Sunday, September 10, 2006

More Mushroom Magic That Boosts the Immune System

I spoke about Shiitake and Reishi Mushrooms as immune
tonics in a previous post. There is another mushroom which is a
very potent immune system tonic, Maitake.

Maitake belongs to the class of herbs called adaptogens.
(Herbs which help the body "adapt" to stressors.)

It has been shown to significantly strengthen the immune
system, and build immune reserves. In research studies,
maitake extract increased the activity of three types of
immune cells, the macrophages, natural killer cells, and the
T-cells, by a significant percentage.

In studies with mice, maitake extract reduced tumor
formation by 86% compared to the control group.

Maitake extract is currently in stage 2 trials in the US as
an anti-cancer drug. It is being tested on both advanced
breast and prostate cancer.

The anti-cancer compound is marketed as Maitake-D
fraction, and has shown promise in studies on both breast
and colorectal cancer.

Maitake also helps reduce pain, nausea, hair loss,
and other side effects of conventional chemotherapy drugs.

Maitake has shown promise as a complementary therapy,
and combines well with conventional therapy.



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