Health Benefits - Oyster Mushroom
Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) is an edible fungus, high in nutritents and found widely in North America and Europe. Oyster mushroom has been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years to treat a variety of conditions, for example:
Lowering cholesterol, improving heart health, nutrition deficiencies, allergies, ulcers, liver problems, gastrointestinal problems, inflammation, auto-immune diseases, controlling blood pressure, treating infections, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and cancer.
Extract from the pink oyster mushroom has shown to stop the proliferation of cancerous cells. Extracts of king oyster mushroom has shown to stimulate the immune function. Use of mushroom in cancer treatment is an on-going research activity that has a lot of promise. Oyster mushrooms are also known to benefit people trying to quit tobacco products or even counter the Hepatitis C virus.
Oyster mushrooms can also be useful as an anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-cancer and anti-tumor agent, and can produce enzyme hydrolysis and enzyme oxidation. This fungus is also believed to have medicinal properties for various diseases such as liver disease, diabetes, anemia ... and can also be useful in killing nematodes. Other people who will benefit by including them in their daily diet are those suffering from anemia, hyper-acidity (acidosis), constipation and of course, to boost general immunity.
Read more: http://healthmad.com/nutrition/ingredients-and-benefits-of-white-oyster-mushrooms/#ixzz2BqkY1wte
According to a study published in "Food Chemistry", oyster mushrooms contain significant levels of zinc, copper, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin C, folic acid, niacin, and vitamins B-1 and B-2. Oyster mushrooms are high in B complex vitamins and protein. Vitamin B3 in oyster mushrooms is 5-10 times higher as compared to any other vegetable. Oyster mushrooms contain the majority of the mineral salts that are required by the human body. Mushrooms are also known to provide vitamin D which helps strengthen bones.
Calcium, phosphorous and iron content in oyster mushrooms is approximately double the amount available in beef, pork and chicken meat, yet oyster mushrooms are fat and cholesterol free. The texture of oyster mushroom is wonderful, velvety and the flavor is mild in nature. The study concluded that consuming oyster mushrooms as part of a healthy diet contributes to recommended nutritional requirements.
In addition to providing these essential vitamins and nutrients, oyster mushrooms are also: cholesterol free, fat free, low in carbohydrates, low in calories, low in sodium, high in protein and high in fiber. Thus, oyster mushrooms will help with weight loss due to high fiber content, and are very good for digestion making it suitable for dieters.
Oyster mushrooms also contain 9 kinds of amino acid lysine, methionine, tryptophan, threonine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, histidine, and phenylalanine. 72% fat in oyster mushrooms are unsaturated fatty acids that are safe for consumption either suffering from excess cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) and other disorders of lipid metabolism.
28% saturated fatty acids and the presence of such a polysaccharide chitin on the suspected cause of oyster mushroom oyster flavor also contain important vitamins, especially vitamin B, C and D. Vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), niacin and provitamin D2 (ergosterol), the oyster mushroom is high. The main minerals are highest Potassium, Phosphorus, Sodium, Calcium, and Magnesium.
Mineral highest is Zn, Fe, Mo, Co, Pb. Concentrations of K, P, Na, Ca and Me reached 56-70% of the total ash with K levels reached 45%. Mineral mikroelemen that is metal in the womb oyster needle low, so it is safe to eat mushrooms every day.
Read more: http://healthmad.com/nutrition/ingredients-and-benefits-of-white-oyster-mushrooms/#ixzz2BqdvF3ax
Anti-Oxidants - Ergothioeine - Selenium - Oyster Mushroom
The anti-oxidant properties of the oyster mushrooms are due to a compound called ‘ergothioneine’, a unique anti-oxidant exclusively produced by fungi which is not destroyed even when you cook the mushrooms. For example, a 3-ounce portion of mushrooms can contain up to 13 mg of ergothioneine. Ergothioneine is known to protect cells and build immunity.
According to a 2010 study led by Penn State food scientist Joy Dubost. The study found that oyster mushrooms have significant antioxidant properties that protect cells in the body. A 3 oz. serving of oyster mushrooms contains 13 mg of ergothioneine, and cooking the mushrooms does not reduce this level.
Oyster mushrooms also provide a source of selenium, niacin, and riboflavin. Selenium acts as an antioxidant, providing protection from the effects of cell damage resulting from free radicals. Recent studies suggest that regular consumption of selenium reduce prostate cancer risk.
