Mushrooms as adjuvants in Cancer Treatment: Clinical Data and Pharmacology Review with Kevin Spelman, CSO from HEALCon 2021. Take this quiz to earn 1.5 NANP CECs.
Dr. Kevin Spelman is a molecular biologist and clinician who has worked with medicinal plants in the field, in the clinic, and in research models, including clinical trials and preclinical models. He has three decades of clinical experience and was a co-founder of the first accredited Master of Science in Clinical Herbal Medicine at MUIH. As a researcher, he has elucidated the interface between physiology and phytochemistry. At the NIH, he investigated cannabinoid signaling and brain & ovarian cancer. At the Universite de Paris & Museum national d'histoire naturelle, he studied cancer and malaria, and at UNC, he researched immunomodulation by the endocannabinoid system.
Presentation Description:
Medicinal mushrooms have been approved adjuncts to standard cancer treatments in Japan and China for more than 30 years and have an extensive history of safe use as single agents or combined with radiation therapy or chemotherapy. In this presentation, we will examine ethnobotany and chemistry and compare the fruiting body vs. mycelia. Then, we dive into pharmacology, dosing, and safety and close the session by reviewing case studies with laboratory data using Ganoderma lucidum (reishi) and Lentinus edodes (shitake) in cancer patients.
Learning Objectives:
- The participant will be able to identify the common fungi-chemical link between medicinal mushrooms.
- The participant will be able to state 2 MOAs on the pharmacology of immunomodulation by B-glucans.
- The participant will be able to discuss why Chinese and Japanese oncologists commonly prescribe medicinal mushrooms to their patients.
- The participant will be able to contrast between medicinal mushroom indications for cancer and other immune issues.
- The participant will be able to contrast between mycelia based products and fruiting body-based products.
- The participant will be able to discuss the safety of various medicinal mushrooms and any herb-drug interaction concerns.
