Reishi Extract - A Traditional Chinese Medicinal Herb

By Markho Rafael

Reishi is frequently prescribed in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a panacea. It is widely used by both laymen and professionals in the Orient as a treatment for things as innocuous as stress or weight loss to more serious conditions such as arthritis and even cancer.

One of the strongest proponents for the use of reishi as a medicinal mushroom is Dr. Fukumi Morishige. He works with the Linus Pauling Institute of Science & Medicine on treating cancer with reishi.

The following case reports were given by Dr. Morishige in a speech re-printed in the periodical, Chinese Traditional Medicine Part III.

Born in Japan, Dr. Morishige was unavoidably familiar with reishi long before hearing of its use in cancer treatment. Naturally, he believed the same as any other medically trained professional, that perhaps reishi might yield some marginal results on benign conditions but he felt certain any further claims were surely exaggerated. Not until two of his own cancer patients exhibited signs of remission, which they attributed to their use of reishi, did his curiosity peak.

First was a 39-year-old woman with lung carcinoma. The hospitals she had visited all told her she was too far gone and there was nothing they could do to help her. As a serious secondary complication, she also exhibited chest cavity edema. None-the-less, by the time she had her first appointment with Dr. Morishige, the symptoms of her illness had disappeared. The woman credited her recovery to the use of reishi, which her husband had administered to her at 4 grams per day.

After that, there was the case of the young boy with congenital liver cancer. Four years before he came to see Dr. Morishige, the boy's original doctor had sent him home with his parents, claiming the condition was terminal and there was nothing he could do to help. But when Dr. Morishige examined the now 9-year-old-boy, he could find no trace of the tumor. The boy's parents said they had been giving their son reishi via his naso-gastric feeding tube. This is when Dr. Morishige decided that reishi deserved a closer look.

Listed below are five of Dr. Morishige's cases. Reishi and Vitamin C (for side effects) was used:

Case 1: A patient with a 5 cm (2 in.) brain tumor who had lost consciousness was placed on 6 gm of reishi per day in June of '86. By September, this 70-year-old-male patient had emerged from his comatose state. The reishi was decreased to 3 gm per day. Another three months later, December of 1986, scans showed diminishing size of the tumor. After it shrunk to 1 cm (0.4 in.), the hospital released the man to return home and live with his family.

Case 2: A 50+ female with metastatic lung cancer and hemoptysis (coughing up blood) began a regimen of 6 gm/day of reishi. Six months later, the tumor had disappeared. And whereas before she had experienced severe shortness of breath, she could now effortlessly climb stairs.

Case 3: Patient with breast cancer that had spread to the bones was in unbearable pain and immobilized below the head. An initial dose of 9 grams of reishi daily was increased to 20 grams per day. Two months later, the woman was pain free and released after demonstrating improvement in her ability to walk.

Case 4: A man with rectal cancer metastasized to the liver was placed on 6 grams per day of reishi. Six months later, CT scans revealed that the tumor had shrunk. The patient showed improved health.

Case 5: A patient with pancreatic cancer and short life prognosis was put on 9 grams of reishi per day, orally, and 30 grams of Vitamin C, intravenously. Twelve months later, he reported that he longer experienced any symptoms and was back to work. He said he'd continued taking 5 grams per day of reishi after leaving the hospital.

End Note: This article is for informational purposes only. This product has not been tested by the FDA and it is highly advised not to use it for self-treatment of cancer. Always consult a licensed medical practitioner before using any herb for medicinal purposes.

Reference: Morishige, Fukumi, 1987. Chinese Traditional Medicine Part III, Page 12 - 23, ISBN4-88580-053-6 C-0077 - 30540

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