Mushrooms have been used medicinally by Eastern cultures for thousands of years and are just recently gaining recognition in Western medicine for their healing properties. Mushrooms, consumed as a food and taken as a supplement, have been proven to boost the immune system helping individuals overcome conditions from the common cold to chronic viral illnesses. Most recently research on mushroom extracts has focused on cancer research and the results have been promising.
A new finding published in the British Journal of Cancer presented evidence that extracts of Phellinus linteus, a mushroom found in Asia, may enhance the effects of a common chemotherapy drug doxorubicin. The mushroom, also known as Sang-hwang, has been extensively studied in Korea and Japan and is used for treatment of many types of cancer including lung, liver, and prostate.
In this particular study prostate cancer cells were grown in the lab. Then extracts of Phellinus linteus and small amounts of the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin were added to the cells. The researchers then observed the effects on cancer growth and compared that to cells not treated with the mushroom and chemotherapy combination.
They observed decreased growth in the tumors treated with Phellinus linteus and doxorubicin. The combination actually killed more cells than doxorubicin alone and allowed less of the chemotherapuetic drug to be used.
These results were positive for cancer treatment. Chemotherapeutic drugs have limited effectiveness in smaller dosages, but often have many side effects when used in high doses that slow growth and kill cancer cells more effectively. Also, chemotherapy drugs kill healthy cells as well as the cancerous ones.
The mushroom extract seemed to make it easier for small doses of chemotherapy to work as effective, if not more, and limit side effects and destruction of healthy cells.
The authors stressed that this was an early study that looked at the mechanism behind Phellinu linteus use in cancer treatment. More studies are needed to determine if the same effect happens in the human body and if the effect is long term.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on August 9, 2006 02:27 PM
