Mycotherapy

Question 1

Mycotherapy

Answer 1

The kingdom Fungi is one of the seven kingdoms of living organisms. About 20,000 of fungal species are mushrooms, with around 1000 of them considered medicinal.
* Mycotherapy is the use of mushrooms and their compounds as medicines or health promoting agents.
* Fungi are believed to have survived the meteor hits that extinguished many other species, and helped to renew the planet.
* Fungi create a mycelial (root like) network that releases enzymes and acids to externally digest dead organisms . They move the nutrients back into the life cycle (i.e. into soil).
* Fungi compensate for their inability to move by growing quickly and branching their filaments and threads in any direction.

Question 2

Medicinal mushroom compounds

Answer 2

• Medicinal mushrooms produce compounds that can be harnessed
  therapeutically. The most useful medicinal compounds are:
• Beta-glucans
• Triterpenes
• Sterols
• Lectins

Question 3

Beta-glucans

Answer 3

• Beta-glucans are polysaccharides that sometimes contain protein.
• 1,3 and 1,6 beta-glucans are the most common forms.
• Their most important action on the body is on the immune system, where they can support optimal immune function, promote immunomodulation and exert anti-tumour activity.
• They are captured by various cells in the lymphatic tissue of the intestines and stimulate macrophages, neutrophils, monocytes, natural killer (NK) cells and dendritic cells.

Question 4

Triterpenes

Answer 4

• Mushrooms such as reishi are composed of over 120 different triterpenes which have various medicinal properties , e.g. hepato protective, anti tumour.

Question 5

Sterols

Answer 5

• Mushrooms contain sterols such as ergosterol (a precursor of vitamin D ). Studies have shown that these mushroom derived sterols can have anti cancer properties.

Question 6

Lectins

Answer 6

• Those in certain medicinal mushrooms agglutinate tumour cells ,
  preventing their proliferation. They are also immune modulatory.