Agarikon Conk As a Potential Smallpox Remedy - NPR Interview with Paul Stamets
In an interview on National Public Radio, world-renown medicinal mushroom expert Paul Stamets recounts his discovery of the healing properties of agarikon, a mushroom growing on 500-year-old trees in the old growth rainforests of the northwestern United States.
Stamets knew that fungi (mushrooms) were more closely related to humans than to plants and therefore susceptible to many of the same pathogens (bacteria, molds, viruses). And yet the perennial agarikon mushroom managed to remain disease free in the dripping wet rainforests for up to 50 years without decaying from rot, mold, or bacteria. So therefore it followed, he figured, that it must possess a powerful immune system full of antibiotic compounds that might benefit people.
To find agarikon in the wild, look for something reminiscent of a beehive on the ancient tree trunks of an old-growth forest. (You may view a picture of agarikon through the agarikon-link on this page.) Please keep in mind that agarikon is a rare and threatened species. Do not harvest it unless there's a very good reason for doing so. But by all means, bring out your digital camera.
Paul Stamets now grows his own agarikon, which he uses for his agarikon extract. A sample of this extract was sent to the BIO Shield Program for testing at a top security lab located in Ft. Dietrich, MD. The BIO Shield Program is a division within the Defense Department created to search for remedies against biological warfare agents and bioterrorism threats - e.g. pathogens like smallpox or anthrax.
Several tens of thousands of natural and synthetic "medicines" have been tested within the Bio Shield Program. According to John Seacrest, drug discovery supervisor within BIO Shield, the agarikon extract submitted by Paul Stamets was one of only a few agents that tested positive against viruses related to smallpox. While smallpox virus itself is not available for testing (due to it being supposedly extinct and all), the agarikon extract proved effective in inhibiting closely related viruses (presumably cowpox).
Following this discovery, Paul Stamets now has a patent pending on a mushroom-derived anti-viral drug. One of his financial backers, Boston-based investor John Norris, bases his support in part on the fact that, as he says, not everyone is able or willing to be vaccinated against diseases such as smallpox.
It's also worth mentioning that Mr. Norris is a former second in command in the FDA hierarchy, and he believes that through his joint venture with Paul Stamets, they could soon be selling several hundred million doses of the Stamets agarikon extract to the armies of the United States, U.K., and Germany.
However, that may still be a few years off. This new mushroom-based anti-viral drug must first go through many lab trials and then gain final approval by the FDA.
Note: This article is intended to provide entertainment and information only. Do not use this or any other herbal or mushroom-based product for medicinal purposes unless advised by a licensed medical doctor.
Reference: Tom Banse, NPR Morning Edition, Smallpox Defense May Be Found in Mushrooms, August 4, 2005. - 17269
Stamets knew that fungi (mushrooms) were more closely related to humans than to plants and therefore susceptible to many of the same pathogens (bacteria, molds, viruses). And yet the perennial agarikon mushroom managed to remain disease free in the dripping wet rainforests for up to 50 years without decaying from rot, mold, or bacteria. So therefore it followed, he figured, that it must possess a powerful immune system full of antibiotic compounds that might benefit people.
To find agarikon in the wild, look for something reminiscent of a beehive on the ancient tree trunks of an old-growth forest. (You may view a picture of agarikon through the agarikon-link on this page.) Please keep in mind that agarikon is a rare and threatened species. Do not harvest it unless there's a very good reason for doing so. But by all means, bring out your digital camera.
Paul Stamets now grows his own agarikon, which he uses for his agarikon extract. A sample of this extract was sent to the BIO Shield Program for testing at a top security lab located in Ft. Dietrich, MD. The BIO Shield Program is a division within the Defense Department created to search for remedies against biological warfare agents and bioterrorism threats - e.g. pathogens like smallpox or anthrax.
Several tens of thousands of natural and synthetic "medicines" have been tested within the Bio Shield Program. According to John Seacrest, drug discovery supervisor within BIO Shield, the agarikon extract submitted by Paul Stamets was one of only a few agents that tested positive against viruses related to smallpox. While smallpox virus itself is not available for testing (due to it being supposedly extinct and all), the agarikon extract proved effective in inhibiting closely related viruses (presumably cowpox).
Following this discovery, Paul Stamets now has a patent pending on a mushroom-derived anti-viral drug. One of his financial backers, Boston-based investor John Norris, bases his support in part on the fact that, as he says, not everyone is able or willing to be vaccinated against diseases such as smallpox.
It's also worth mentioning that Mr. Norris is a former second in command in the FDA hierarchy, and he believes that through his joint venture with Paul Stamets, they could soon be selling several hundred million doses of the Stamets agarikon extract to the armies of the United States, U.K., and Germany.
However, that may still be a few years off. This new mushroom-based anti-viral drug must first go through many lab trials and then gain final approval by the FDA.
Note: This article is intended to provide entertainment and information only. Do not use this or any other herbal or mushroom-based product for medicinal purposes unless advised by a licensed medical doctor.
Reference: Tom Banse, NPR Morning Edition, Smallpox Defense May Be Found in Mushrooms, August 4, 2005. - 17269
About the Author:
About author: Dr. Rafael has worked with natural health products since 1996, specializing in mycomedicinals. Click Agarikon Mushrooms for agarikon-photo, mushroom products, free mushroom articles, or to request unique copies of medicinal mushroom articles for your own web-site or magazine / ezine. Click Fomitopsis medicinal for scientific research references about agarikon.
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