Shiitake - Lentinula - Ganoderma - Reishi - Ling Zhi - Cordyceps - Maitake - Grifola frondosa - Tremella - Poria
A Positive Approach to Health & Wellness
A Positive Approach to Health & Wellness
During the past 50 years, several major advancements in medicine came from lower organisms such as molds, yeast, and mushrooms (fungi). The first antibiotics were extracted from fungi. Penicillin, tetracyclene and auremycin, derived from molds, were hailed as a wonder drug for infections and communicable diseases. We have also seen a rapid pace of advancement in organ transplant due to Cyclosporin, a drug derived from a fungus that uses insects as its host. Cylcosporin suppresses the immune system of transplant patients hence lowering tissue rejection rates. These lower organisms are used to commercially produce bread, beer, wine, cheese, organic acids, and vitamins - including Vitamin C. The Vitamin C tablet you take may be a by product of fungal growth.
Mushrooms are valuable health food - low in calories, high in vegetable proteins, chitin, iron, zinc, fiber, vitamins & minerals. Mushrooms also have a long history of use in Traditional Chinese Medicine . Their legendary effects on promoting good health and vitality and increasing your body's adaptive abilities have been supported by recent studies. These studies suggest that Mushrooms are probiotic - they help our body strengthen itself and fight off illness by maintaining physiological homeostasis - restoring our bodies balance and natural resistance to disease. The compounds they contain have been classified as Host Defense Potentiators (HDP) which can have immune system enhancement properties. That is one of the reasons they are currently used as adjuncts to cancer treatments in Japan and China. Recently they have attracted similar attention in the United States and Europe.
Many scientific studies performed in universities and medical facilities have produced volumes of studies on the medicinal effects of mushrooms on many different ailments affecting humans.
Many of the compounds found in Shiitake, Reishi, Cordyceps, and some other mushrooms are classified as Host Defense Potentiators (HDP). These compounds include: hemicellulose (AHCC), polysaccharides, polysaccharide -peptides, nucleosides, triterpeniods, complex starches, and other metabolites. It is believed that combinations of these products target the human immune system as well as aid in neuron transmission, metabolism, hormonal balance and the transport of nutrients and oxygen. Through a host-mediated (T cell) immune mechanism, they help the body regulate the development of lymphoid stem cells and other important defense responses.
It is important to maintain both your good health and your body's balance. Each time we get sick, a potential vulnerable spot may open in our body's defenses. Over time cell mediated immunity may become inadequate or malfunction. This could allow multiple genetic mutations in the same location (malignant transformations) to reach cell proportions resulting in abnormal or malignant growth. The process is generally quite slow and takes many years and may take many bouts of illness to manifest itself. The objective should to maintain a well-regulated body. If we can keep our immune system functioning efficiently, minimize the frequency and severity of all illnesses, and recover quickly, we are more likely to enjoy a healthy quality of life.
Most studies on the health benefits of mushrooms for humans have focused on immune enhancement properties. Complex sugars and their derivatives are able to stimulate a higher level of cytokine production in humans. Cytokines are proteins produced by the immune system to facilitate communication between cells. Complex cellular processes such as proliferation and differentiation are regulated in part by
extra cellular signaling molecules: for example, polypeptide growth factors, cytokines, and peptide hormones. Vitamin and mineral supplements should be taken on a regular basis to be most effective. A balanced diet, sufficient rest, a positive outlook, and regular consumption of nutrient supplements including
Nutraceutical mushroom products can increase the odds of obtaining and maintaining good health. Many times we get sick because of deficiencies or imbalances in our systems that allow pathogens to attack our bodies. Today, we live in artificial environments where air is filtered and food is processed. We frequently administer antibiotics and a variety of interventions to cure our ailments or mask their symptoms. Our immune systems are no longer being challenged as often as they would be in a more natural environment. A major function of our immune system works like a computer data file. Pathogens invading our systems are being monitored constantly. Information on new pathogens and other molecules is stored in our immune data base. When hostile pathogens attack our bodies, our immune systems are more capable of mounting fast immune responses if we have a substantive data base of foreign substances. However, with a meager data base in an under developed immune system, we are incapable of dealing with many pathogens. A slow immune response will not be able to cope with an onslaught of pathogens. Mushroom Nutraceuticals can provide a regular benign challenge to the immune system by presenting many different molecules to the data base in a non-hostile manner. It has been remarked that with mushrooms supplements we have a "24 hour Nautilus for our immune system". *This is an informational summary of the health and medicinal benefits of mushrooms suggested by recent research; it does not constitute claims for any product. This information has not been evaluated by a Health Professional or Practitioner. A complete list of references can be found on: https://www.gmushrooms.com/Healthref.html Click Here - for Medicinal Mushrooms - Further Readings and References.
Always consult a health care practitioner before taking any material or supplement for medicinal purposes. Click above for Mushroom Nutraceutical Products. or contact: Gourmet & Mushroom Products, P. O. Box 515, Graton, CA 95444 Fax (707) 823-9091
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