Source: http://benefitof.net/benefits-of-oyster-mushrooms/
Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/348755-oyster-mushroom-health-benefits/#ixzz2BqCDVfAC
Anti-Bacterial - Benzaldehyde - Vitamin B12 - Oyster Mushroom
The anti-bacterial function in oyster mushrooms is because of the compound benzaldehyde. This compound reduces levels of bacteria in the body. Cooking these mushrooms provides a boost of riboflavin along with the earthy taste of mushrooms. Riboflavin is a form of B12 vitamin and these mushrooms ensure you receive your daily intake of this vitamin.
Oyster mushrooms have significant antibacterial activity, according to a 1997 study published in the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry." The study found that the active compound benzaldehyde reduces bacterial levels. It may form on the mushroom as a reaction to stress.
Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/348755-oyster-mushroom-health-benefits/#ixzz2BqCDVfAC
Anti-Fungal - Peptides - Oyster Mushrooms
Pleurostrin, a peptide derived from the fruiting bodies of Oyster mushroom, exhibited antifungal properties (2). Mevinolin, another compound, decreases cholesterol biosynthesis by inhibiting HMG CoA reductase, which is the rate limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis (3).
Source: http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/herb/oyster-mushroom
Anti-Microbial - Beta-D Glucans - Polysaccharides - Oyster Mushroom
The presence of potent polysaccharide compounds, particularly beta-D-glucans in the oyster mushroom, has a positive effect as anti-tumor, anti-cancer, anti-viral (including AIDS), fight cholesterol, anti-fungal, antibacterial, and can improve system imunnity.
Read more: http://healthmad.com/nutrition/ingredients-and-benefits-of-white-oyster-mushrooms/#ixzz2BqkY1wte
Anti-Inflammatory - Terpenoids - Oyster Mushrooms
Also found in oyster mushrooms are terpenoids. Terpenoids kill bacteria and viruses, producing an anti-inflammatory effect in the body.
Source: http://www.evitamins.com/a/oyster-mushrooms-healthy-cholesterol-280
Arthritis - Osteo Health- Chitin - Polysaccharides - Oyster Mushrooms
Chitin is a polysaccharide found in oyster mushrooms which will benefit athritic conditions. Chitin is the primary structural material in mushrooms and has been shown to be of value as dietary fiber. Like cartilage, chitin, is primarily acetylglucosamine and a similar sugar acetylgalactosamine.
Glucosamine often with chondroitin has become a very common, but expensive, food supplement prescribed by doctors for various arthritic and osteo conditions. Chitin, found in oyster mushrooms, would provide a potent source of bio-natural glucosamine at considerable lower cost to prescribed pills and supplements.
Source: http://nutrionomics.com/Article%20-%20Nutrition/arthritis_mushrooms_01.pdf
Cancer - Lectins - Peptins - Polysaccharides - Oyster Mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms contain polysaccharides. Polysaccharides is a complex carbohydrate comprised of small sugar molecules. The Research Institute of Nutrition found polysaccharides can have a positive effect on tumors by inhibiting further growth. Polysaccharides also help to strengthen the immune system, which contributes to fighting cancer.
A lectin isolated from the fruiting bodies of Oyster mushroom demonstrated anti-tumor activity in mice bearing sarcoma and hepatoma but the mechanism is not known (1). Another study found that the development of pre-cancerous aberrant crypt foci (ACF) was significantly reduced in mice that were fed a diet containing 10% pleuran, a beta-glucan isolated from Oyster mushroom (4).
In vitro experiments and studies done in mice have shown that Oyster mushroom has anti-tumor (1) (7) (8) (9) (12) (13), immunomodulatory (10) (11), anti-fungal (2), lipid lowering, and hypoglycemic (3) (6) properties. The beneficial effects are due to the polysaccharides, lectins, and peptides present in Oyster mushrooms.
Source: http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/herb/oyster-mushroom
Cancer - Colon - Mycelium - Polysaccharides - Oyster Mushrooms
Pleurotus species have some medicinal value and probably should remain on your menu for that reason. There have been some studies done indicating that polysaccharides in Pleurotus ostreatus may be used in treatment of prostate cancer and other cancers.
Anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activities of fractions of Pleurotus ostreatus were examined using HT-29 colon cancer cells in vitro. A hot-water-soluble fraction of the mycelium of the liquid cultured mushroom was partially isolated and chemically characterized as a low-molecular-weight alpha-glucan. HT-29 cells were exposed to the different isolates and significant inhibition of proliferation was obtained in a dose-dependent manner.
