For over five thousand years, mushrooms have been used as an effective medicine. Now, researchers are rediscovering the amazing value of these traditional medicinals as well as uncovering new benefits - benefits that can safely and naturally improve your health and well-being. Written by Dr. Georges M. Halpern, a top medical scientist, this easy-to-use guide provides a fresh look at the history and uses of eight major healing mushrooms: Maitake, Reishi, Shiitake, Cordyceps sinensis, Agaricus blazei, Phellinus linteus, Trametes versicolor and Hericium erinaceus. The book begins by describing how ancient cultures of the East and West used mushrooms to combat the ravages of disease. It then looks at how modern science has refocused its attention on the healing properties of mushrooms and, along the way, discovered some wonderful new properties of these gifts of the earth. The chapters that follow examine the folklore, the health benefits and even the culinary uses of each of the mushrooms under discussion. Included are detailed instructions on how to buy, store and use these products, as well as a helpful, up-to-date resource section offering important consumer information. From their use as a cholesterol-lowering agent to their anti-tumour activities to their promise of reversing Alzheimer's, mushrooms are some of nature's greatest wonders. Let HEALING MUSHROOMS change the way you think about this marvellous medicinal.