Phellinus linteus – Medicinal Mushroom’s Popularity Exploding World-wide
Out of Korea comes a new and increasingly popular medicinal mushroom known as Phellinus linteus. It does have a rarely used English common name, Black Hoof Fungus. But you are more likely to hear it referred to by its Japanese name as Mesima.
Phellinus linteus is common in Southeast Asia as well as the southern United States. It grows on hardwood species of oak, mulberries and poplar, and sometimes on pines. [1]
Most medicinal mushroom species used today in America came to us via China or Japan. Phellinus linteus is a break from this trend, as it first became popular in Korea where it’s commonly used to complement traditional cancer treatment.
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]
It should be noted that macrophages may promote cancer growth as well as fight cancer. The research that has been published about Phellinus linteus extract indicates that it enhances the anti-cancer properties of macrophages. [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. A Korean journal published a paper in 2005 which reported on a “spontaneous regression of a large hepatocellular carcinoma with skull metastasis.” The 65-year-old patient had “ingested mushroom called Phellinus linteus for one and a half years.” [17]
3. And then one year later, in 2006, another Japanese article was published on “a case of spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma with multiple lung metastases.” The 79-year-old patient had been taking an extract of Phellinus linteus Mycelium for a month. When examined by his doctor 6 months later, his tumors had disappeared. [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.
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