Proliferation inhibition was shown to be the result of apoptotic induction because the pro-apoptotic molecules Bax and cytosolic cytochrome-c were upregulated. Fluorescence-activated cell sorter analyses of polysaccharide-treated HT-29 cells showed a high percentage of Annexin-positive cells.
Science Journal: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?itool=abstractplus&db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=abstractplus&list_uids=16413114
Cancer - Prostate - Polysaccharides - Selenium - Oyster Mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms also provide a source of selenium, niacin, and riboflavin. Selenium acts as an antioxidant, providing protection from the effects of cell damage resulting from free radicals. Recent studies suggest that regular consumption of selenium reduce prostate cancer risk.
Pleurotus species have some medicinal value and probably should remain on your menu for that reason. There have been some studies done indicating that polysaccharides in Pleurotus ostreatus may be used in treatment of prostate cancer and other cancers.
Twenty species of edible mushrooms and three purified mushroom polysaccharides were screened for their anti-tumor potential on human androgen-independent cancer PC-3 cells. A water-soluble extract (POE) prepared from the fresh oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus produced the most significant cytotoxicity on PC-3 cells among the mushroom species tested.
At the same time, POE induced a rapid apoptosis on PC-3 cells detected with annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate flow cytometry when the cells were exposed to POE (150 microg/mL) for 2 hours. Induced apoptosis was also confirmed by DNA fragment terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated X-dUTP nick end labeling staining while POE (200 microg/mL) was added to PC-3 cells for 6 hours.
Both cytotoxicity and induced apoptosis mediated by POE in PC-3 cells are dose-dependent. Interestingly, PC-3 cells appeared to be more sensitive to POE in anchorage-independent growth condition. Tumor colony-forming efficiency was dramatically reduced to 4.5% or 0.5% in POE (60 or 120 microg/mL)-supplemented soft agar medium compared with that of POE-free medium (defined as 100%).
Temperature in POE processing plays a decisive role for the cytotoxic activity. Bioactivity of POE was eliminated by exposure to high temperature (80 degrees C) for 2 hours; however, it remained stable at a series temperatures of below 40 degrees C. The active fraction POE-F2 was analyzed and identified by size exclusion of high performance liquid chromatography and the CellTiter 96 AQueous Cell Proliferation Assay (Promega, Madison, WI).
Since POE-F2 is also sensitive to heat and has strong 280 nm absorption, the results imply that active compounds recovered from P. ostreatus are water-soluble proteins or polypeptides.
Source: http://benefitof.net/benefits-of-oyster-mushrooms/
Science Journal: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16822205?dopt=abstractplus
Cancer - Video - Cures - Medical Research - Medicinal Mushrooms
Mushroom Cancer Research Studies / Results: (Click Here for Video)
Source http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2010/04/12/paul-stamets-on-medicinal-mushrooms-and-cancer
Heart Health - Blood Pressure - Stroke - Potassium - Oyster Mushroom
Oyster mushrooms provide a great source of potassium and low in sodium, which helps reduce high blood pressure in patients with heart problem. It also offers protection from heart diseases and stroke since it has cardiovascular effects. These mushrooms also contain statins which are well-known cholesterol lowering drugs.
Heart Health - Cholesterol - Chitin - Mycelium - Oyster Mushroom
Experiments suggest that chitosans capture cholesterol and bile in the intestines and carry them out so that the body can not absorb or reabsorb them.
During a March 23rd episode of "Dr. OZ," Dr. Mehmet Oz recommended the consumption of oyster mushrooms to lower cholesterol levels. He suggested individuals with high cholesterol eat a half cup of oyster mushrooms per day. You can eat them cooked or raw and experience the same effects.
Consuming oyster mushrooms can decrease cholesterol levels naturally, which can potentially reduce the need for prescription medication. Oyster mushrooms contain statins, which are typically taken in drug form to lower "bad" (LDL) cholesterol. Statins wake up receptors in the liver, which take in cholesterol to pass it through the liver much more readily to rid the body of cholesterol.
While oyster mushrooms are effective in lowering cholesterol, those suffering from the condition should not reduce or cease the use of their cholesterol medication without consulting with their doctor. Not only can consuming oyster mushrooms help with high cholesterol, they can also help with controlling blood pressure and inflammation.
