A new medicinal mushroom from Korea is gaining reputation around the world at recordpace. Most commonly known by its Latin name as Phellinus linteus, it is alsosometimes referred to as Mesima (Japanese), and rarely by its English name, Black HoofFungus.

Common to southern United States and Southeast Asia, Phellinus linteus is apolypore on hardwood trees such as poplar, oak and mulberry. [1]

Unlike most medicinal mushroom species, which were originally used in China or Japan, Phellinuslinteus first became popular in Korea as a complement to traditional cancer therapiessuch as radiation and chemotherapy.

The reputation of Phellinus linteus as a powerful medicinal mushroom has rapidlyspread across the world and today it is increasingly popular with medical professionalsfrom the U.S. and Japan to Turkey and Israel as an immune booster [2-11], especially forthe prevention of cancer metastasis. [5,10,12-17]

Word of Phellinus linteus caught on in 1996 when a Korean paper got published,which credited it with the widest range of anti-tumor and immune-enhancing properties ofany medicinal mushroom extract. [4]

World renown American mycologist Paul Stamets took this a step further when hepublished research in 2003 which compared seven of the world's most popular medicinalmushroom species, including Reishi, Cordyceps, Maitake, Chaga, Lion's Mane and Agaricusblazei. [18]

In this study, Phellinus linteus turned out to have the most powerful effect onenhancing the activity of macrophages, a type of white blood cell that's an important partof the immune system. Macrophage activity was increased 5,700% by the Phellinus linteusextract. The dose used was equivalent to 3,750 mg for an average (165 lbs) adult. [18]

It should be noted that macrophages may promote cancer growth as well as fight cancer.The research that has been published about Phellinus linteus extract indicates thatit enhances the anti-cancer properties of macrophages. [8,14,19,20]

Additional reports have been published on cases of "spontaneously" regressedcancers, where the patients reported having used Phellinus linteus by their ownchoice:

1. A 2004 paper out of Japan reported "a hormone refractory prostate cancerpatient with rapidly progressive bone metastasis who showed dramatic response to intake ofan extract from the mushroom, Phellinus linteus." [15]

2. In 2005, a Korean paper related the case of a 65-year-old patient with liver cancerand skull metastasis who experienced "spontaneous regression" after one and ahalf years of using Phellinus linteus. [17]

3. And then one year later, in 2006, another Japanese article was published on "acase of spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma with multiple lungmetastases." The 79-year-old patient had been taking an extract of Phellinuslinteus Mycelium for a month. When examined by his doctor 6 months later, his tumorshad disappeared. [16]

Note: This article is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose any disease. It isintended for informational purposes only. Phellinus linteus is not approved by theFDA. Never use any herb or mushroom for medicinal purposes without first consulting alicensed medical professional.