TED Talk: Turkey Tail Helped My Mother through Cancer
Published
Mycologist Paul Stamets has devoted his career to advancing our understanding of the healing potential of mushrooms. His work hit home when his mother was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that had spread to her sternum and liver.
Her oncologist told her she was too old for radiation therapy. The doctor recommended a clinical trial of turkey tail mushrooms at the Bastyr Integrative Oncology Research Center — a study her son happened to be supplying through his mushroom cultivation business, Fungi Perfecti.
Stamets tells the story of his mother's dramatic recovery in a TED MED talk (beginning at the 7:50 mark).
"We are now rediscovering that which our ancestors long ago knew: That mushrooms are deep reservoirs for very powerful medicines," says the author, speaker and researcher.
Learn more about BIORC's turkey tail research, which has received FDA approval and a $5.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
And learn how you can participate in a similar trial for prostate cancer patients.