Source: http://www.evitamins.com/a/oyster-mushrooms-healthy-cholesterol-280
Immune System Health - Mycelium - Oyster Mushroom
Medicinal mushrooms (including oyster mushroom) have approximately 12,000 genes controlling the production of more than 200,000 compounds. Each mushroom species has a unique genetic identity and molecular architecture. This is what defines a species. After thousands of years of experimentation by our ancestors, we now know which are some of the most beneficial of the tens of thousands of mushrooms in existence.
We can now benefit from the natural host defenses of not just mushrooms, but also their precursor living mycelium, an opportunity that was not accessible to the ancients. Embedded within this highly integrated molecular matrix of fungal cells are beneficial active ingredients. Our bodies are able to utilize these active ingredients, provided the mycomaterial is pure, genetically potent and bioavailable.
Seven primary constituent classes, promote the immunity enhancing effects of mushrooms:
1. Polysaccharides (ex. Alpha & Beta-glucans): Immunomodulating.
2. Glycoproteins (ex. PSK): Immunomodulating.
3. Triterpenes (Sterols, ex. sistosterols, stigmasterols, campesterols).
4. Lipids: Cholesterol modulating.
5. Proteins (Enzymes): Antioxidants.
6. Cyathane Derivatives (ex. erinacines & hericenones, nerve growth stimulant factors)
7. Secondary Metabolites.
Source: http://www.fungi.com/blog/items/beta-glucan-analysis-and-the-seven-pillars-of-immunity.html
Immune System Health - Polysaccharides - Oyster Mushroom
Oyster mushrooms contain polysaccharides. Polysaccharides is a complex carbohydrate comprised of small sugar molecules. The Research Institute of Nutrition found polysaccharides can have a positive effect on tumors by inhibiting further growth. Polysaccharides also help to strengthen the immune system, which contributes to fighting cancer.
Vitamin D - Scientific Research - Medicinal Mushrooms
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that boosts the immune system and plays vital roles in human metabolism. Did you know that tasty mushrooms are one source for vitamin D, and that you can naturally multiply their levels by exposing them to sunlight?
We evolved living in more sunlight than today. We make our own vitamin D when sunlight hits our skin cells. Many people living in the northern hemisphere, however, suffer from lower levels of vitamin D during the fall, winter and spring. Fortunately, you can make your own supply of vitamin D-enriched mushrooms by simply exposing them to sunlight. You can sun dry or UV-zap store-bought or homegrown shiitake, maitake, button, and many other mushroom species.
My personal preference is home grown organic shiitake. The high vitamin D levels generated will last for more than a year. Surprisingly, even sliced and dried mushrooms—including wild ones picked the year before—will soar in vitamin D when placed outdoors under the sun. Now, the summer time, from June until September, is the best seasonal window for people in northern latitudes to make vitamin D enriched mushrooms!
Many physicians view low levels of vitamin D as a serious medical pre-condition. In extreme cases, vitamin D deficiencies can cause diseases such as rickets. Insidious diseases, such as cancer, are immune-mitigated. Without adequate vitamin D levels, your immune system is impaired. This is why cancer patients are often prescribed high daily doses of vitamin D, up to 4,000-10,000 International Units (IU), compared to the FDA recommended Daily Value (DV) dose of 400 IU for adults over 50 years in age. Please consult your physician before taking such large doses (1 IU is equal to 40 micrograms).
New recommendations from the Institute of Medicine, a branch of the National Academy of Sciences, increase the dosage to 600 IU per day for people up to age 70, and 800 IU for those over 70. Many naturopaths and physicians suggest ingesting at least 1,000 IU/day. A 2012 report in theJournal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism combined the results of eight clinical studies and showed that older people taking 1,000 IU of vitamin D, in combination with 1,000 mg of calcium, for three years had a 7% reduced death rate (Rejnmark, 2012). When not ingesting vitamin D mushrooms, and especially when traveling, I take a 1,000 IU wild Sockeye Salmon vitamin D3/Omega 3 product (VitalChoice- www.vitalchoice.com) several times a week, or daily when I remember.
The commercially common sources of vitamin D are vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) that comes from sheep’s wool (lanolin), pigskins, and some oily fish (mackerel, sardines, anchovies, herring, trout, and salmon). Mushrooms and animal skins create vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Mushrooms are rich in the vitamin D precursor ergosterol, which ultraviolet B (between wavelengths of 290 nm to 315 nm) converts to ergocalciferols, also called provitamin D2. Mammfal epidermis has cholecalciferol, which ultraviolet light converts to D3.
