Medicinal Mushrooms (Mycotherapy)

General Information

Medicinal mushrooms are the oldest kind of natural remedy known to mankind. They have been used, overall, very successfully in most Asian countries, and especially China, for over 3,000 years to prevent, treat and cure a large number of diseases. Medicinal mushrooms are used to strengthen the immune system, treat heart and cardiovascular disease, elevated blood pressure, diabetes, and allergies.

They are also used for hepatic detoxification and to improve general well-being, among others. In fact, Asia has the highest percentage of centenarians who remain both physically and mentally healthy.

This is just one of the reasons why, in recent decades, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and especially medicinal mushrooms, have increasingly become the focus of Western medical science.

Components

Medicinal mushrooms are high in nutritional and healthy substances. They help the body to regulate vital bodily functions and cure disease. To date, more than 100 relevant active components have been established. As mushrooms are an entirely distinct life-form, each type of mushroom contains a unique combination of bioactive substances. These include secondary phytochemicals such as polysaccharides, which are particularly important as they possess immunomodulating properties which are especially crucial in cancer therapy.

A Challenge

When it comes to dealing with disease responsibly and doing justice to the altered needs of the sick patient, it will become indispensable for medical science to look closer at medicinal mushrooms and investigate their properties further, in the decades ahead. Integrating one of the oldest and most essential remedies into our Western medical practices would only make sense. Especially since medicinal mushrooms – either applied on their own or in combination with homeopathy or other forms of treatment – help activate the natural healing potential of the body without causing any adverse reactions.