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Various mushrooms like the Coriolus versicolor have been used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine for thousands of years. Coriolus versicolor, now called Trametes versicolor, is a thin mushroom that also goes by the sobriquet 'turkey tail' because of its appearance when it grows in clusters. It sometimes looks green because of the algae that grow on its cap. It might look like something one can just walk over. In fact, it is very common in North American forests. The top of its cap looks like the outer side of a bivalve shellfish. It may look pale, dark, or colorful with greenish zones. Its underside is very white with extremely tiny pores. The flesh of the Trametes versicolor is whitish or pale brown, and the texture is tough and leathery. Trametes versicolor is also called yun zhi in China and kawaratake in Japan, where it is boiled to make medicinal tea. The hot water extracts of Trametes versicolor has been found to contain immune-adjuvant chemicals that can potentially fight cancer. In fact, present cancer research is working on integrating Trametes versicolor into the line of medicinal mushrooms used to treat cancer patients, thus reducing the need for radiation therapy. The Coriolus versicolor extract from boiled water is found to contain ß-glucan polysaccharides, which can stimulate the immune system to produce natural killers or NK cells. These are naturally occurring cytotoxic lymphocytes--in other words, white blood cells--designed to fight and kill invasive cells. As these NK cells kill cancer cells, these also inhibit the further growth of cancer tumors. Researchers are continuously working on studying the potency of ß-glucan polysaccharides, and its counteracting effects against cancer cells. Another polysaccharide called Polysaccharide-K is present in Coriolus versicolor extract. In fact, it is present only in this mushroom. Polysaccharide-K or PSK can boost the immune system, helping it fight cancer cells. In a study conducted in Japan in 1995, PSK was found to suppress tumor growth and the spread of such cells. Polysaccharide-K can also enhance the activity of doxorubicin and etoposide phosphate, which are drugs used in chemotherapy. Recent research involving Coriolus versicolor extract and polysaccharide-K have proven its effectiveness in fighting various cancers. Used with chemotherapy, polysaccharide-K was found to increase the survival rate for those with stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer. Further research is still needed to test the potency of Trametes versicolor against cancers because of reports of minor adverse effects. So far, cancer research involving medicinal mushrooms like Trametes versicolor has proven quite promising.
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