Which is better, Vitamin D3 or D2? The New England Journal of Medicine published an exhaustive article comparing the metabolic pathways of vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 (Holick, 2007). Our enzymes convert both D vitamins into 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and then into the active form of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D in our kidneys. This form of vitamin D can bind to receptors in various tissues around the body for use. One advantage of vitamin D3 is its longevity after ingestion—staying in the bloodstream for weeks compared to days for vitamin D2. However, for people taking vitamin D supplements several times a week, there seems to be no significant advantage in taking one form or the other.
Moreover, eating mushrooms packed with vitamin D2 confers many other health benefits. Mushrooms have many helpful nutrients, including beta glucans for immune enhancement, ergothioneines for antioxidative potentiation, nerve growth stimulators for helping brain function, and antimicrobial compounds for limiting viruses. I will write more about these in future issues of the Huffington Post.
While making your own vitamin D3 from sheep or pigskins may be possible, it is rather gruesome and technically difficult. Consuming vitamin D3 from fish is not an option for vegetarians. Vitamin D from mushrooms is not only vegan and vegetarian friendly, but you can prepare your own by exposing mushrooms to the summer sun. Mushrooms grown indoors have very little vitamin D but reserve great potential for hyper-producing it.
Here is a simple experiment we did one summer afternoon in Kamilche Point, Washington. We compared several forms of organically grown shiitake mushrooms, which had starting level of 100 IU/100 grams. We compared the vitamin D levels of three sets of mushrooms, all from the same crop. The first was grown and dried indoors. The second set was dried outdoors in the sunlight with their gills facing down. The third set of mushrooms was dried outdoors in the sunlight with their gills facing upwards for full sun exposure.
The most vitamin D was found in shiitake dried with gills up that were exposed to sunlight for two days, six hours per day. The vitamin D levels in these mushrooms soared from 100 IU/100 grams to nearly 46,000 IU/100 grams (see chart). Their stems, though, produced very little vitamin D, only about 900 IU. Notably, vitamin D levels dropped on the third day, probably due to over-exposure to UV.
Most interesting to me is that when we tested our mushrooms nearly a year after exposure, they preserved significant amounts of vitamin D2. I suspect values are much higher initially, gradually falling in time, consistent with reports by other researchers. This means that you can capture vitamin D in mushrooms and have a ready source of this important vitamin—and delicious mushrooms—through the fall, winter, and spring.
How much vitamin D can 100 grams of fresh mushrooms make from sunlight? A lot, but a lot more when mushrooms are dried, pulverized, and then exposed to UVB light lamps.
Robert Beelman at Penn State University was one of the pioneers who learned that pulsing high intensity beams of UV could generate vitamin D (and also, bonus, surface-sterilize the mushrooms). Thanks in large part to his work, UV-exposed mushrooms—primarily the fresh button variety—are increasingly available in grocery stores. When we ranked the vitamin D concentrations of shiitake exposed to no light, exposed to sunlight with gills up, and exposed to continuous UVB light after slicing, the results were impressive: more than a six-fold increase under UVB light compared with sunlight.
These results make sense. When mushrooms were sliced, more ergosterol-rich surface area was exposed. The indoor UV light was more intense than sunlight. The combination of these resulted in more vitamin D being produced. Although up to 12 hours of sun exposure to upside-down (gills up) shiitakes created 46,000 IU of vitamin D, I am sure sliced ones would give you more, as the surface area would increase. However, the sun is a convenie
nt source of UVB whereas setting up a UVB light chamber is not.
A natural question to ask is how much of the vitamin D from consuming mushrooms makes it into my bloodstream?
Research study: Comparing 26 people who took a vitamin D2 supplement to 26 others ingesting vitamin D-enriched mushrooms four times per week for five weeks, researchers at the University Medical Center in Frieburg, Germany found that the serum levels of vitamin D were similar. They used button mushrooms exposed to UV light that resulted in 20,000 IU/100 grams fresh weight. Subjects ingested 120 grams fresh (≈24,000 IU) of vitamin D-enriched mushrooms, which is about a quarter of a lb., roughly a handful.
