture cloudy. That’s alright though; you just need to shake before you take. Capsules and tablets may be one or the other or both. The only way to know is ask the manufacturer or read their information.

[1] Boh B, Berovic M, Zhang J, Zhi-Bin L, 2007. “Ganoderma lucidum and its pharmaceutically active compounds.” Biotechnology Annu Rev 13:265-301.

[2] Tang YJ, Zhang W, Zhong JJ. “Performance analyses of a pH-shift and DOT-shift integrated fed-batch fermentation process for the production of ganoderic acid and Ganoderma polysaccharides by medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum.” Bioresource Technology 2009 Mar;100(5):1852-9.

Dr. Rafael has worked with natural health since the 1990’s, recently focusing on medicinal mushrooms. He partners with Davida Sara on premium reishi extract and cordyceps extract plus the increasingly popular mesima and more.

During the European “Copper Age” five thousand years ago, a man of high ranking status fled his home valley of Val Venosta, Italy, across an Alpine glacier. But his enemies caught up with him. An arrow penetrated his subclavian artery, which soon bled him to death. In 1991, two unsuspecting tourists came upon his mummified remains. On the body of “Oetzi the Iceman” were found pouches with two medicinal mushroom species, the oldest known example of mushrooms used medicinally.

One of the mushrooms he carried was a traditional de-wormer known as Birch polypore (Piptoporus betulinus), which makes sense because whipworm eggs were found in Oetzi’s intestines. The other mushroom was a species frequently used to cauterize wounds, Tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius). The Iceman’s right hand had been injured days earlier and was in the process of healing when he was killed.

Birch polypore and Tinder fungus are both polypores, which have pores on their undersides, hence the name. Most polypores grow on trees and none is known to be poisonous.

Polypores are usually considered inedible due to the fact that they are hard and wood-like. But for ancient peoples all across the globe – from China and India to Europe and the Americas – polypore teas and poultices have none-the-less been indispensible allies to human health at least for as long as written and oral traditions can recount.

Oral traditions of Native Americans bear tale of many types of polypores being used to help against the diseases brought by the Europeans, including Birch polypore but also Reishi (Ganoderma resinaceum), Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor), Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) and the now almost vanished species Agarikon (Fomitopsis officinalis).

Although nearly extinct today, Agarikon was once common in the old-growth forests of ancient Europe. Greek physician Dioscorides referred to Agarikon as a remedy for tuberculosis in Materia Medica, 65 B.C. It’s the earliest record of a medicinal mushroom in European literature. Two millennia later, the historic use of Agarikon in Poland was put down in writing in the article Medicinal mushrooms in Polish Folk Medicine by K. Grzywnowics. Again, it included lung conditions, as well as rheumatoid arthritis and infected wounds.

While mushrooms have been utilized medicinally in the West, it pales in comparison to the adulation they have received in the Orient. Next follows three species of medicinal mushrooms from Asia, which simply have to be included in any article on medicinal mushrooms.

First is the polypore Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), which has been used in China and Japan as a health bestowing mushroom of immortality for at least two millennia. It was first mentioned in the 2,000 year old book Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic. Many ancient wood-carvings and temple engravings in the Orient bear testament to the homage paid to this acclaimed cure-all mushroom.

Next is Cordyceps, a minute fungus from the Tibetan plateau, parasitising on silk caterpillars. Cordyceps sinensis was first mentioned as a medicinal mushroom in The Classic Herbal of the Divine Plowman from 200 A.D. It is popular with athletes to improve physical stamina. Historically, it’s been used as an aphrodiciac.

Last but not least is the medicinal mushroom Shiitake, better known as a culinary delight. However, Shiitake is also one of the most research mushrooms for medical properties. Commercial cultivation of Shiitake began about a thousand years ago in China. Medicinal uses include immune enhancement, antibiotic and more. Shiitake extracted Lentinan polysaccharide is approved as an anti-cancer drug in Japan.

Modern research into medicinal use of mushrooms began in earnest in the late 1960’s Japan. One pioneer, Dr. Ikekawa, discovered that families of mushroom growers had significantly lower cancer rates than their surrounding communities. Scientific research into medicinal mushrooms has expanded exponentially since that time and continues to increase and intensify until this day. Medicinal mushrooms are still in the process of making history.

