Fantastic fungus and dog cancer..medicinal mushrooms!?
Updated: April 13th, 2021
Yes, you read that right. Certain kinds of mushrooms have immune boosting and anti-cancer effects. Some examples of these mushrooms include Shitake (yes, the same one we eat in Chinese restaurants), Maitake, Reishi, Cordyceps, Coriolus, Agaricus and Cordyceps. The good folks over at Aloha Medicinals have known about this forever. I spoke with Dr. John Holliday who spearheads their research a while back to get the lowdown on this very interesting area. Subsequently, I began using their products on my patients.
And I found they work. They extend life, slow progression, and keep life quality high in dog cancer patients beyond traditional care expectations.
They do this in three main ways. First, they are immune enhancing. Second, they stimulate the immune system. Lastly, they help with the toxic side effects of chemo and radiation.
Coriolus contains two interesting compounds that have attracted major interest in China, PSK and PSP. PSK has made it all the way to stage 3 clinical trials (out of 4). Taken together, PSK and PSP improved survival times significantly for cancers of the lung, stomach, ovary, breast, colon, rectum, the nasal-throat area, and cervix. In addition, they improved life quality, decreased pain, boosted the immune system, and decreased side effects of chemo and radiation. Here is the link. These compounds are very exciting and are found in Aloha Medicinal products, as well as other medicinal mushroom blends.
An extract of Maitake taken by mouth was shown to help human patients live longer and suffer less cancer symptoms in a study out of Japan. Patients with cancer of the liver, breast and lung showed the most improvement, while those with leukemia, stomach cancer, and brain cancer showed minimal improvement. This paper also showed that the immune system was more active in the patients receiving the Maitake extract.
Cordyceps extract did slow the growth of tumors in mice, and was able to protect mice from some of the side effects from the chemo drug taxol in another study. In particular, the mice were able to regenerate their white blood cell counts, as white blood cell suppression is a frequent side effect seen with chemo. Cordyceps was also able to mitigate the effects of radiation toxicity in mice in a further study.
Immune suppression is a big part of cancer progression, and these mushrooms help overcome this problem via immune stimulation.Coriolus, Shitake, Maitake, Reishi, Cordyceps, Agaricus and others contain a carbohydrates in the beta-glucan family. Beta-glucans stimulate white blood cells (lymphocytes including T cells and NK cells, and macrophages) through several mechanisms.
Shitake extract taken orally was shown to increase red and white blood cell formation following radiation in mice. This may have positive effects for chemo agents that cause anemia and low white counts (which many do).
A clinical study is published in the Aloha Medicinals website, showing the benefit of a blend of different medicinal mushrooms in late stage cancer patients. Although they have an vested interest, it is still useful to consider.
I believe these mushrooms (K-9 Immunity, available through Aloha Medicinals), along with their boosting supplements (Transfer Factor) should be considered for a part of the full-spectrum care plan for dogs afflicted with cancer. According to Dr. Holliday, who is collecting large amounts of data on their supplement, he is possibly most impressed with the effects of these products for dogs with osteosarcoma.
Most of the whole mushrooms have an antioxidant effect, which may interfere with chemo and radiation. The use of these mushrooms should be timed after consultation with your vet or oncologist. Additionally, like any supplement taken orally, digestive upset is possible. They should probably be avoided in dogs with immune mediated diseases or other inflammatory disorders. Please discuss this with your vet or oncologist.
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
My 10 year old Aussie was diagnosed with lymphoma one month ago and given a bleak prognosis. Like Teresa’s dog, above (posted 1/24), she had NO other symptoms, just a small lump in her groin that I found doing a tick check. Everyone thinks this dog is 4 years old – tons of energy, great coat, very natural diet her whole life. I am shocked at the diagnosis. She is getting acupuncture and bio-resonance treatments. I was giving her Chinese herbs (per the vet who studied chinese medicine for four years) – but she will now not eat any food I give her as she suspects the herbs are in it. She will eat if others feed her, and will eat treats. How do I reverse this? It’s been 10 days with no herbs and she still is suspicious. Her only symptom is increased thirst.
There are lyme ticks in nearly every county in California which is where i live. I am currently being treated for borrella and babesia and my dog has been hiking and backpacking everywhere with me (with hundreds of tick bites).
I am looking forward to reading your comments and suggestions for treating lymphoma, including what you think of essiac tea as a treatment option. I will also purchase your book just as soon as it is available and share it with my vet. Thank you for your work.
Diana,
that is a really interesting article. We don’t have lyme out here, so I don’t deal with it. I used to when I practiced in NY though. Anyway, it would certainly be wise to get some clarification. Discuss doing a bit more testing with your vet (serology for Lyme and PCR on the tumor tissue for Lyme). If too costly, consider antibiotic trial to see the affect.
Nobody can change your dog’s desire to not eat herbs. But, you can mix them in low sodium broth, cooked lean meats etc. You can often get dried extracts or dried, ground herb capsules to administer the old fashioned way.
Good luck
D
Also, I have researched essiac in some detail. I look at things with a Western “logical” approach. I cannot say I have found good support for essiac other than scattered personal anectodes, so I don’t push it as part of my approach.
D
My dog was diagnosed with lymphoma 3 days ago, are the mushrooms an option to aid in his treatment….transfer factor and beta glucan a yes or a no?
Debbie, I am sorry, I cannot say yes or no in relation to a given dog. Unfortunately other things have to be accounted for in patient management. B.G/TF are considerations that might help.