Results: The results showed similar levels of vitamin D were absorbed in the blood in both groups: those who ingested a supplement in pill form and those who put freshly cooked mushrooms in soup. At the end of the study, both groups’ serum vitamin D levels increased to ~50 nmol/L, which is considered to be a healthy baseline level. A general consensus amongst many health care practitioners is that you need to replenish your vitamin D so blood serum levels are between 50 and 125 nmol/L of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Care should be taken to avoid over-supplementation, as serum levels over 125 nmol/L can be hazardous
Source: http://www.fungi.com/blog/items/place-mushrooms-in-sunlight-to-get-your-vitamin-d.html
Source: http://www.fungi.com/blog/items/information-about-mushrooms-health.html
Learn more: http://nutrionomics.com/
Learn More: http://americanmushrooms.com/medicinals.htm
Learn More: Turkey Tail Mushroom - Cancer Research - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-stamets/mushrooms-cancer_b_1560691.html
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Crude Natural Extract vs Isolated Purified Extracts - Mushrooms
There are several studies suggesting the high-molecular-weight polysaccharide family has greater stimulatory effects than any one of its isolated constituents:
- Adachi et al (1990) found that there was greater immunological benefit from a heat-treated 'mother' polysaccharide (800,000+ m.w.) than from the isolated, derivative polysaccharides of lower molecular weights of 250,000, 21,000, and 6400.
- Mizuno (1995, pp. 32-33) and Broffman (1997) also underscored the importance of constituents other than (1-3)-ß-D-glucans, and suggested that other components within the mushrooms helped increase activity.
The following model is suggested: the human immune system is stimulated by the decomposition of coarse polysaccharides into synergistic subcomponents, thus enhancing immunological responses. In essence, this effect may be summarized by the adage that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
Hence, a crude extract is, in my opinion, better than any one isolated, purified constituent. - Paul Stemets - Mycologist and Author
Source: http://www.fungi.com/blog/items/information-about-mushrooms-health.html
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Soil Health - Detoxify Chemicals - Mycleium - Oyster Mushroom
Much of the land, air and water around the world have been contaminated by industrial waste and pollution. Many people are affected by the filth as it`s unfortunate but true that what`s in the air and water around our homes regularly ends up inside of our bodies. The problems are serious, but fortunately, nature has provided us with an environmental solution in an unlikely package: mushrooms.
Mycelium from mushrooms has the unique ability to breakdown and detoxify a great deal of toxic industrial waste and pollution. Mycelium is actually the fruit of a mushroom. In forests, the mycelia breakdown and recycle nitrogen, carbon and plant and animal debris; they turn the forests` waste products into rich soil.
Paul Stemets (a longtime mushroom researcher) discovered that mushroom mycelium also has the unique ability to break down hydrocarbons - and hydrocarbons are at the base of many industrial pollutants. Everything from pesticides to dioxins have a hydrocarbon base.
According to Stemets, mycelium can break down and detoxify biological warfare agents and heavy metals, including lead and mercury. In addition, he`s found that mycelium can remove industrial toxins from the soil, including pesticides, chlorine, dioxin, and PCBs.
"Since many of these poisons are showing up in the umbilical cord blood of infants,
it`s about time we got serious about getting them out of the environment. Using mushroom mycelium is an
environmentally friendly way to do it, and it`s far less expensive than conventional methods of environmental cleanup."
- Paul Stemets - Mycologist and Author
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Conventional methods of removing industrial contamination include treating the waste with chemicals or capturing the waste and burning it. Of course, the burning of industrial waste just releases those chemicals right back into the air we all breathe. And this time, it contains new and unknown chemical combinations - ones that might be more dangerous than the original ones.
To cleanse the soil of contaminants, mycelium absorbs the compounds of the soil and water around it. It acts as a filter to remove any usable materials, and then it releases enzymes to break down any remaining contaminants. As an example of its effectiveness: when soil contaminated with diesel fuel is inoculated with mycelia from oyster mushrooms, it was found to lose its toxicity in just 8 weeks.
Many plants benefit from a relationship with mycelium, and mycelium makes up about 10 percent of many healthy soils. Trees often become more drought and disease resistant with mycelium. Mycelium can also kill many agricultural pests; it even kills problems including Staphylococcus sp. and E. coli.
Stemets tells us that mycelium can also be used to cleanse groundwater of contaminants and pollutants. Yet, as with many natural healing techniques, what we really need are more people using them.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/028132_detoxification_mycelium.html#ixzz2BqDyQLdV
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