Note: The article is informational only. The FDA has not approved mushrooms for medicinal use. Always consult a licensed medical practitioner before using any product to treat an illness.

Dr. Markho Rafael has worked in the natural health field since 1996 as a researcher and author, now specializing in mycomedicinals. Click medicinal mushrooms for more articles and mushroom products. The material for this article comes from several different sources. However, a significant portion comes from the literature of medicinal fungus expert Paul Stamets, who deserves special credit and thanks.

Reishi is frequently prescribed in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a panacea. It is widely used by both laymen and professionals in the Orient as a treatment for things as innocuous as stress or weight loss to more serious conditions such as arthritis and even cancer.

One of the most ardent proponents of reishi is Dr Fukumi Morishige, a Japanese medical doctor working with the Linus Pauling Institute of Science & Medicine in researching the use of reishi for cancer.

The following case reports were given by Dr. Morishige in a speech re-printed in the periodical, Chinese Traditional Medicine Part III.

Being a native of Japan, Dr. Morishige was familiar with reishi before becoming aware of its potential in cancer treatment. But his attitude was essentially the same as any other trained medical professional. He believed it might have some marginal effect on certain non-terminal conditions but dismissed any claims regarding cancer as exaggerated. That is, until two of his cancer patients related their stories of using reishi to self-remediate their conditions.

First was a 39-year-old woman with lung carcinoma. The hospitals she had visited all told her she was too far gone and there was nothing they could do to help her. As a serious secondary complication, she also exhibited chest cavity edema. None-the-less, by the time she had her first appointment with Dr. Morishige, the symptoms of her illness had disappeared. The woman credited her recovery to the use of reishi, which her husband had administered to her at 4 grams per day.

After that, there was the case of the young boy with congenital liver cancer. Four years before he came to see Dr. Morishige, the boy’s original doctor had sent him home with his parents, claiming the condition was terminal and there was nothing he could do to help. But when Dr. Morishige examined the now 9-year-old-boy, he could find no trace of the tumor. The boy’s parents said they had been giving their son reishi via his naso-gastric feeding tube. This is when Dr. Morishige decided that reishi deserved a closer look.

Below are five cases using reishi in combination with Vitamin C (to prevent side effects):

Case 1: A male patient, 70 years of age, had lost consciousness from a 5 cm brain tumor. Dr. Morishige put him on 6 grams of reishi daily beginning June, 1986. By September, he’d come out of his coma, after which he continued taking 3 grams of reishi per day. Six months later, brain scans revealed that the tumor had shrunk. When it had diminished to 1 cm (0.4 in.), the man left the hospital to go home and live with his family.

Case 2: A patient with lung cancer, a 50-year-old female, was coughing up blood. Dr. Morishige put her on a daily dose of 6 gm of reishi. In six months, the tumor vanished. The woman, among other things, had regained her ability to climb stairs without suffering shortness of breath.

Case 3: Patient with breast cancer metastasized to bones was in excruciating pain and unable to move below the head. She was put initially on 9 gm of reishi per day, which was later increased to 20 gm/day. After two months she reported as pain free and was released from hospital after demonstrating progress in her ability to walk.

Case 4: A patient with rectal cancer, which had metastasized to the liver, was administered 6 gm/day of reishi. CT scans taken 6 months later showed tumor shrinkage and patient reported feeling better.

Case 5: A patient with pancreatic cancer and short life prognosis was put on 9 grams of reishi per day, orally, and 30 grams of Vitamin C, intravenously. Twelve months later, he reported that he longer experienced any symptoms and was back to work. He said he’d continued taking 5 grams per day of reishi after leaving the hospital.

End Note: This article is for informational purposes only. This product has not been tested by the FDA and it is highly advised not to use it for self-treatment of cancer. Always consult a licensed medical practitioner before using any herb for medicinal purposes.

Reference: Morishige, Fukumi, 1987. Chinese Traditional Medicine Part III, Page 12 – 23, ISBN4-88580-053-6 C-0077

About the author: Markho Rafael has worked in natural health since the mid-90’s, specializing in mycomedicinals such as Reishi and Cordyceps sinensis. Click Reishi Extract / Cordyceps for additional free articles about reishi and how it works individually or in combination such as in Stamets 7. You may also request free unique copy of articles for your web-site or magazine / ezine.