There
are Four ways we usualy earn money as difined in BABAR BANI
BY Sh. Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
IS JJARR KAARAN GHANI VIGHUTTI .
we earn money through extortion, recieving bad wishes.
IS JJARR GHANI KHUAEE
we earn money though working very hard and recieving few bucks.
PAAPPAN BAZON HOVAY NAHI
MOYAN SANG NA JAAYEE
we earn money through SIN but are Unable to carry that money
along After death, but we Carry the Sin along.
JISNU AAP KHUVAYA KARTA
USS LAYAE CHANGIAYIAN.
Blessed
are those who earn through saving lives & Providing desease
free life to sufferers.
DXN
Provides an ethical bussiness opportunity which is in accordance
with the GOD himself.
Are
Medicinal Mushrooms Magic?
by Terry Willard
Cl.H, Ph.D
(06/07/1999), Canada
- From the vision-producing mushrooms the shamans used in
their initiation rites to the mushroom hunter of northern
Europe, mushrooms have always held a great fascination for
man. Many a fairy tale has included members of the Fungi Kingdom
as part of the backdrop. Yes, mushrooms are members of the
Fungi Kingdom.
People often shudder when they hear the word `fungi`. It brings
up images of some life forms taking over a university student`s
refrigerator, athlete`s foot, dirty showers or maybe a yeast
infection. There are more than 100,000 different species of
fungi, some beneficial to man, some not. Some are edible,
some poisonous, some produce visions and some have strong
medicinal properties.
In the Western world, medicinal mushrooms have not played
as much a central role as they have in Asian culture. We do,
howerver, find references in Western culture for medicinal
mushrooms as far back as 455 B.C. with Hippocrates` use of
them.
Fungi are also mentioned in the works of Pliny ( 23-78 AD),
Dioscorides (55 AD) and Galen (130 - 200 AD), showing that
the ancients were quite familiar with their uses.{1} Even
in the present day, after the discovery in 1928 of penicillin
(a fungus), we find them playing a prominent role, making
up a whole class of antibiotic medicines. But, for the richness
of folklore on medicinal mushrooms, we have to delve into
Asian culture, where there is more than 3,000 years of recorded
fungi use, continuously maintaining a prominent spot in their
medical systems.
It shouldn`t be surprising
that some mushrooms have strong medicinal properties when
you consider their basic role is that of transmuting waste
material into good, nutritious material. It is surprising
that they are considered panacea, making medicinal mushrooms
seem somewhat magical. Claims from being tonic and energy
enhancing, with beneficial effects on the immune, respiratory,
circulatory, endocrine, nervous, digestive and skeletal/muscular
systems, make one wonder if they are a little over-stated.
The fact that they are used to reduce tumors, blood cholesterol,
blood pressure, bronchial inflammation, nervous tension, viral
infection, insomnia, duodenal ulcers, allergies, diabetes,
hepatitis, progressive muscular dystrophy and high-altitude
sickness makes us wonder how they work. They are also being
used to reduce symptoms of AIDS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,
Fibromyalgia, Asthma, Cancer and the side effects of chemo-therapy.
At the same time these wondrous medicinal mushrooms are
being used to enhance over- all energy, athletic feats,
intellectual challenges, environmental stresses and are
considered longevity herbs. {2,3}
What makes them tick?
Besides the myths of their transmuting our toxic waste material
and negative emotions into healthy ones, we can gain some
insight by looking at their biochemistry. There are three
basic groups of chemicals that seem to be responsible for
a large amount of the medicinal effects of these mushrooms.
They are branched polysaccharide-protein complexes, triterpenes
and nitrogen-containing compounds, for example adenosine.
Polysaccharides have
been extensively studied in the last several years for their
immune regulating abilities. Many well-known medicinal herbs
such as Echinacea, and Astragalus have polysaccharides as
a major part of the immune-enhancing actions. It now appears
that the polysaccharide-protein complexes are even more important
than the individual polysaccharides. Most of the medicinal
mushrooms are very rich in these complexes, resulting in many
of the immune responses credited to their action.
Triterpenes are an interesting
group of compounds which have a steroidal nature, being similar
to our own hormonal system. Working as hormonal communicators,
these biochemicals have a profound effect on subtle actions
in our bodies.
Nitrogen-containing compounds,
like the amino acids, are known to be building blocks of our
basic cellular material of RNA, also being very important
in our energy system. Adenosine, a nucleoside, is the core
of cAMP and ATP
From these fundamental
biochemical roles we can understand why medicinal mushrooms
can have such a wide range of therapeutic action. To demonstrate
some of these actions, I am going to discuss five of my favorite
medicinal mushrooms: Reishi, Maitake, Shiitake, Cordyceps
and Poria cocas.{4,5}
By far my favorite of
the medicinal mushrooms is Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum, and
related species) because it has all of the above biochemical
groups and it holds the prominent position in Asian medicinal
folklore. Reishi has a large range of therapeutic uses and
can be found growing around the world.
My favorite description of Reishi is the Chinese by-line,
`` . . . to protect an academic from their own brain.`` Reishi
will calm the nervous system, reduce insomnia, lessen paranoia
and readjust what the Chinese call disturbed Shen Qi (spiritual
mind). One of my patients suggested that taking Reishi,
was like getting an additional half hour of meditation a day.
Meditation in a bottle.
Is North America ready for that or what? Reishi is revered
for its effect on the heart and respiratory tract because
it relieves tightness in the chest. Reishi also affects the
circulatory system by lowering blood pressure, blood cholesterol,
while balancing LDL/HDL ratios and reducing other blood lipids.
