Phellinus linteus - Medicinal Mushroom's Popularity Exploding World-wide

By Dr. Markho Rafael

There's a new star on the medicinal mushroom sky. It goes by Phellinus linteus in Latin. The little known English common name is Black Hoof Fungus. It's far more common, even in America, to hear it referred to by its Japanese name as Mesima.

Common to southern United States and Southeast Asia, Phellinus linteus is a polypore on hardwood trees such as poplar, oak and mulberry. [1]

Whereas we in America have gotten wind of most medicinal mushroom species by way of Japan or China, Phellinus linteus primarily gained its fame in Korea as an adjunct to traditional chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

From there, the fame of Phellinus linteus has spread across the globe. Doctors all over the world now use it as an immune enhancer [2-11], particularly to prevent cancer metastasis. [5,10,12-17] In addition to Korea, Phellinus linteus is today also increasingly popular in the U.S., Japan, and the Middle East from Turkey to Israel.

It may have all began when a 1996 Korean study reported that Phellinus linteus extract exhibited a broader range of immune enhancing and anti-cancer properties than the extracts from other species of medicinal mushrooms. [4]

Years later, American world-renown mycologist Paul Stamets helped deepen our understanding of Phellinus linteus when he published a comparative analysis with the most common medicinal mushroom species: Agaricus blazei, Lion's Mane, Chaga, Reishi, Maitake and Cordyceps. [18]

Phellinus linteus had a stronger effect than any of them on the part of the immune system known as macrophages. The activity of this type of white blood cell increased by 5,700% when Phellinus linteus extract was administered in an amount equivalent to 3,750 mg for an average size adult (165 lbs). [18]

Although human macrophage cells have been known to both induce and inhibit cancer growth, the published research on Phellinus linteus shows that it promotes the anti-cancer properties of macrophages rather than their potential cancer-inducing properties. [8,14,19,20]

Additional reports have been published on cases of "spontaneously" regressed cancers, where the patients reported having used Phellinus linteus by their own choice:

1. A Japanese article from 2004 reported a "dramatic remission of hormone refractory prostate cancer achieved with extract of the mushroom, Phellinus linteus." [15]

2. Next out was a Korean article published in 2005, which reported on a patient who "ingested mushroom called Phellinus linteus for one and a half years" before exhibiting "spontaneous regression" of liver cancer and skull metastasis. [17]

3. Finally, an article published 2006 in the Japanese journal Radiation Medicine told of a "patient with hepatocellular carcinoma with multiple lung metastases in whom malignancy spontaneously regressed after taking Phellinus linteus Mycelium." The 79-year old patient reportedly "took extract from Phellinus linteus Mycelium for one month, and 6 months later the tumors appeared to be in complete regression." [16]

Note: The information in this article is not intended to cure, treat, or diagnose any illness. The article is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The fungus Phellinus linteus has not been approved in the United States for use as a pharmaceutical. Always ask a licensed medical practitioner before using any substance as medicine. - 17274

About the Author:

Dr. Markho Rafael currently specializes in research on medicinal mushrooms, after working with natural health since 1996. He partners with Cordyceps Reishi Extract, LLC, a business offering premium grade medicinal mushroom products including Phellinus linteus mushroom extract. For references to this article, go the Phellinus linteus reference page.