The humble mushroom has come a long way from being a mere culinary delight. Medicinal mushrooms hold the key to improved immunity and have untold benefits for patients undergoing chemo or radiation therapy. Distinguished Professor and Fellow of the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology, Dr Georges Halpern shares some insights from his book, Healing Mushrooms: Effective Treatments for Today's Illnesses.

Can mushrooms really strengthen your immune system?

The body encounters billions of bacterial, microbes, viruses, parasites and toxins every day. Think of the immune system as a defence system - everything must work well to ensure the body is healthy. The optimal immune system is alert and ready to battle diseases. Medicinal mushrooms work by enhancing the activity of the immune system. Since 1977, mushrooms like Yunzhi have been used to develop cancer drugs like Krestin, and Shiitake Lentinan. Over the years, there have been a large number of research and clinical trials on how mushrooms can boost our immune system. The UK cancer Research, National Institute of Health, Harvard University and Japan Cancer Society are a few among the esteemed organizations which have carried out these studies.

How do mushrooms strengthen your immunity?

As immune regulators, mushrooms can help the body attain optimal immune function. Mushrooms can help the immune system stay wide awake and strike the perfect balance between over activity and sluggishness. Medicinal mushrooms contain an active ingredient called polysaccharides or beta-glucans. mushroom polysaccharides don't kill' the antigens (invaders), but help to stimulate the immune system to work better, by producing more immune cells (like your antibodies, cytokines, and T-cells), keeping your immune system primed for action. This is all done so in a natural and safe manner that's gentle on your body without side effects associated with long-term antibiotics consumption.

Why can't I eat more mushroom dishes with my meals?

There is a huge difference between culinary mushrooms like those found in the supermarket and medicinal mushrooms. Culinary mushrooms such as Portobello or Button mushrooms have limited effects. Medicinal mushrooms like Cordyceps, Lingzhi, Yunzhi, Shitake, Maitake and Agaricus Blazei Murill are highly treasured for their benefits to health. However, there is a strong correlation between the extent of health benefits with the amount taken and the consistency of intake. This means that the higher the amount consumed and the more often the intake, the more significant the health benefits are. In raw form, these medicinal mushrooms are high in fibre with thick cell walls, which make absorption difficult for the body. Hence, medicinal mushroom extracts, rich in mushroom polysaacharides, are recommended for a greater ease of absorption and digestion.

What makes a good mushroom supplement?

Go for gold with a multiple mushroom supplement instead of a single mushroom one. The idea is to cover as many bases as possible in a single formula - different mushrooms offer different qualities, and each has a type of mushroom polysaccharides to target the different antigens (invaders). Different polysaccharide structures in different mushrooms trigger unique receptors of the immune system, or target receptors on microbes or malignant cells. The more mushroom types there are, the greater the chances of boosting your immune system to fight against the various illnesses.