Fireman

Latin: Phellinus linteus

Czech: Phellinus firethorn

Chinese: Song Gen, Sang Huang

Japanese: Meshimakobu

Korean: Sang Hwang, Sang Mogi

Thevital mushroom Fireweed has been known in Asia for thousands of years and is part of traditional medicine there. It has a millennia-long tradition, especially in traditional Korean medicine.

This slow-growing fungus parasitizes mainly mulberry and oak trees, but also willow and poplar. It belongs to the stalk-rushes. The fruiting body is sessile and brown to black. Due to its bitterness, it is not used in cooking. It grows mainly in warm regions, e.g. tropical America, Africa and is very popular in South and East Asia, especially in China, Japan and Korea.

Fireweed is also mentioned in the most famous Chinese herbarium Shennong. This began to be written during the Han Dynasty about 200 years BC. A pharmacopoeia written by Quan Zhen (Tang dynasty) describes the use of fireweed especially in cases of bleeding, haemostasis and menstrual difficulties. During the Ming Dynasty, the mushroom was used as a diuretic, hemostatic and to strengthen internal organs. The mushroom is still widely used, not only in Chinese traditional medicine.

Characteristics according to traditional Chinese medicine

Nature: cold

Taste: slightly bitter

Tropism: Liver, Stomach, Large intestine

Main effects according to Traditional Chinese Medicine:

• Purifies damp bitterness
• cools the stomach fire
• converts and removes mucus
• revives blood and breaks blood stasis
• stops bleeding
• relieves pain

When do we use the vital Fireweed mushroom to maintain or improve health?

1) Support digestion and peristalsis

• Clears hot and damp heat - removes excessive heat and dampness from the body
• is useful for diarrhea, non-specific inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis

Remark:

Dampness and heat often combine to form moist heat (Shi Re). This tends to clog and impair the body's patency. We may think of it as inflammation, but damp heat is a broader term.

Symptoms of damp heat: heaviness, fatigue, general sweating, skin problems, wetting, discharge, diarrhea...

• Clears Stomach heat - improves and promotes digestion
• suitable for flatulence, nausea, lack of appetite or slow metabolism

Remark:

Hotness of the Stomach is a pathology associated with emptiness of the Yin of the Stomach. It is caused by a hearty diet, spicy and hot spices, alcohol, eating between meals and eating late at night.

Symptoms of a hot Stomach: heartburn, gastritis, reflux, stomach ulcers, bleeding gums, periodontal disease, bad breath, wolf's bite, gingivitis, etc.

• promotes peristalsis - has tropism to the Stomach, Liver and Large Intestine
• is suitable for constipation and irregular stools

2) Allergies and asthma

• regulates immune response - can stimulate or dampen immunity as needed
• is useful in allergies and asthma - prevents histamine release in response to allergens and suppresses anaphylaxis-like reactions mediated by mast cells
• Research shows that Fireweed can inhibit the production of Th2 cytokines and promote the production of Th1 cytokines, thereby balancing immune imbalances in allergic reactions.

3) Anti-tumor effects

• It has significant anti-cancer effects!
• It is used intumors of: lung, breast, prostate, sarcomas, melanoma and tumors of the digestive system - stomach, liver, gallbladder, esophagus, duodenum, colon, rectum
• promotes apoptosis of tumour cells - a controlled process of tumour cell destruction
• prevents metastasis - prevents further spread of cancer cells
• used as a supportive treatment for chemotherapy or radiotherapy

4) Regulation of the immune system

• stimulates humoral and cellular immunity - lymphocyte activity and antibody production
• has a significant antiviral and antibacterial effect!
• used as a natural antibiotic (rather in chronic infections)

5) Rheumatoid arthritis

• in rheumatoid arthritis, reduces inflammation by modulating the immune system
• It is useful for joint bitterness or redness, or whole-body manifestations of bitterness in rheumatoid arthritis

Remark:

From a Chinese medicine perspective, rheumatoid arthritis (Bi Zheng) is caused by the invasion of an external pathogen into the periphery of a weakened organism where it creates a blockage. This causes pain, fluid stagnation and swelling may occur. The blockage also tends to heat up. Fireweed is useful for these conditions due to its cool nature and ability to release blockages.

6) Chronic inflammations

• has significant anti-inflammatory effects
• is suitable for: chronic inflammation, especially autoimmune inflammation

Remark:

The term inflammation overlaps slightly with the Chinese medicine term moist heat. Therefore, it is suitable for all conditions that a Chinese doctor would call damp heat, wherever it occurs in the body.

7) Skin problems

• used forskin inflammations - with the presence of heat and suppuration
• is useful for eczema and dermatitis, which are red and may become wet
• According to Chinese medicine, Fireweed can cool and purify damp heat. This property is quite exceptional in mushrooms. It therefore makes it a suitable mushroom for the treatment of skin inflammations.

8) Painful conditions

• Due to its ability to break up blood stasis, it can be used for pain anywhere on the body

9) Fertility support

• It is suitable for fertility problems if the cause is elevated cytokine and NK cell levels

Less common use of Fireweed in clinical practice:

• Treatment and prevention of influenza
• detoxification of internal organs
• promoting blood circulation
• protection and regeneration of the liver
• reduction of oxidative stress
• promoting osteoblast proliferation
• blood sugar regulation

What to remember:

Fireweed removes damp heat, fire and mucus. It is useful for chronic and skin inflammation and heat blockages in rheumatoid arthritis.