What Is The Cannabis Mushroom Combination That Kills 90% Of Colon Cancer Cells?

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and has been republished with permission.

According to statistics, over 106,000 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed this year alone.

Colon cancer cases have steadily increased in the United States since the 1990s, particularly among young adults. In general, the survival rate for colon cancer survivors is only 64%, but when diagnosed at a localized stage, the prognosis increases significantly to 91%.

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There is an urgent need to develop more advanced medical solutions to address the growing cases of colon cancer and save lives.

Now Cannabotech, an Israeli biomedical company developing plant-based solutions for oncology and preventive medicine, has found promising results in an experiment with its Integrative Colon product. The formula combines mushroom extracts with cannabinoids from the cannabis plant and is then tested on different subtypes of colon cancer. They found that the ingredients in the formulation worked more effectively compared to isolating the cannabinoids, and that the active ingredients showed great synergy when working together. Based on the results, the product Integrative-Colon was able to kill more than 90% of colon cancer cells.

The mushroom extracts had a high concentration of PSK, which is derived from the Trametes mushroom, known for its anti-cancer properties. In fact, the Trametes mushroom has already been approved as a cancer treatment in South Korea, Taiwan and Japan. They intend to combine the formulation with conventional chemotherapy in the next phases and also combine it with the fungus Cyathus Striatus.

Additionally, their study shows that each cannabinoid has different effects on different colon cancer subtypes. According to Cannabotech, this shows the importance of personalizing medical care for each patient’s unique needs. However, the goal of Cannabotech’s work isn’t to completely replace traditional cancer treatments, although they hope that with the new formulations, cancer patients will need fewer treatments to get the same benefits.

“We know that patients need minimal chemotherapy, but many people cannot survive this due to side effects, so they discontinue treatment,” Cannbotech CEO Elchanan Shaked told Israel21c.

“This is a significant milestone in Cannabotech’s journey to becoming a leader in integrative oncology medicine. The integrative products developed by Cannabotech are intended to be used in combination with chemotherapy to reduce its side effects. Cannabotech’s solutions will be launched in Israel and the United States in the second half of 2022 as the company’s goal is to define a new standard for the medical cannabis industry,” said Shaked.

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In addition to colorectal cancer, they are currently investigating four types of cancer: breast, prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer. CannaboBreast, their breast cancer product, has been the most advanced to date, having tested it on different breast cancer subtypes and customized treatments based on the subtype.

While many studies focus on the benefits of magic mushrooms that contain psilocybin, Cannabotech uses some of the many other medicinal mushrooms that have healing benefits. In fact, Shaked was traveling to Nepal on business in 2015 when he first heard about mushrooms. “A local entrepreneur collected mushrooms from the locals and sold them to the Indian alternative pharmaceutical industry,” Shaked told Israel21c. “He wanted to study the effectiveness of these mushrooms.”

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This piqued Shaked’s interest, so upon his return to Israel he contacted Prof. Solomon Wasser, who directs the International Center for Fungal Biotechnology and Biodiversity at the Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa. He also spoke with Prof. Fuad Fares, director and founder of the Department of Molecular Genetics at Carmel Medical Center and Associate Professor of Human Biology at the University of Haifa.

Cannabotech is aiming to launch a personalized cancer treatment kit by the middle of this year.

Anticancer Properties of Mushrooms

The anti-cancer benefits of cannabis are already well documented, but what about the Trametes mushroom?

Trametes, better known as turkey tail mushrooms, contain naturally occurring compounds known as PSK (polysaccharide-K) and PSP (polysaccharopeptide). Numerous studies have been conducted demonstrating the effectiveness of these compounds in fighting cancer. The Chinese have been drinking turkey tail extract for centuries in traditional medicine, where it is known as Tun Zhi.

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Aside from the Chinese, the turkey tail fungus, usually found on dead hardwood trees, is also prized in other Asian cultures, including Japan. It is a symbol of health and longevity, as well as infinity and spiritual attunement.

Other uses of turkey tail mushrooms in traditional medicine include boosting lung and respiratory function, the spleen, stomach, and general immunity.

As more studies are conducted, we know the following:

• In a 2008 scientific report, researchers suggested investing more in research into turkey tail mushrooms and their PSK content for breast cancer. Researchers suggested that it can be used as an add-on treatment to boost immunotherapy after initial breast cancer treatment such as chemotherapy or surgery. A small study followed on from this in 2012; Although it only had 9 test subjects, the researchers found that taking Trametes versicolor in powder form orally improved the immunity of breast cancer patients significantly.

• Then, in 2019, another study looked at the effects of turkey tail mushrooms combined with chicken mushrooms. Amazingly, both fungi have been shown to be effective in preventing the spread of cancer cells; They also boosted the anti-cancer properties of 5-fluorouracil, which is commonly used to treat colon cancer.

• A review of 8 studies involving over 8,000 people with stomach cancer was conducted. After adding PSK to their treatment plan and chemotherapy, the results of the study showed that their prognosis improved and patients were able to live longer.

With all the exciting therapies being developed, and considering how effective the combination of cannabis and mushrooms is, we hope these treatments will become mainstream to save more lives.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and has been republished with permission.