Summary of “Is the World Ready for a Medical Mushroom Mystery Tour?”
In this TEDMED talk, Paul Stamets shares fascinating information about four varieties of fungi and their medical uses.
Stamets says that the Amadou mushroom (Fomes fomentarius) was first described by Hippocrates in 450 AD as an anti-inflammatory agent. Among its other uses, the fungus can be hollowed out to contain and maintain burning embers. It can also be boiled and its fibers used to create a fabric. According to BioWeb, a bag containing this mushroom was found with the body of Otzi when he was discovered in 1991 in the Italian Alps (“Birch”). In addition to its anti-inflammatory properties, Tom Volk notes that it can be used as a cauterizing or styptic agent, a laxative, and a diuretic (“Tom Volk”).
Stamets notes that the Agarikon fungus (Fomitopsis officinalis) was described by Dioscorides in 65 AD. This rare fungus grows in the adverse conditions of old-growth forests. Believed to be extinct in Europe, today it is found in northern California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Medicinally, it is the source of anti-tubercular drugs and antivirals. These antivirals are far more effective than laboratory drugs currently in use (Stamets).
The Cordyceps mushrooms (Cordyceps subsessilis and Cordyceps sinensis) are useful to humans as medicines and as pest control tools, according to Stamets. Drugs derived from them include Cyclosporin (used in organ transplant cases) and medications for treating multiple sclerosis. The fungi’s uses in insect control are especially important, as their derivatives can be used to either attract (and then poison) or repel insects, as needed. This allows for control of insects that serve as disease vectors. Among these pests are mosquitoes (which carry malaria, West Nile, yellow fever, dengue fever); flies (bird flu, swine flu); bed bugs (MRSA); lice and ticks (Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease); and fleas (bubonic plague). These fungi’s properties will lead to a paradigm shift in insect and infection control (Stamets).
The Turkey tail fungus (Trametes versicolor), known for over 1000 years, is particularly important to Stamets. While this organism does not cure illness alone, per se, it is highly effective in boosting the killer cells/immune systems of humans. It is especially useful in conjunction with chemotherapy and/or radiation used in cancer treatment. Stamets worked in an NIH-funded $2.1M clinical study of this fungus’ effect on non-ER (non-estrogen responsive) breast cancer, which showed good results. In addition to the study, Stamets personally saw the effect of this drug on his 84-year-old mother: diagnosed in 2009 with stage 4 breast cancer that had metastasized, she was given three months to live, and was deemed too old for radiation or surgery. Treated with a combination of drugs and this fungus, she survived with no cancer as of October 2011 and appeared onstage with her son (Stamets).
These are only four examples of fungi with medical uses. It is clear that this is a growing and promising area of medical research.
Works Cited
“Birch Polypore, Iceman's Fungi Piptoporus betulinus.” Bioweb, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
<http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/2011/manske_bria/facts.htm>
Stamets, Paul. “TEDMED 2011: Is the World Ready for a Medical Mushroom Mystery Tour?” TEDMED, October 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.tedmed.com/talks/show?id=7248&videoId=6832&ref=about-this-talk>
“Tom Volk’s Fungus of the Month for December 2001.” Botit Botany. University of Wisconsin, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014. < http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/dec2001.html>
