Piptoporus Betulinus

Other Names : Birch Bracket Mushroom, Kanbatake, Razor Strop, Birch Polypore
Piptoporus or the bracket fungus is a type of saprophytic fungi, which belongs to the family Fomitopsidaceae

Health Benefits and uses of Piptoporus Betulinus are

• In the ancient days, people used it to clear parasitic worms from the stomach and the digestive system. It was mainly added to tea where it acted as a laxative. Tea brewed with this mushroom is still taken today to soothe the nerves or eliminate fatigue.
• One of its most important health benefits is boosting the immune system. This is particularly important because a body with a strong immune system does not suffer ill health easily. The fungus also boasts antiseptic properties. It prevents infections when used as bandage. In fact, some testimonies by people who have used it are interesting and fascinating. Users have said that not only does the mushroom heal the wound, but that it also leaves no scar even when the wound was deep.
• The Birch Bracket Mushroom is anti-inflammatory. This means that it is capable of reducing or entirely numbing pain without touching on the Central Nervous System. Such natural products are in great demand because many ailments cause inflammation at some stage, and often synthetic medications trigger unwanted side effects. In other instances, medications themselves cause inflammation and products from this mushroom can be taken alongside such medications to neutralise inflammation. Research done referencing Roseckeet al, 2000, identified chemicals from the Birch Bracket Mushroom including ketones and terpenes. There are also aliphatic alcohols. There are Aldehydes and some nice smelling compounds present too. Further analysis in (Kamo et al, 2003) identified polyporenic acids i.e. acids A and C. All these contribute in making the mushroom the anti-inflammatory agent that it is.
• Other reports (Keller et al, 2002) mentioned Piptamine as an antibiotic in Piptoporus Betulinus. In the studies, the extracts successfully wiped out the bacterium Escherichia coli. It also killed other harmful bacteria mainly Bacillussubtilis and Biomphalariaglabrata which was not spared either. This confirms that this mushroom is extremely important in the field of medicine.
• Research done earlier on had confirmed the presence of nucleic acid in the mushroom that was able to attack and incapacitate the virus encephalitis (Kandefer-Szerszen et al, 1979). The mushroom therefore can claim to have anti-viral properties.
• The mushroom, Piptoporus Betulinus, is hailed as being able to fight tumours. Research done based on white mice proved that the Polysaccharides in the mushroom are were to curb the advancement of Ehrlich solid cancers by 90%. They were also able to restrict the advancement of Sarcoma 180 by the same percentage. (Ohtsukaet al, 1973).
• Compounds found in the fruit body of the fungus, particularly polyporenic acid, are poisonous to the parasitic whipworm Trichuris trichura.