Tumor Inhibiting Mushroom Tea

3 x 5" bag. Made from the fruiting bodies of Dried Turkey Tail (Trametes veriscolor), True Tinder Polypore (Fomes formentarius), Birch Polypore (Piptoporus betulinus) Red Belted Polypore (Fomitopsis pinicola) and Oyster Mushroom.

Cloth muslin bag, 3 x 5 inches, equals 1-1/2 cup dried, ground mixed tumor inhibiting mushrooms. Enough for at least 5 quarts of tea. The grinding of the dried mushrooms, produces a fluffy fiber. 1/4 cup of the mushroom fiber is simmered 15 minutes in 1 quart of water to produce the tea.

Turkey Tail forms non-pored brackets, 1 - 7 cm broad. These brackets formed singly or in overlapping clusters. They are thin in shape, flat or upturned, narrowed to base, and sometimes with a stalk-like base. The upper surface is grayish to brown, minutely hairy, with shiny brown zones. A green coloration may develop from algae living on the upper surface. The under surface smooth (no pores) and white in color.

Turkey tail mushrooms, based on 20 years of mainstream medical research in Asia (particularly Japan), are generally recognized as an adjunct to conventional cancer treatments. T. versicolor is known to have anti-tumor, anti-viral, anti-oxidant and immune boosting properties. Although all mushrooms and many foods have polysaccharides in their cell walls, T. versicolor have been found to contain polysaccharides and terpenes which are particularly effective in retarding the progress of various cancers and other diseases through immune stimulation rather than direct cytocidal effects. Mushroom based polysaccharides do not directly attack cancer cells but produce their anti-tumor effects through increasing macrophage activity – white blood cells which destroy pathogens such as bacteria and yeast-infected cells. Macrophages exist in great numbers in the body and constitute a first line of defense against disease. ‘Turkey tail’ is also recognized for the ability to alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

True Tinder Polypore is hoof-shaped, stalkless, and woody. Its flesh is thick, fibrous-tough to woody, and yellowish-brown. The pore surface is depressed and pale brown. Spore print is white. It grows solitary or in groups on decaying hardwoods.

The woody True Tinder Polypore has been shown to inhibit the growth of P. aeruginosa and S. marcescens, and further, exhibited strong inhibitory activity against S. aureus, B. subtilis, and M. smegmatis, a cousin to the pathogenic Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Birch Polypore grows on dead birch, It is kidney-shaped in outline; broadly convex to more or less flat; growing shelf-like or hoof-like. Its surface is dry, with a smooth or somewhat roughened "skin" that often peels away, turning whitish to pale brownish in age. The outer margin is rolled over smoothly to form a rim around the pore surface.

Birch Polypore was used traditionally in Bohemia for the treatment of rectal cancer and stomach diseases. It is also known as fungus of the ‘iceman’ from the Copper Age found in 1991, who carried P. betulinus fruiting bodies attached to his clothing on his journey in the Alps. Mycologists believe that the Birch Polypore he carried was used for medicinal purposes.

Red Belted Polypore is an attractive, varnished, orangish-red to brownish shelf fungus found on dead conifers. The perennial fruiting body is initially knob-like, forming a hard, rounded or hoof-shaped bracket. The thick; upper surface is at first yellowish-brown to orange-brown and varnished. The margin is banded reddish to orange-brown, with a blunt, white edge. The lower surface is minutely pored, white, and bruises pale yellow to buff. The flesh is woody, yellowish-brown over multiple layers of tubes; the pores of fresh specimens frequently exuding droplets of clear liquid.

Red Belted Polypore has been most commonly used in conjunction with other treatments during cancer. Taken on a daily basis, the fungus has been used in naturopathic treatments to help prevent cancer cells from spreading through the blood system.

Oyster Mushroom is one of the most common saprophytic mushrooms, distributed throughout the temperate and tropical forests of the world. These white to buff-colored gilled mushrooms grow mostly on broad-leaf hardwoods in layers.

Oyster Mushrooms support the liver as well as lower cholesterol. When mice were implanted with Sarcoma 180 and Oyster Mushrooms constituted 20% of their daily diet, tumors were inhibited by more than 60% after one month, compared to the controls (Ying, 1987).