Mushrooms kind of seem to be  the solution to all problems.

Want to boost your memory? Try Lion’s Mane mushrooms!

Are your depression symptoms  proving to be treatment-resistant? What about taking advantage of the  hundreds of mushrooms that make psilocybin? Just got a cancer diagnosis?

No way. Mushrooms cannot be this good. I mean, I’ve heard they can kick your immune  system up a notch, but fighting cancer?!

As it turns out, scientists have looked into   one mushroom in particular that does  seem to act as an anti-cancer agent. But their conclusions only go so far. So here’s what we know about  the science of Reishi mushrooms. [♪ INTRO] Its scientific name is Ganoderma lucidum,  but depending on where you are in the world,   you might know it by names like Lingzhi or Reishi.

Throughout Asia, this mushroom has  been used medicinally for generations. But it hadn’t been studied in  the lab until somewhat recently. And pre-clinical investigations have  concluded that these mushrooms seem   to be generally great at boosting immune systems.

Now, I know you can walk down any supplement aisle   and see the words “immune boosting”  painted across pretty much everything. But when scientists talk about immune boosting  mushrooms, they’re basing that statement off   of things like how many immune cells you  have before and after consuming the stuff. This is a measure of how strong  your body’s defenses are.

They also look at symptoms and signs of disease,   like how many tumors you grow and how  much bigger or smaller they are getting. So, as buzz-word-y as “immune boosting” sounds,   it is a testable thing … Even in  extreme immune challenges like cancer. And yes, researchers have studied what this  mushroom can do to prevent cancer growth.

The research in mice is pretty exciting! In one study of mice with colon cancer,  the group fed G. lucidum extracts had a   higher survival rate than the mice  that did not get the supplements. The mushrooms significantly decreased  the size and number of tumors.

Not only were those mice surviving,  but they were comparatively thriving,   with fewer cancer symptoms, from  less weight loss to less diarrhea. And a lot of it is probably thanks to the work  these mushrooms do to keep inflammation down. Cancer thrives in inflamed areas of the colon.

Reishi mushrooms are full of the kind  of carbohydrates that can be fermented   into short-chain fatty acids, which  have anti-inflammatory properties. So maybe it’s not surprising that these   mushrooms have been associated with  improved outcomes for colon cancer. …At least in mice. But mice continue not to be people.

So another study investigated the same  effect in human colon tumor cells. These were what’s called in vitro studies. So the experiments were still pre-clinical and not   necessarily how this would  work inside a living person.

But we’re talking about real  human cancer cells in a dish. And when those cancer cells were supplemented  with processed G. lucidum extracts, they died! So even in human cells, these  mushrooms can kill cancer. …This time by urging them into  apoptosis, or programmed cell death.

And the higher the dose of mushroom  extract those cells were exposed to,   the less viable they became. Dose response. It’s important.

And, critically, this did not happen  to properly functioning human cells. So it’s not like G. lucidum mushrooms are  generally toxic like many other mushrooms. Instead, they just go after cancer cells.

We love a mushroom on a mission! It seems that with more of these  processed mushroom extracts,   researchers found higher levels of  the proteins that promote apoptosis. Plus lower levels of the proteins  that prevent apoptosis from happening.

Meaning that these mushrooms hit the gas and take   off the brakes when it comes to  programmed cancer cell death. But so far, all I’ve talked about is  how G. lucidum goes after colon cancer. And there are a lot of cancers out  there that are not colon cancer.

So here’s some data on how the  mushrooms fight breast cancer: Another in vitro study found  that G. lucidum extract killed   both mouse and human breast cancer cells. And if that’s not enough, the  mushroom extract also dealt with   whatever cancer cells were left over  by preventing them from spreading. When this mushroom extract was introduced to the   cancer’s environment, it brought with  it more cancer-fighting immune cells,   and this includes CD8+T cells and natural  killer cells, which both kill cancer cells.

Plus, they increased the prevalence of  chemicals like reactive oxygen species,   which damage the DNA of cancer cells. Researchers have tested this effect both in vitro  and in live organisms with matching results. The same scientists gave G. lucidum  extracts to mice and saw significantly   less cancer spread compared to mice  that didn’t get the supplement.

