Medicinal Mushrooms and Cancer: Clinical Evidence, Bioactive Mechanisms, and Prospects for Complementary Therapy
Written by Ioannis Kiousis, Nutrition & Dietetics Specialist. He has received specialized training in mycotherapy from the MykoTroph Institute in Germany, a private institution focused on the therapeutic applications of medicinal mushrooms. His work has been featured by the Hellenic Atherosclerosis Society and the Hellenic Menopause Society, both well-respected scientific organizations in the field of preventive and therapeutic medicine.
This article aims to inform patients, their families, and their health professionals.
It does not provide formal recommendations for decision‑making regarding cancer treatment.
A FEW WORDS ABOUT MUSHROOMS
For tens of thousands of years (1), mushrooms have been a staple of the human diet because of their nutritional components (2) and have accompanied us both as food and as medicine (3, 4). Mushrooms supplement the human diet with various bioactive compounds that are either absent or present only in insufficient amounts in other known foods. They are considered a functional food for the prevention of several human diseases and have been widely used as medicinal products for more than 2,000 years (5). Consumption of a wide variety of mushroom species has expanded recently (1). Due to the fact that they contain very few calories, fat, and sodium, and contain absolutely no cholesterol, mushrooms are a valuable food in today’s society (6). In addition, mushrooms provide important nutrients such as various vitamins, minerals, and trace elements (7, 8).
A FEW WORDS ABOUT MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS
There is a special category of mushrooms referred to as “medicinal mushrooms.” According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute “medicinal mushrooms are mushrooms that are used as medicine” (9). Professor and editor‑in‑chief of the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms (10, 11) states that more than 130 medicinal functions are believed to be produced by medicinal mushrooms, including anticancer, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, cardiovascular, antiviral, antibacterial, antiparasitic, antifungal, detoxifying, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic activities, and others (12).
THEIR EFFECTS ON CANCER
This blog post presents data from human studies on the administration of medicinal mushrooms in various cancer types.
In 2021, cancer surpassed heart disease and was the number one cause of death for both men and women under 65 years of age in the European Union (13), and according to the 2024 update of the World Health Organization Mortality Database, cancer, regardless of age, has replaced cardiovascular diseases as the leading cause of death in several countries (14). Some types of chemotherapy cause damage to cells of various vital organs such as the heart, kidneys, bladder, lungs, and the nervous system (15), leading to long‑term adverse effects on normal tissues (16). Consequently, scientists are investigating natural alternative methods with minimal side effects (17).
Approximately 2,000 mushroom species exhibit medicinal properties and more than 600 have been confirmed with official data (17), while 11 of these have been tested clinically (18) and could be effective against 20 cancer types (19).
In 2002, Richard Sullivan, PhD, Head of Clinical Programs at the world’s largest independent cancer charity, reported that medicinal mushrooms show anticancer effects, particularly when combined with conventional cancer therapy, and noted that they have undergone extensive clinical trials, including in the United States of America (20).
The U.S. National Cancer Institute states that medicinal mushrooms have received approval in Japan and China and have been administered to thousands of cancer patients for five decades, either alone or in combination with radiation or chemotherapy (9). It presents data for three cancer types (stomach, colorectal and lung). In summary, results showed that patients who, in addition to their physicians’ treatment (chemotherapy or radiotherapy), also received medicinal mushrooms, improved in one or more of the following ways:
- lived longer
- had fewer chances of cancer recurrence
- had better survival rates at 3 and 10 years
- showed improved immune function and
- maintained better body weight (9).
A study published in 2004 in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer evaluated the effects of a medicinal mushroom extract in three cancer types (cervical, ovarian, and endometrial). The findings showed that women who received medicinal mushrooms in addition to chemotherapy experienced improved natural killer (NK) cell activity and a clear reduction in chemotherapy‑related side effects such as alopecia, emotional instability, and loss of appetite (21).
In another study, a medicinal mushroom extract was administered to patients aged 46–84 years with stage II–IV cancers of the lung, breast, tongue or stomach. These patients were not receiving conventional treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The findings indicated that the medicinal mushroom extract inhibited metastatic progression and increased NK cell activity (22).
The antitumor efficacy of medicinal mushrooms was also reported in a study involving patients with stage II–IV cancer, aged 22–57 years. Tumor regression or significant symptom improvement was observed in 58.3% of patients with liver cancer, 68.8% of patients with breast cancer, and 62.5% of patients with lung cancer.
Furthermore, when medicinal mushrooms were taken alongside chemotherapy, immune activity improved by 20–40% compared with patients who received chemotherapy alone (23).
The beneficial effects of medicinal mushrooms have also been reported in acute myeloid leukemia, improving hematopoiesis and bone marrow function. Also, tumor cells ceased proliferating, chemotherapy side effects were reduced, and patients who received medicinal mushrooms experienced improved mood and appetite (24).
A phase II study evaluated the effects of a medicinal mushroom extract in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare form of blood cancer.
The study’s findings showed beneficial effects of medicinal mushrooms on myelodysplastic syndrome (25).
CONCLUSION
Cancer remains a critical global health problem. The search for new, affordable, and effective anticancer agents with minimal side effects is necessary and urgent.
Knowledge is power and this post presented some data on the anticancer properties of medicinal mushrooms. Future articles will address other cancer types because the use of medicinal mushrooms is a scientific field of strong interest. The bioactive compounds derived from various medicinal mushroom species exhibit significant anticancer effects through multiple mechanisms (17, 26-28).
Medicinal mushrooms do not replace the physician’s treatment. Nevertheless, combined use of chemotherapy and medicinal mushrooms can offer meaningful additional benefits.
However, self‑treatment should be avoided and medicinal mushrooms should be taken only under the supervision of a health professional.
Also, exercise caution with the various products in the market: obtain them only from reliable points of sale (e.g., pharmacies, organic food stores, etc.).
REFERENCES
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2. Anuradha Mishra, Shiv Shankar, Edible mushrooms for improved human health, food security and environmental sustainability: A critical review, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 995, 2025, 180093, ISSN 0048-9697, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180093.
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