212 – Discover Poria Mushroom for Kidney and Immune Health – My Interview with Mark Kaylor

Poria (Poria cocos) is one of the most widely utilized ingredients in traditional Chinese herbalism where it is used to support healthy kidney and urinary tract function. I just recently learned about this medicinal mushroom, Poria Cocos. So this is fairly new to me. It always excites me to learn about emerging nutritional products. This is not new to those knowledgeable about Traditional Chinese Medicine. It has been also been used by Native Americans as well for centuries. So for me this is a good example of how “new” products emerge in the marketplace. Do you ever wonder how products get discovered and brought to your store shelf? In the case of plant medicines it usually starts with healing history of cultures. Every culture had it’s healers and it’s medicines. We now have unprecedented access to natural medicines from around the world. How do products emerge? And how do we know those products are safe and effective?

 In our modern world we are now able to appropriate natural medicines from cultures around the world. These native medicines are now being studied using scientific methods. This is how we have a growing confidence in the power of natural plants and the extracts that are derived from those plants. I consider this to be the golden age for natural medicines as we have the confluence of historical uses confirmed by modern science. As long as one follows the science and chooses wisely then all things are possible.

In this interview, I will discuss the benefits of Poria Cocos with Mark Kaylor. Poria cocos has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. It was used to reinforce and balance the effects of other herbs in medicinal formulas, and has been considered a tonic, diuretic, and sedative. Mark is a passionate advocate for the value of natural mushrooms. In this interview we will consider the following topics:

 Poria has numerous clinical studies and you can learn more if you  follow the science at PubMed. Here are some excerpts and a link to a comprehensive review of Poria studies. Planta Medica 2011; ; 77(7): 681-691;

 “Poria cocos (Polyporaceae) is a saprophytic fungus that grows in diverse species of Pinus. Its sclerotium, called fu-ling or hoelen, is used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine for its diuretic, sedative, and tonic effects. Various studies of this fungus have demonstrated its marked anti-inflammatory activity in different experimental models of acute and chronic inflammation. It is widely used as a constituent of many preparations in Asian medicine.”

“In this review, we have compiled all the published data concerning the chemistry, pharmacology, and clinical uses of this drug in order to evaluate its clinical interest for future use against various pathologies in which inflammation and immunodepression are implicated.”

“Reviewing the literature, we found that polysaccharides from Poria cocos enhanced the secretion of immune stimulators and suppressed the secretion of immune suppressors, thus potentiating the immune response.”

“Immunomodulatory properties: Certain medicinal plants and fungi, among them Poria cocos, are what are commonly referred to as immunomodulators, in that they alter the activity of immune function through the dynamic regulation of informational molecules such as cytokines. This property explains the effects of these plants on the immune system and other tissues.”

“Conclusions: Several pharmacological effects of Poria cocos have been clearly demonstrated in experimental studies. Of these, it is important to distinguish between anti-inflammatory and immunostimulant effects. Although the crude drug has been studied with regard to both properties, experimental studies show that purified extracts achieve the best effect. Thus, while anti-inflammatory activity has been clearly demonstrated for the triterpene-enriched fraction, immunomodulation is correlated with the polysaccharide-enriched fractions. In the case of anticancer properties, both groups of compounds are implicated, triterpenes as cytotoxic principles and polysaccharides as immunostimulants.” End excerpt.

 Poria Cocos is available from Mushroom Wisdom. Super Poria by Mushroom Wisdom uses the sclerotium grown on pine logs under specific conditions and extracted using both hot water and alcohol. You can also listen to our other interviews with Mark discussing other natural mushroom extracts from Mushroom Wisdom.

Mark has been exploring a diverse array of healing practices and traditions from around the world since college. From a Cherokee reservation to the Amazonian rainforest to mountains in China, Mark has explored the healing traditions around the world.

These varied studies grew into a style of practice and approach to healing that focuses on truly holistic healing and incorporates a variety of approaches, styles, and modalities. Eschewing allopathic treatments for symptomatic relief, Mark has been in pursuit of radiant health, both in his own life and in his practice; viewing health and healing as a lifelong process or “path” rather than an end goal.

Mark has been consulting and formulating products in the natural products industry for many years. He is currently creating a not-for- profit organization, Radiant Health Project, which is centered on sharing health and healing information from a holistic and natural perspective, focusing on maximizing health, vitality, and even longevity

Mark is co-author of “Syndrome X and SX Fraction” and the newsletter “Health from the Hive”. You can contact him via his website: www.RadiantHealthProject.com.