So pre-clinical studies of several  kinds of cancer show promising results. But the studies I’m about to describe  might be the most useful in terms of   figuring out how real people with  cancer could use these mushrooms. See, there’s a gold standard of treatment  for people diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

It’s a chemotherapy called cisplatin. If we trust anything when it  comes to cancer treatment,   it’s surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. But some cancers have a nasty habit of  chemoresistance, making cisplatin …less effective.

So one research group tried giving mice with  ovarian cancer cisplatin and G. lucidum spores. The idea is that we know cisplatin can work. But sometimes it needs a little extra boost  to keep cancer cells sensitized to it.

And that’s where the mushroom comes in. Cisplatin uses some of the same methods  we’ve already covered to kill cancer cells. Namely, it increases reactive oxygen species.

It should work every time. But treatment-resistant cancer cells tend to  have more anti-oxidative factors that keep   reactive oxygen species low so they  can survive in spite of our efforts. But since we know that G. lucidum can  also increase reactive oxygen species,   adding mushrooms to the equation can  tip the scales in our favor again   and put cancer cells back on track for cell death.

When mice got this combo treatment,   their cancer cells had higher rates of  apoptosis and other forms of cell death. …Making cisplatin and mushrooms more  effective together than either is apart. The evidence is looking pretty solid at this  point in support of cancer-fighting mushrooms. But we have not gotten to the clinical trials yet.

And before we do, it’s time to interrupt this  video with a brief message from our sponsors. This SciShow video is supported by

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Thanks, JMP! To reap the benefits of visual statistics for   yourself and get a 30-day free  trial, visit jmp.com/scishow. While the pre-clinical data makes G.  lucidum mushrooms look really good,   clinical trials are old, few, and not conclusive.

Several reviews have focused  on just a few studies. Like one published in 2003 that investigated an  oral treatment called Ganopoly made of G. lucidum. 30 advanced stage cancer patients diagnosed with   all sorts of cancers ate Ganopoly every  day, three times per day, for 12 weeks. After that regimen, researchers found significant  changes to the patients’ blood plasma.

There were more natural killer  cells and more immune cell signals. …But not across the board. Some immune cell signals decreased. Generally, boosting natural killer cells  is a good sign because they help fight   cancer and tend to be less present  in advanced stage cancer patients.

But overall, this study had mixed  effects in a very small sample. So it might not have been the resounding  success that they were hoping for. Another study in the aughts tested 96 people  whose colonoscopies identified colorectal tumors.

They took G. lucidum extract daily for a  year while another 102 patients did not. At the year’s end, the control group’s  colonoscopies had more tumors and larger ones,   while the mushroom group had fewer than  they started out with and they got smaller. That’s encouraging evidence.

But again, the results weren’t as  clear cut as we might want them to be. Only about half of the treatment group had seen a  reduction in the number and size of their tumors. So it’s effective …for some people.

Which people? Well, that’s up to a future study to figure out. But maybe there hasn’t been that follow up because   of this other study that kind of  took the wind out of their sails.

In the same time period, another investigation  assessed 41 people with advanced colon cancer. They each ate mushrooms every day for 12 weeks. Several of their immune cell signals  and natural killer cells increased   by the end of the study …but not significantly.

Considering they were looking  at the same kind of cancer,   it’s hard to definitively say that these mushrooms  help when the results are so all over the place. There’s a ton of research explaining  the various pathways and mechanisms   that G. lucidum targets to  potentially fight cancer. But when it comes to clinical trials in people,   there’s less evidence of  more mushroom miracle cures.

So here is where researchers draw the line today:   pre-clinical studies support the idea that these  mushrooms are good at boosting immune response. And it’s an exciting idea. But right now, it’s still just an idea.

Clinical trials have not overwhelmingly  found these mushrooms to be a miracle cure. Right now, the consensus is not  to eat these mushrooms instead   of going through chemotherapy and radiation. Rather, you can eat these mushrooms in  addition to those other cancer fighting   tools, if your doctor approves, and it  might make the effects more powerful.

For a measly mushroom, I’m still fairly impressed. [♪ OUTRO]