The Diet Review Zone

Posts Tagged ‘arthritis’

Chaga grows as a black cankerous mass on birch, dead or living. It may rarely be found on beech, elm, ash or hornbeam as well.

In Europe and Asia, chaga has been used for centuries to treat cancers of the heart and liver, digestive ailments, and tuberculosis. [121]

The traditional use was to peel the black skin of the mushroom and then boil it into a tea. Being a compact and easily portable medicinal made it very valuable to healers throughout history.

Today’s scientific focus on chaga extract is primarily as an anti-tumor remedy. In fact, it was approved in Russia as a cancer drug already in 1955, successfully used to treat cancers of the stomach, lungs, breasts and cervix. [122]

A 1998 study on chaga extract showed that it did inhibit growth of cervical cancer in a lab. [123] And a 1995 study reported both growth inhibition and death of melanoma cells, also in a lab (in vitro). [124, 25]

Further research has confirmed that some of the active compounds of Siberian chaga do decrease cancer cell growth. [125, 126]

Betulin is a medically active compound from the birch tree that gets concentrated in the black outer skin of the chaga mushroom, which has been found to contain 30% betulin, [127] whereas the inside of the chaga mushroom contains fungal lanostanes. It would therefore be suggested that chaga tea is better made from the whole mushroom, including the black skin.

The best chaga extracts are made not only from the whole mushroom fruit body but also the mycelia (“roots”), which contain more medically active protein compounds than the fruit bodies.

Other research has found chaga to possess powerful anti-viral properties. In 1996, two studies published results of inhibitory effects on both influenza virus [127] and HIV. [128] Considering the nature of viruses, the most likely scenario is that chaga works on viruses by enhancing the body’s own immune system, a theory confirmed by a paper published in 2002 and another in 2005. [25, 129] The same mechanism may explain the reported anti-inflammatory effect of chaga. [130]

Furthermore, alcohol extract of chaga mushroom has been found to lower blood sugar levels. [131] Chaga also demonstrates significant antioxidant properties that help protect the genetic integrity of the cells. [132, 133]

As an interesting anecdote that does not relate to human health but demonstrates the curative power of the Chaga mushroom, Paul Stamets mentions a Quebec arborist who uses a chaga poultice to cure chestnut blight. It not only cures the infection but the tree even becomes blight resistant after treatment. [134]

Note: The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Never use any herb (or mushroom) except as advised by a licensed medical practitioner.

Credits: Thank you, Paul Stamets, for research references.

Dr. Markho Rafael has worked with natural health since finishing Chiropractic College in 1996. He currently focuses on medicinal mushrooms in cooperation with Cordyceps Reishi Extracts, LLC, a U.S. business offering Chaga Mushroom Extract and much more. For the research references to this article, go to the Siberian Chaga Extract page and click on any number indicating a reference.

The condition known as gout will normally take several years to form before a person starts to suffer from it. This is because the uric acid crystals need time to build up in a person’s joints and the tissue surrounding it before gout symptoms and signs begin to show.

If people suffer with one or more of these then they usually find they have gout:-

1.When someone touches your joint (usually your big toe) it will feel warm and very tender to the touch. The toe joint will normally be inflamed and painful.

2. Nighttime can often be the first time you notice the intent pain that gout can give you from even the light pressure of a bed sheet.

3.Some gout sufferers will have an attack that comes on quickly and lasts many hours. After the initial pain, which can be very intense, the level drops over the next 2 days to a week.

4. Gout attacks do subside, I know if you are reading this while having an attack that may be hard to believe, after the pain starts going away you can expect the affected joint to be itchy and you may also see some peeling skin.

As well as the symptoms mentioned above there are others that a person may also suffer from if they have a gout attack. But it is important to note however that not everyone who has gout will suffer from these symptoms and the severity of them will vary also.

The most common part of the human body where a person is likely to experience gout is the big toe joint. However, some people may develop gout in other joints in their bodies including their feet, ankles, knees, wrists, fingers as well as their elbows.

