Medical Mushroom “Yunzhi”

Plants have always been a crucial source of food, shelter, and medicine for man. Medically speaking, plants from different places serve as medicines for treating various ailments. One of such medicinal plants is the mushroom. The mushroom comes in different species; one of which is Yunzhi which is known by different names including Coriolus. Yunzhi has frequently been used as a medicine. The word ‘Yunzhi’ originated in china. The first part, “yun”, means “cloud”, and the second part, “zhi”, connotes a special kind of health supplement mushroom. The plant owes its name to the growth pattern of wavy rings found on its cap, and which bears resemblance to a stack of coloured clouds. Its sighting was first recorded by a renowned traditional Chinese medical doctor, Li Shi Zien. Although, scientists, have only recently, begun to discover some substances in it that could serve as pharmaceutical drugs. Two of these substances are polysaccharide peptide (PSP) and polysaccharide keratin (PSK). It has also been discovered that the PSP and PSK contents of the Yunzhi mushroom can boost the immune system high enough to treat herpes and chronic fatigue syndrome. There are also other diseases, such as hepatitis, urinary and digestive tract infection, and pulmonary disorder, which could be treated by the plant. 

Using Coriolus or Yunzhi is safe for most people as there has not been any known case of resulting side effects in normal people. However, people recovering from chemotherapy have experienced nausea and liver problems while using it. Pregnant and breast-feeding mums are also advised to stay away from it, even though no side effects have been established.