Monday, May 12, 2008

Cordyceps Mushroom

Cordyceps mushrooms are parasitic mushrooms that grow on animals and plants. Their medicinal properties were first noticed in China. Now herbalists and Western physicians know that they are beneficial in areas such as the immune system. There are several species of Cordyceps mushrooms. The most famous one is among the numerous species Cordyceps sinensis is the most famous due to its curing properties. The Chinese noticed that sheep who grazed on Cordyceps were stronger and healthier. Herbalists started to recommend the drug for treating several diseases. They often thought it was a cure-all, making people stronger and helping them prevent or fight disease. Some herbalists believed that it helped males perform in sex and that it was an overall aphrodisiac.

A pioneer Western physician who studied Cordyceps was Dr. Georges Halpern, a physician and professor emeritus with the University of Hong Kong. He wrote several books about this fungus. He wrote that the mushroom can: stimulate the immune system; cure sexual dysfunction in men; maximize body oxygen uptake; boost energy; protect the lungs, liver and kidney; build muscles; improve kidney, liver, and lung functioning; and provide an anti-aging effect. He found that the mushroom enhanced Western medicine for heart disease and cholesterol.

In 2001, a study by Li, Li, Dong and Tsim showed that both naturally-occurring and cultured cordyceps mushroom showed a good level of antioxidant activities. A 2003 study by Koh, Suh and Anh showed that components of the cordyceps mushroom can be used as a substitute of antibiotic growth promoters. This year, Liu, Chuang, Tsai et al. found that the health food supplement cordyceps sinensis enhances recovery of mice from leukopenia caused by Taxol treatment. It appears to do so by protecting both hematopoietic progenitor cells directly and the bone marrow stem cell niche through its effects on osteoblast differentiation. Thus, the mushroom ameliorated the suppressive effects of chemotherapy on bone marrow function.

The cordyceps mushroom is normally very expensive. Its inclusion in this tea product will give you its extraordinarily rich benefits for a low price, and along with benefits from many other ingredients!

Disclaimer: None of the above information can be taken as a substitute for advice from a medical professional, such as a physician.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.authorhouse.com, www.bn.com and http://www.amazon.com. If you look up my name on those Web sites, you will find my other books The Boy in a Wheelchair and Life, Work and Play: Poems and Short Stories.

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