OK, let's check-out Maitake

[al from canada]

Hello chemo-angels,
We've received alot of stuff on Maittake mushrooms lately, mostly good. I would love to see some kind of consensus on "what should we be taking?" but I feel we need to nail things down, starting with the mushrooms. I am about to order some D-faction Maitake but hesitating. How many of us are taking these and what is the bottom line?
We spend a lot in supplements a month and we want to make sure we are not (you know) our $ in the wind. We also want to make sure that we are NOT feeding the cancer. I would refer to a study that came out a short while ago about EPREX may facilitating tumor growth.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/con..._1950_tc122.htm (http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2004/tc2004055_1950_tc122.htm)

Wouldn't it be great if our readers exactly what to buy and where. (Pie in the Sky type suff?)
Let's get some answers.
Regards,
Al

[*_jeff_*]

OK, Al: I'll bite.

http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/2270.cfm?IRBNO=03-107

Just above is a link to a clinical trial Sloan Kettering is doing on maitake

That seems like a good enough reason to give it a shot. If you go to cancer.gov and select complementary and alternative medicine from the drop down list in the advanced clinical trial search menu, you'll also find studies going on for garlic, grape seed extract, and a couple of other things.

Maitake is also included in cell forte 3 max, a supplement that also has IP6 and inositol...

Best,
Jeff

[*_madubois63_*]

I took it the first time and had a great response. I take it now, and am also having a great response - I take this in conjuction with traditional treatments, but I believe it has all worked well together - for me. I did not know Sloane was doing a trial with Mataki. Makes me feel like I had one up on them!

[KathySC]

Hi Al,
I have taken D-Fraction alternating with mushroom formulas that contain PSK (coriolus versicolor). New Chapter has it in its Liver formula and now the Garden Of Life also has it in its RM-10. I do not like to take one thing consistantly. Gotta confuse those cancer cells and your right, its expensive. Basically I have been doing this for a couple of years with positive results.
Kathy
PS If you order from the Garden of Life website, you can get a break on ordering a larger quantity.

[kk1]

Hi Al and others;


Here are some useful links on mushroom research. PSP and PSK from Coriolus Versicolor have been studied more than the maitake. My in-laws in China and San Francisco say you have to be careful where you buy the supplements from in the US, the quality is highly variable. Currently I have not been taking any PSP or PSK but have been thinking about it at times.

Being Her and er/pr + I am always nervous about the phytoestrogen aspects of alot of the supplements. I note in the review article by Kidd (mushroom_glucans.pdf) it said they did not find an increase in survival for er+ BC only in the er- population which to me sends up a red flag that mushroom extracts might also act as a phytoestogen.


http://www.brainlife.org/integrative/psk/c...th_coriolus.htm (http://www.brainlife.org/integrative/psk/cassileth_coriolus.htm)
www.thorne.com/pdf/journal/5-1/mushroom_glucans.pdf
www.mycologyresearch.com/pdf/articles/Amin_Karmali.pdf
http://healthylife.typepad.com/nutrition_a...lus_versic.html (http://healthylife.typepad.com/nutrition_and_health/2004/05/coriolus_versic.html)

kk1