Alex Ram

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.Common to southern United States and Southeast Asia, Phellinus linteus is a polypore on hardwood trees such as poplar, oak and mulberry. [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'96 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]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]Among the seven species of medicinal mushrooms compared in this study, Phellinus linteus had the most powerful effect on enhancing macrophage activity, by 5,700%. Macrophages are an important part of the immune system's cancer fighting arsenal. The amount of Phellinus linteus extract used was equal to 3,750 mg for an adult of average weight (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]Three additional papers have been published with reports of patients using Phellinus linteus extract and experiencing "spontaneous" regression: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. 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.Dr. Markho Rafael currently focuses on research on medicinal mushrooms, after working in the natural health field since the mid-90's. 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.