Gout can attack after an illness or surgery, to make it even worse it can often be missed and just treated as another ache or pain from the surgery or illness. Older people seem to suffer this misdiagnose more than others.

When a person starts to display any of the symptoms we have mentioned here it is vital to get them to see a Dr. Some people will dismiss the pain as a temporary discomfort, however without proper medication it will come back worse the next time.

How do you know if you were dealing with a a gout symptom or just aches and pains? When your toes ache we don’t usually think of gout as a possible cause.

The use of Reishi as an herbal remedy dates back longer than any other medicinal mushroom in historic literature. The first written record can be found in Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic, dating back two thousand years. Reishi (a.k.a. Ganoderma or Ling Zhi) is often considered a panacea ” cure-all ” in Traditional Chinese Medicine. While it may not be literally accurate to refer to Reishi as a cure-all, the fact that it appears to act as an inflammation modulator may be one of many reasons for its age-old veneration in the Orient.

In fact, Chinese medical practitioners have been prescribing Reishi extract for ages in cases of arthritis, bronchitis and other conditions involving any type of inflammation. Modern research in Asia as well as in America and Europe confirm the validity of these uses. Out of 19 papers used for this article, 17 reported positive results in the use or Reishi extract for arthritis. Only two were studies were inconclusive, both of which were conducted by the same research team. (1,2)

A U.S. based study conducted in 1993 showed that a water extract of Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) exhibited “significant anti-inflammatory activity.” (4) Ten years later, an Indian research paper was published which stated that the use of Reishi extract helped decrease inflammation in acute edema by 56% and in chronic edema by 60%. (3) Using the “Article References” link on this page, you will find references to seven additional research articles that confirm Reishi extract as a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. (5,6,7,8,9,10,11)

Other Reishi studies have been performed which more directly relate to arthritis. A 2006 report by Kenneth Blum et al. provided support that clinical evidence demonstrates the effectiveness and safety of natural substances for joint health, such as glucosamine sulfate , chondroitin sulfate, and Ganoderma lucidum [Reishi]. (12)

Also that same year, a Chinese study by Xi Bao et al. came to the conclusion that Reishi plus another medicinal herbal remedy commonly used in China seemed to have a “beneficial immunomodulatory effect” on arthritis. (13)

The mechanism through which Reishi achieves this beneficial effect on arthritis was suggested in a study the following year, 2007, by Ho et al., which states that GL-PP [Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide peptide] significantly inhibited the proliferation of RASF [Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts] (14)

Five additional studies are included in the references that report positive findings between Reishi and arthritis. (15,16,17) One goes so far as to state that Reishi shows favorable results when compared to prednisone, and is free from the side effects. (18) In extension of this, a separate study also found that not only was Reishi extract free of the side effects of prednisone, it could also help balance the existing side effects of prednisolone* such as cell toxicity and proteinuria. (*Prednisolone is the active compound of prednisone. The liver breaks down prednisone and converts it to prednisolone.) (19)

In conclusion, the majority of research on the use of Reishi extract for inflammation or arthritis appears to support its effectiveness. Please remember that it is very important to always consult a licensed medical doctor before using any herb for medicinal purposes.

Name clarification: The Japanese name Reishi includes many closely related species. By far the most prevalent is Ganoderma lucidum (Common Reishi or Red Reishi), a species rare in the U.S. but common in South East Asia. The English common name for Ganoderma lucidum is Varnished Conk. In China, its known as Ling Zhi.

Other related species that are often called “Reishi” include: “Hemlock Reishi” (Ganoderma tsugae),” which is common on hemlock trees in eastern U.S.; the Chinese species known as “Black Reishi” (Ganoderma sinense); another American species found on the west coast which is sometimes referred to as “Red Reishi” (Ganoderma resinaceum), although “Red Reishi” more often refers to G. lucidum in contrast to “Black Reishi,” G. sinense; and finally two Japanese species, one that is sometimes known as “Purple Reishi” Ganoderma japonicum, and one without any English name, Ganoderma neo-japonicum.