D
My Norwegian Elkhound was diagnosed with cancer yesterday and we are going to an oncologist tuesday. My vet tells me he has the most aggressive cancer there is, and does not offer me much hope. He is 10 but active and has showed absolutely no signs of feeling ill etc.He has a healthy appetite, all other systems are normal as well. I want to give him every chance, but I have never been down this road before. He simply had a sore on his foot that didn’t heal,and so they removed it.
What should I be asking about. If time is of the essence for him, I want to get to the right steps as quickly as possible.
Teresa, I have a list of questions to ask your vet in the coping guide I wrote which is downloadable. Make sure you find out the cancer type, your vet’s expertise, what are the conventional treatment options, does your vet know any options other than those, what are the costs involved, what are the side effects of the treatments, what are the survival statistics, how many respond to the treatment on the average, just to name a few.
Good luck
D
Thanks for the post. I’d been using a mushroom blend capsule another company since my dog was diagnosed with a soft-tissue sarcoma in the nerve cluster under shoulder. The biopsy came back on the grade 2-3 border, and she was given two months to live since she was past surgical options. That was last March, and she’s still here; most of the time, she’s even happy. We’ve also been doing a high-fruit-and-veggie diet (for a dog, anyway) with lots of fish oil.
Is there a post on inflammatory swelling around here somewhere? That, I can’t find.
Erika, many items have effects on inflammation here (luteolin is a biggy).
Discuss with your vet of course!
D
Dr. Dressler,
My dog, Ripken, has just been diagnosed with bone cancer. She is five years old, we rescued her so we aren’t sure what breed she is. But I was wondering if you have any suggestions as to what we can feed her, supplements and food that is best for bone cancer. It seems like everything I’ve read doesn’t apply to bone cancer. She had her front leg amputated also about 2 weeks ago. She seems to have more energy and can actually go on short walks now. Please help! If you have any suggestions.
Thank You,
Kim
Dr. Dressler:
My golden retriever was diagnosed with lymphoma last June. Since she was almost 13 yrs old, we did not want to put her through chemo, but opted for quality of life. I read about Aloha Medicinals’ K-9 Immunity and Transfer Factors, and even got to talk to Dr. Holliday. I was so impressed with the research he has done that I started our dog on his products. My vet, after reading some of Aloha’s literature, agreed that use of the products along with a regime of Prednisone was worthwhile. I am happy to say that our golden had a wonderful 15 months of quality life. She maintained her weight, appetite and was able to go on long walks up until the last couple weeks. We released her to the “Bridge” on 13 Sep 08, but have wonderful memories of her last year with us. For her to celebrate her 14th birthday with us was remarkable is she was totally healthy, but even more so because she was battling cancer. I recommend Aloha’s products without reservation.
Joanne,
I need to focus on cancer in this blog. Please talk to your vet about the diarrhea problem.
For some recommendations, you may want to refer to earlier blog posts regarding diet, omega-3 fatty acids, melatonin, EGCG, curcumin, ginger, and the others for the time being. All topics have been researched extensively.
I will be putting out some new information on-line over the next few months to help people get some more clarity.
Try to start over with the shitake, but use 1/10 of the amount you are giving now, in food, and gradually increase over 2 weeks. If no luck, try a small purchase of K9 Immunity. If it causes diarrhea, you may want to pass on the mushrooms and go for Bio Bran which has some similar effects as the beta glucan containing fungi (via Active Hexose Correlated Compound, or AHCC).
Best,
Dr D
I have been giving the organic shitake mushrooms to Benny who has MCT on his right side and he has been suffering from diarrhea after eating them. I only put 2 in his food three times a week and cut them up finely. I don’t know if this is the problem with his digestive upset and I was advised to offer him slippery elm which seems to have lots of benefits in the digestive tract.
Could you inform me of your opinion on adding slippery elm as a daily supplement for Ben.
Our vet has no understanding of the necessity for supplements and therefore I have only found my information through websites like this one.
Ben gets 1 salmon capsule per day (1000 mg.), 1 modified citrus pectin pill, flaxseed oil and now slippery elm. I have read about K9-Immunity and Transfer Factor as well as Tissue Tone which was recommended by an herbalist in Portland Oregon (I live in Ontario, CANADA).
At this point I am so confused as to what supplements to give and in what combination so as not to cause Ben further upset.
Any information you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Joanne
Please cite your source…I would like to investigate this comment….it is based on the idea that malignant lymphocytes respond to non-specific immune stimulators like beta glucans found in these mushrooms. I am interested to see if there is literature that you know about that I can review.
Generally, the proliferation of transformed (cancerous) lymphocytes is not under the control of normal signal regulation like untransformed lymphocytes. I am wondering what the evidence is that they respond to the stimulation of normal immune cascades caused by the beta glucans.
Kim, I cannot give recommendations for individual dogs. I will assume she has osteosarcoma, and I am sorry to hear this news.
You should read previous entries on this blog. There are posts on diet, and several online recipes widely available.
Gather information here and elsewhere so you can be your dog’s best health care advocate on:
LIfe quality and stress
omega three fatty acids and Krill oil
K-9 Immunity and Transfer Factor
EGCG (Teavigo)
Luteolin (Lutimax)
Curcumin
Melatonin
Modified citrus pectin
Glycine, Argenine, hyroxymethylbutyrate (HMB)
These are all worth looking into and discussing with your vet…much can be found in these blog posts, but not all..
This is just a start but enough to get going with. Best of luck
D
Dr. Dressler,
While medicinal mushrooms may be good for some cancers, they are not good for lymphoma, correct? With the high rate of lymphoma, it seems there should be more information on what TO use, short of the CHOP method of chemo. I am confused as to what supplements induce apoptosis in lymphoma and which ones actually cause it to progress.I thought transfer factor and beta glucan were definite no no’s for this cancer.
Lilly F