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.
Phellinus linteus grows on hardwood trees such as oak, poplar and mulberry. The species is common in Southeast Asia and southern parts of the United States. [1]
Unlike most medicinal mushroom species, which were originally used in China or Japan, Phellinus linteus first became popular in Korea as a complement to traditional cancer therapies such as radiation and chemotherapy.
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.
Word of Phellinus linteus caught on in'96 when a Korean paper got published, which credited it with the widest range of anti-tumor and immune-enhancing properties of any medicinal mushroom extract. [4]
World renown American mycologist Paul Stamets took this a step further when he published research in 2003 which compared seven of the world's most popular medicinal mushroom species, including Reishi, Cordyceps, Maitake, Chaga, Lion's Mane and Agaricus blazei. [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]
Macrophages as part of the human immune system can be a two-edged sword. They may devour cancer cells, but can also stimulate cancer growth. The published research on Phellinus linteus indicates that it activates the cancer-fighting properties of macrophages, not the cancer-stimulating 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. First out was a Japanese article in 2004 with a case study of a patient with hormone refractory prostate cancer and bone metastasis who exhibited "dramatic remission" after using Phellinus linteus extract. [15]
2. In 2005, a Korean paper related the case of a 65-year-old patient with liver cancer and skull metastasis who experienced "spontaneous regression" after one and a half years of using Phellinus linteus. [17]
3. A Japanese article from 2006 reported the case of a 79-year-old man with malignant liver cancer and lung metastases who exhibited complete regression of the tumors six months after using an extract of Phellinus linteus Mycelium. [16]
This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The mushroom Phellinus linteus has not been approved by the FDA for medicinal use. Always consult a licensed medical practitioner before using any herb or mushroom medicinally.
Phellinus linteus grows on hardwood trees such as oak, poplar and mulberry. The species is common in Southeast Asia and southern parts of the United States. [1]
Unlike most medicinal mushroom species, which were originally used in China or Japan, Phellinus linteus first became popular in Korea as a complement to traditional cancer therapies such as radiation and chemotherapy.
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.
Word of Phellinus linteus caught on in'96 when a Korean paper got published, which credited it with the widest range of anti-tumor and immune-enhancing properties of any medicinal mushroom extract. [4]
World renown American mycologist Paul Stamets took this a step further when he published research in 2003 which compared seven of the world's most popular medicinal mushroom species, including Reishi, Cordyceps, Maitake, Chaga, Lion's Mane and Agaricus blazei. [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]
Macrophages as part of the human immune system can be a two-edged sword. They may devour cancer cells, but can also stimulate cancer growth. The published research on Phellinus linteus indicates that it activates the cancer-fighting properties of macrophages, not the cancer-stimulating 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. First out was a Japanese article in 2004 with a case study of a patient with hormone refractory prostate cancer and bone metastasis who exhibited "dramatic remission" after using Phellinus linteus extract. [15]
2. In 2005, a Korean paper related the case of a 65-year-old patient with liver cancer and skull metastasis who experienced "spontaneous regression" after one and a half years of using Phellinus linteus. [17]
3. A Japanese article from 2006 reported the case of a 79-year-old man with malignant liver cancer and lung metastases who exhibited complete regression of the tumors six months after using an extract of Phellinus linteus Mycelium. [16]
This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The mushroom Phellinus linteus has not been approved by the FDA for medicinal use. Always consult a licensed medical practitioner before using any herb or mushroom medicinally.
About the Author:
Dr. Markho Rafael currently focuses on medicinal mushrooms research, having worked in the natural health field since the mid-90's. He partners with Cordyceps Reishi Extract, LLC, a business offering premium quality medicinal mushroom products including Phellinus linteus extract. For article references, go the Phellinus linteus reference page.
