BLOG 3 - China

According to an article written by Emily Steiner in BDlive the Chinese have found that a mushroom they have been using for years as a traditional medicine may have more benefits than they ever believed. These mushrooms are called Reishi mushrooms and they have now been researched and tested to be able to prevent cancer, lower the rates obesity, as well as prevent liver disease.  However Reishi mushrooms used to be rare and expensive but with new advances they have learned to cultivate them and make them more readily available.  Reishi mushrooms are so beneficial to many different aspects of health for many different reasons. Some of these reasons include protect cellular DNA from oxidant damage that causes ageing and cancer, protects kidney tubule cells from oxidant damage that leads to kidney failure, it increases expression of a key longevity gene and promotes and increased life span in species ranging from yeasts, to primitive worms, to mammals such as mice.  The most beneficial part about these mushrooms is they have the ability to prevent cancer.  Reishi mushrooms do this by identifying then it attacks the cancer cells.  Reishi compounds also trigger the programmed cell death called apoptosis that is suppressed in malignant cells.

 Reishi mushrooms could be the medicine to save the world. People are constantly researching to find a way to cure cancer, maybe the real answer is not to find the cure but rather find a way to prevent the disease all together.  There is still lots of research to be done on Reishi mushrooms, but from what the Chinese have already found out about them is ground breaking. Without a way to prevent cancer the whole world could end up dying from it because of how fast it is developing.  Even with Reishi mushroom being able to allow people to be healthier in so many different ways, it is important for people to live healthier lifestyles to keep from our bodies being susceptible to diseases.  

 http://www.bdlive.co.za/life/health/2013/02/13/how-a-mushroom-can-beat-the-illness-of-old-age

Natalie White
February 13, 2012
3:16 pm