Reishi is also specific for asthma, allergies, bronchitis
along with many other respiratory problems. This herb is considered
a longevity tonic because of its antioxidant effect.{5}
Reishi`s antimicrobial
action works against bacteria, fungi and viruses. Several
countries use this mushroom to treat cancer, AIDS, fibromyalgia
and chronic fatigue syndrome. Reishi calms the autonomic nervous
system. It also reduces spasticity, ulcers, colitis and detoxifies
the liver. Reishi`s anti-allergenic effect works for air bound
and food bound allergens.
Instead of taking Reishi
completely alone for long periods of time, take Reishi with
other supplements. Vitamin C and ginger are particularly good
companions for it. A useful formula for the above is: Reishi
solid extract 1:15, Echinacea root, Ginger root, and Barberry
root. This is one of the most prominent formulas we use in
our clinics.
Maitake (Grifola frondosa),
also known as the dancing mushroom, is a prized medicinal
mushroom from Japan. Its strongest effects are on the immune
system. Some studies suggest it has even stronger immune action
than Reishi, while other studies dispute that data. It does
definitely have an advantage in the fact that it is a great
edible mushroom, while Reishi is not. A special component
called the D-fraction is a polysaccharide-protein complex
that seems to be responsible for much of its immune modulating
effect. Maitake has been successfully employed in AIDS patients,
reducing symptoms and slowing down its progression.
As an anti-cancer agent it has reduced tumors as well as the
side effects of chemotherapy. It has also been shown to reduce
blood pressure, help recovery from hepatitis, and reduce blood
sugar in diabetics. As a weight management herb, it has
slow, but consistent results to aid in weight loss. As
with some of the other fungi, Maitake can aid in reducing
uterine fibroids. However I have found that Cordyceps is better
in my clinical experience. {6,7}
Shiitake (Lentinus edodes)
is beneficial in reducing dermatitis, liver cirrhosis, vascular
sclerosis, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol. It
has been used for preventing toxicity from acid foods. It
has antitumor activity by inhibiting growths of sarcoma 180
(97.5%) and Ehrich carcinoma (80%). Shiitake`s immune-regulating
effect can been seen in many studies including being useful
in treating chronic fatigue syndrome. Antimicrobial properties
have been demonstrated in a large range of viruses, bacteria
and fungi. LEM (Lentinis edodes mycelium) is often the form
used in medicine these days. This delicious mushroom can be
found as a popular addition to both Japanese and Chinese cuisine.
{1}
Cordyceps sinensis (Dong
chong xia cao) is also known as the Caterpillar fungus because
it grows on insect caterpillars. It has received quite a lot
of attention due to it ability to enhance athletic performance,
being heavily consumed by Asian athletes in the last few Olympics.
Besides its strong tonic effect, it can be used to increase
oxygen uptake in the lungs, while reducing bronchial inflammation
and working as an expectorant. It is well known to relieve
exhaustion, night sweats, sexual impotency and as a sedative.
It benefits the kidneys, lungs and gonadal function, increasing
sperm count. It is specific for reducing uterine fibroids.
Cordyceps stimulates immune function (due to CS-1) by activating
T-cells and B-cells, while increasing interleukin-1 and gamma-interferon.
It is still one of the most expensive of Chinese herbs. {1,3}
Poria cocas (Fu ling)
is one of the most used fungi in the Orient, being incorporated
into many formulas. It has been shown to have a relaxing effect
on the nervous system and smooth muscles. Poria cocas will
also lower blood glucose, reduce diarrhea and edema, working
as a good diuretic. Its tonic effect aids in digestion and
absorption of food, while having a quieting effect on the
spirit, strengthening the heart and reducing insomnia and
forgetfulness. {5,8}
I often combine all of
the above medicinal mushrooms together in a formula to get
the full effect of medicinal mushroom power. We use this formula
in the clinic for a variety of things including a calming
tonic that enhances the immune system, while reducing some
of North America worst health issues. As you can see with
the huge amount of both folklore and scientific information,
these medicinal mushrooms can play an important role in almost
anyone`s health program. Even though it is true that several
mushrooms should not be consumed by people with Candida Yeast
infections, all of these mushrooms are not only safe in these
patients, they can often reduce the symptoms and underlying
causes of this problem.
There are many myths
around these mushrooms, but my favorite is the one I learned
from one of my teachers, an Amazon Shaman. In trying to understand
more about the personality of a medicinal mushroom, I asked
him to explain. I wanted to know more about his use of Reishi
(G.lucidum) that grew in his area. He stated that the part
we use is its fruit. The actual plant lives underground, often
covering several acres and even up to a couple miles under
the Amazon jungle. He explained that these fungi are very
old Beings, living in earth (Gaia) energy for 1,000s of years.
This has created a calming, wise energy to these mushrooms
-- an energy that we might consider a wise sage of possessing.
By using its fruit as medicines, we take on some of the calming
wise energy, helping to ground us - something many in western
society could use.
1. Hobbs, C; Medicinal Mushrooms; Bontanica Press, Santa Cruz
CA; 1995 p. 7-19.
2. Benjamin D; Mushrooms poisons and panaceas; W.H. Freeman
& Co; New York, 1995.
3. Ying J, Mao H; Icons of Medicinal Funfi From China; Bejing;
1987.
4. Chihara G, et al Antitumor polysaccharide derives chemically
from natural glucan; Nature 225;943-944 1970.
5. Willard T.; Reishi Mushroom; Herb of spiritual Potency
and Medical Wonder; Sylvan Press Issaquah Was; 1990.
6. Townsend Letter for Doctors, May 1994, pp. 432-434;
7. Explore! For the Professional, Vol. 4, No. 5, 1993, pp.
17-19.
8. Willard T.; Textbook of Advance Herbology; Wild Rose College;
Calgary AB Canada; 1991.
