Reishi (Ganoderma Lucidum) medicinal mushroom can help fight cancer and improve the quality of life of cancer patients, says a review of five randomized controlled trials. Reishi is commonly used and recommended by Asian physicians and alternative medicine experts because of its immune system boosting effects. Pre-clinical trials have suggested that Reishi has potential anticancer properties.
The reviewers Jin, Ruiz, Sze and Chan decided to find out if Reishi would really be called a natural cancer cure. The group reviewed cases of various trials covering 373 cancer patients. The results suggest that patients who took Reishi extract as part of their treatment program could not shrink tumors if they resorted to Reishi alone. However, when combined with radiotherapy or chemotherapy, they responded 27% more likely to it. In other words, the effectiveness of these cancer therapies was enhanced by the Reishi extract supplementation.
In addition, Reishi stimulated immune function by boosting CD3, CD4 and CD8 lymphocyte percentages. Cancer patients on a Reishi regimen were also found to have a better quality of life after treatment than people in the control group.
Does this provide conclusive evidence on Reishi’s health effects? Not necessarily. First of all, the number of people in the test was fairly low. Secondly, different races respond differently to various therapies. These studies’ participants consisted of Chinese people alone.
Other immune system boosting medicinal mushrooms include Agaricus Blazei Murill, Cordyceps and Coriolus Versicolor. It is also believed that the active ingredient responsible for the enhanced immune response is beta glucan. Beta glucan – as well as all medicinal mushrooms – are available as dietary supplements
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