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Fungi Use in Medicine. By : Kate, Alisha, Deanna, Kelly and Emily.
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Fungi Use in Medicine By : Kate, Alisha, Deanna, Kelly and Emily
One of the most well-known examples of uses of fungi in medicine is penicillin produced by the mould Penicillium notatum which was discovered in 1938 by Alexander Flemming.Reishi (Ganoderma spp.), shiitake (Lentinula edodes), and maitake (Grifola frondosa) are all immune enhancing fungi. Also there is fly agaric (Amanita muscaria), ergot (Claviceps purpurea), Chinese winterworm (Cordyceps), and jelly fungus (Tremella fuciformis).
Shiitake and maitake • Build immunity. • Help to prevent cancer. • Enhance cancer treatments. • Alleviate bronchitis, sinusitis. • Treat chronic fatigue syndrome. • Help to prevent heart disease. • The mushrooms are available as powders. They can be in a loose form, to be brewed as a tea, or in capsules or tablets. They are also available as liquid extracts. Dried reishi and fresh and dried shiitake and maitake mushrooms may be found in Asian supermarkets and in some gourmet shops, but for therapeutic purposes supplements are preferred. Maitake, reishi and shiitake mushroom powders are sometimes combined in one capsule. Shiitake
Other uses of fungi in medicine include: Cyclosporin - produced by Cylindrocarpon lucidum and Tolypocladium inflatum. Cyclosporin A suppresses the activity of the immune system. It is used widely in the science of organ transplant and many transplants routinely performed today would not be possible without this discovery. Compactin and Lovastatin - Compactin is produced by fungi in the genera Hypomyces, Paecilomyces and Trichoderma and lovastatin is produced by Aspergillus terreus. Both drugs inhibit cholesterol synthesis and are major agents in the treatment of heart disease and arteriosclerosis. Beano - antiflatulence compound alpha-d-galactosidase isolated from Aspergillus niger reduces methane production in the human digestive tract .
Theories of earlier uses of penicillin • 3000 years ago Chinese applied moldy soybean curd to wounds to help speed up the healing process. • papyrus scrolls from the 16th century BC indicated that the rubbed moldy bread on their wounds. • the French used moldy cheese for healing wounds. • in 1844, a girl in Edinburgh was suffering from a wound. Dr. Joseph Lister treated her wound with a moldy extract of a fungus (Penicillium). (He later became the father of antiseptic surgery)
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