Reishi - Case Studies

Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) - A Traditional Chinese Herbal Remedy
 
Reishi is the most searched medicinal mushroom on the Internet with over 200,000 searches per month. It has been used in China and Japan for at least four millennia as a panacea to alleviate things from everyday nuisances like the common cold or skin disorders to terminal conditions such as cancer.

Working with cancer research at the Linus Pauling Institute of Science & Medicine is Dr. Fukumi Morishige, a strong proponent for the use of Reishi in cancer treatment.

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.

The second case was a young boy suffering from congenital liver cancer. At the age of 5, his attending physician determined that the condition was terminal and discontinued any further treatment. At 9 years of age, the boy's parents brought him to see Dr. Morishige who could then find no remaining traces of the cancer. The parents explained to Dr. Morishige that they had been feeding their son reishi via a naso-gastric tube. It was at this point Dr. Morishige determined that Reishi's effect on cancer deserved further study.

Below are five cases using reishi in combination with Vitamin C (to prevent side effects):

Case 1: A 70-year-old male patient who had lost consciousness due to a 5 cm (2 in.) brain tumour was administered 6 gm of Reishi per day starting in June of 1986. By September, he had regained consciousness. He continued to take Reishi orally after regaining consciousness, now 3 gm/day. By December of that same year, brain scans showed the tumour had diminished in size. Once the size of the tumour had been reduced to 1 cm, the patient was released from the hospital and returned to live with his family.

Case 2: A patient with lung cancer, a 50-year-old female, was coughing up blood. Dr. Morishige put her on a daily dose of 6 gm of Reishi. In six months, the tumour vanished. The woman, among other things, had regained her ability to climb stairs without suffering shortness of breath.

Case 3: A woman with breast cancer and metastatic bone cancer suffered excruciating pain and an inability to move below the neck. Dr. Morishige started her out on 9 gm/day of Reishi and then increased it to 20 gm/day. In two months, the patient was free from pain, able to walk, and was released from the hospital.

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 tumour 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.

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