Herpes zoster, or shingles, is a relatively common condition that can affect individuals of any age, but most often occurs in middle age and old age. Shingles occurs due to a reactivation of the chickenpox virus from nerve root ganglia near the spinal cord. It has a characteristic presentation of intense nerve pain and skin lesions that follow a single dermatome. Because the virus lives dormant in the nerve cells, it only affects the path of a single nerve. Once the skin lesions have resolved, a large percentage of individuals afflicted with shingles have lingering pain, termed post-herpetic neuralgia. This pain can vary from slight to severely debilitating and can last greater than a year.
A small pilot study was conducted in Japan on five patients with herpes zoster breakout. The age varied from 17-74 years old. Location of the breakout also varied from the lower body to the eye. Each participant was given a proprietary herbal blend containing Ganoderma lucidum, or Reishi mushroom in a hot water extract (tea).
Participants reported pain relief within the first two days of beginning the treatment, and total pain had resolved by 10 days. It is not unusual for pain from a herpes zoster outbreak to last more than 3 weeks (this does not include post-herpetic neuralgia).
Follow-up on each participant lasted more than a year. At that time there were no incidences of post-herpetic neuralgia. Though this is a small pilot study, the results indicated a need for further research into the potential treatment approach Reishi mushroom can have for those with shingles.
Reishi mushroom is a well known immunostimulant that possesses a wide range of activity including anti-viral and anti-carcinogenic.
Posted by Kristopher Foster on March 15, 2006 03:00 PM
