HERBS:Ginger

You may know it from Chinese cooking, gingerbread or from soft drink ginger ale, but ginger first earned a reputation in herbal medicine. It prevents blood from clotting just as effectively as aspirin, but without aspirin’s stomach irritation or other side effects. The spice also reduces cholesterol, strengthens the heart’s overall functioning and is a very effective anti-inflammatory agent that helps rheumatoid arthritis.

Ginger’s traditional use in quelling an upset stomach has been fully validated by science. Supplements, as one study demonstrated, counteract motion sickness and dizziness better than dimenhydrinate. Ginger can also relieve morning sickness in pregnant women and cut down the need for antivomiting medications in a variety of situations. It even soothed seasick Danish sailors who were observed out on high, heavy ocean waters.

TURMERIC
Although added to curry powders for its yellow colouring rather than its taste, which is rather bland, turmeric certainly spices up an antioxidant programme. A dose of curcumin, its active compound, as low as 20 mg considerably hampers the cell- damaging ability of free radical molecules. It also reduces cigarette smoke’s cancerous threat and, when applied direcdy, helps improve the treatment of skin cancer.

Because curcumin eases inflamed tissues, it is an essential ally against arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma and any other inflammatory ailment. By stimulating bile secretion in the liver, it improves digestion. The extract also improves sugar metabolism, opposes cholesterol increases and deters blood clotting. According to some lab experiments, it also shows an ability to inhibit the HTV virus. It was shown recently to reverse precan- cerous mouth lesions by enhancing the antioxidant activity of the healthy cells, I usually recommend between 400 and 1,200 mg of curcumin every day, although I often double the dosage for better results against arthritis and similar inflammatory problems. Don’t rely on the whole spice for therapeutic assistance. Turmeric itself contains only 1 per cent curcumin; capsules with a consistent concentration of the extract contain 95 per cent.

IMMUNE-ENHANCING HERBS MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS

Don’t be fooled by the ‘medicinal* designation. Although they constitute a major part of cancer therapy in Japan and China, the most potent medicinal mushrooms are also among the best tasting. Each has a different flavour, both gustatorily and therapeutically, but they share the ability to build stamina, reinforce the immune system and promote general health. Different mushrooms are used by different complementary practitioners throughout the world, but four warrant special attention.

Shiitake
Because it is a mainstay of the Japanese diet, this mushroom holds the longest track record for health care, showing promise in treating cancer and, perhaps, HIV. Lentinan, shiitake’s strongest active ingredient, is usually administered intravenously because some doubt exists over whether it is absorbed well orally. One study, however, did find some benefit against stomach cancer when ingested.

While you certainly need to consult a complementary doctor for lentinan injections, you should make these delectable mushrooms a part of your diet. Perhaps their other therapeutic constituents, the most important of which is polysaccharide KS- 2, are absorbed better. Any well-stocked supermarket or Asian grocery should carry them. Shiitake supplements are another alternative. Search your health food store for a brand that’s standardized for its KS-2 content.

Reishi
This mushroom is my burnout tonic, a good restorative for workaholics, type A’s and other hyperactive people who never seem able to slow down. Like all of the great mushrooms, reishi increases overall well-being, but it has more specific purposes, such as treating allergies and controlling blood clotting and high blood pressure. Some of its active components energize the immune system, while others fight tumours.

To make a refreshing reishi tonic, mix 1 dropperful of the liquid extract you can find in better health food stores into a glass of water. Three or four capsules of the standardized extract provide a similar amount. For a therapeutic anticancer tonic, amounts three times greater are beneficial yet safe.

Maitake
The mushroom I prescribe most frequently, almost routinely, to cancer patients, is maitake. Supplements of its active ingredient, called the ‘D fraction’, have prevented the spread of malignant tumours. Unfortunately, none of the maitake research has been done on humans, but many doctors are using it successfully. Clinical trials, when finally completed, promise to confirm this experience.

Although the mushroom usually has been given intravenously in the animal experiments, we give the liquid extract by mouth to our cancer patients, normally in a dosage of 50-80 drops per day. When cancer prevention rather than treatment is the objective, I may prescribe half that amount.

PSK
Fortunately, one of the most exciting mushroom-derived adjuvant cancer therapies to surface in a long time may soon be within our grasp. Polysaccharide К (PSK) was on the verge of availability as this book went to press. I haven’t used it personally, but its reputation is well established. In Japan PSK is used in routine postoperative treatments, and annual sales there reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

An extract of a fungus called corioulus versicolour; PSK more than doubles the long-term survival rates of lung cancer patients, even if they are otherwise treated conventionally. Another study revealed that those colon cancer patients who received PSK remained healthier and survived significantly longer than those who did not receive it. When the medicinal herb was administered to people with stomach cancer, the five-year survival rate jumped from 59 to 70 per cent. Unlike conventional cancer therapies, PSK showed no side effects.

We’re not entirely certain how PSK interrupts tumour growth, L but animal studies indicate that it revitalizes two components of the immune system, natural killer ceils and T cells. It also enhances the therapeutic strength of other cancer treatments generates a greater production of the natural antioxidant enzyme SOD, and protects chromosomes from malignant harm.5 The icing on the cake is that PSK is completely nontoxic and can be taken by mouth. All in all, it stands ready to become a supplement of enormous significance.