People wonder, are mushrooms safe if you have Candida? Here is David Wolfe's answer:
Here's David Wolfe's answer:
Dear David: Would it be safe for someone with candida to consume a medicinal mushroom supplement?
David Wolfe: It’s actually very good for someone with candida to consume medicinal mushrooms as long as they are cooked. As long as the enzymes, the mutagenic enzymes in those mushrooms are completely destroyed. The polysaccharide fraction is, as long as it’s done in a water extraction which all of them are done that way, the amount of polysaccharides will survive the heat.The polysaccharide is heat insoluble meaning it doesn’t break down in heat and will actually deliver the medicine that is in the mushroom without any of the toxic by-product and that polysaccharide in the medicinal mushrooms is one of the strongest anti-candida substances there is in fact that polysaccharide is the immune system of the mushroom which helps the mushroom itself fight off other mushrooms and fungus and mold and all those things. So the polysaccharide is what you’re going after with the mushroom.< Mushrooms have within them some of the most potent medicines found in nature. We know that their cellular constituents can profoundly improve the quality of human health."
–Paul Stamets
Frequently Asked Questions
About Medicinal Mushrooms
1. Who recommends medicinal mushrooms?
Robert C. Atkins, MD
Robert Barnett, Author & Nutritionist
in Tonics,
Harper Collins, New York
Harriet Beinfeld
coauthor of Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine,
Ballatine Books, New York
John Boik
in Cancer & Natural Medicine: A Textbook of Basic Science and Clinical Research,
Oregon Medical Press, Princeton, Minnesota
Morton Broffman, Ph.D.
in Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients
Etienne Callebout, MD
in An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer,
Future Medicine Publishing, Inc., Tiburon, California
Goro Chihara, Ph.D.
Teikyo University, Nogawa, Japan
W. Lee Cowden, MD
Conservative Medical Institute, Richardson, Texas
Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D.
Chinese Herbal Therapies for Immune Disorders,
Eastwind Books, San Francisco, California
W. John Diamond, MD
Medical Director, Triad Medical Center, Reno, Nevada
Patrick Donovan, ND
University Health Clinic, Seattle, Washington
James Duke, Ph.D.
Economic & Medical Botanist (ret.), USDA
Daniel Gagnon, Medical Herbalist
President of Herbs, Etc., Santa Fe, New Mexico
M. Ghoneum, Ph.D.
Drew University of Medicine and Science
Christopher Hobbs, Herbalist
in Medicinal Mushrooms,
Botanica Press, Santa Cruz, California
Tetsuro Ikekawa, Ph.D.
National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan
Jan Lelley, Ph.D.
author of Die Heilkraft de Pilze: Gesund durch Mykotherapie
Takashi Mizuno, Ph.D.,
Professor Emeritus, Shizuoka University, Japan
Michael Murray, ND & Joseph Pizzorno, ND
in The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicines,
MacDonald & Co., Ltd., London
Hiroaki Nanba, Ph.D.
Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Japan
Robert C. Rountree, MD
Helios Health Center, Boulder, Colorado
Jesse Stoff, MD
Solstice Clinical Associates, Tucson, Arizona
Jack Taylor, DC
Dr. Taylor's Wellness Center, Rolling Meadows, Illinois
Ron Teeguarden, Herbalist
in Chinese Tonic Herbs,
Japan Publications, Tokyo
Leslie Tierra, Herbalist
in The Herbs of Life,
Crossing Press, Freedom, California
Michael Tierra, Herbalist
in The Way of Herbs,
Simon & Schuster, New York
Susan Weed
in Breast Cancer, Breast Health,
Ashtree Press, Woodstock, New York
Andrew Weil, MD
in Spontaneous Healing
8 Weeks to Optimum Health
Self Healing Newsletter
Terry Willard, Ph.D.
Director, Wild Rose College, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
2. Why alcohol extracts?
Most of the active polysaccharides of mushrooms are soluble in water. When alcohol is added and becomes greater than 40+%, the water-soluble polysaccharides precipitate. Some of the active polysaccharides and their haptens are soluble in alcohol, but insoluble in water, as in the case of Agaricus brasiliensis (Kawagishi et al. 1988). Hence, mushroom products containing both the water and alcohol extracts possess active constituents which remain in solution, giving you the best of both worlds.
