Yun zhi mushroom used against cancer

EXTRACTS of the yun zhi mushroom used with chemotherapy have given a striking boost of up to 30 per cent to the anti-cancer treatment in animal tests, researchers have discovered.

The mushroom, which grows on wood, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to fight cancer, but until now there has been little scientific evidence to back its effectiveness.

However, trials conducted by assistant professor Jennifer Wan Man-fan from the Zoology Department of Hong Kong University have shown chemotherapy results improved greatly when used in conjunction with the mushroom.

In tests on rats, she found chemotherapy killed 56.4 per cent of cancer cells. When used with the mushroom, this rose to 71.9 per cent.