3. Why is it important that mushrooms be grown organically?
Mushrooms are great sources of medicines but they can also concentrate heavy metals, especially if their culture is proximate to an industrialized area (Wu et al., 1996; Byrne, 1995; Stijve, 1977, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1992; Kawamura et al., 1991; Muramatsu et al. 1991). Pollutants from air and water can be taken up from the soil and passed directly into the mycelial network. Our mushrooms are grown at our certified organic farm situated at the base of the pristine Olympic Peninsula. Because of our location, abundance of clean air and water, our attention to environmentally sound practices, and personal concern for the integrity of each mushroom product, customers can be confident they are getting the highest quality. We are increasingly selling to Asian markets because of concerns for environmental contamination from pollution. A simple question to ask your supplier: where are their mushrooms grown?
4. Which extract is the best for treatment of cancer?
This is a tough question, since cancers vary so much, and given that only a few clinical studies have been completed. It is difficult to give specific answers at this time. However, we do know that several unique polysaccharides individually awaken the immune system, and several mushrooms possess compounds that are anti-tumorigenic per se. Ghoneum et al. (1995) reported that a concoction of multiple mushroom species induced a pronounced immune response. Hence, if I were the patient, I would prefer a multiple-mushroom blend.
5. Are these extracts good as a preventative to disease, including cancers?
From the information gathered thus far, yes.
6. For those in recovery, post chemotherapy
or radiation therapy, are these extracts useful?
Yes. Many of the clinical studies in China show positive benefits with patients who have undergone radiation and chemotherapy in the treatment of cancers. A number of mushroom species have demonstrated a protective and regenerative effect on cells exposed to radiation and chemotherapy, including Maitake, Reishi, Zhu Ling, and Yun Zhi. In one case study with advanced breast cancer (Wedam & Haynes, 1997), complete recovery was accomplished after a regimen of chemotherapy and alternative therapies incorporating the daily consumption of our 4-mushroom tea blend.
7. What is Maitake "D-fraction"?
Maitake D-fraction is a phrase coined to describe a derivative of a high-molecular-weight polysaccharide (m.w. approx. 1,000,000) that is acid-insoluble, alkali-soluble, and hot-water extractable. The fraction is composed of 1,6 beta-glucans carrying 1,3 branches. All fruitbodies of Maitake contain this fraction.
8. Why not produce a highly purified extract of,
for instance, Maitake to isolate the D-fraction from Maitake?
There are several studies suggesting the high-molecular-weight polysaccharide family has greater stimulatory effects than any one of its isolated constituents. Adachi et al (1990) found that there was greater immunological benefit from a heat-treated 'mother' polysaccharide (800,000+ m.w.) than from the isolated, derivative polysaccharides of lower molecular weights of 250,000, 21,000, and 6400. Mizuno (1995, pp. 32-33) and Broffman (1997) also underscored the importance of constituents other than (1-3)-ß-D-glucans, and suggested that other components within the mushrooms helped increase activity. The following model is suggested: the human immune system is stimulated by the decomposition of coarse polysaccharides into synergistic subcomponents, thus enhancing immunological responses. In essence, this effect may be summarized by the adage that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Hence, a crude extract is, in my opinion, better than any one isolated, purified constituent.
9. Why use a mushroom blend?
A number of researchers have come to the conclusion that, to maximize a host-mediated response—that is, to 'awaken' the immune system—a panoply of polysaccharides is best. These polysaccharides appear to increase the number and activity of killer T and NK (natural killer) lymphocytes. Combining medicinal mushroom species sends the immune system multiple stimuli, awakening the body's natural defenses. One recent case study utilizing four of our medicinal mushrooms resulted in complete recovery from breast cancer. The patient combined allopathic and Naturopathic treatments (Wedam & Haynes, 1997).
Not only are there medicinal polysaccharides in mushrooms, but a wide variety of other constituents may help improve human health. Diabetics may benefit from better glucose metabolism, as may be produced by Maitake, Reishi and Cordyceps. Many species have direct tumor-growth-inhibiting effects with no or little cytotoxicity to healthy cells, an extraordinary characteristic of any cancer therapy. The LD-50, the dose lethal to 50% of a population of organisms, is typically extraordinarily high in these medicinal mushrooms, meaning they have very low toxicity, several orders of magnitude lower than most antibiotics or other immunostimulants.
Cordyceps is thought to extend the longevity of healthy cells, increase blood flow, and lower cholesterol levels. Several species improves liver and/or kidney function. There are recent reports that compounds in Lion's Mane mushrooms (Hericium erinaceus) may stimulate nerve regeneration. Although, we are still just exploring their potential medical uses, researchers world-wide have come to the same conclusion. Mushrooms are powerful natural medicines—especially for those challenged by stress-related disease complexes entering the 21st century. A complex blend of medicinal fungi can offer a powerful therapeutic punch.
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