Agaricus bisporus, commonly known as the white button mushroom, is the most cultivated edible mushroom globally. Although ubiquitous, white button mushrooms do have a fairly unique characteristic: they are widely used as both food and medicine. Historical records show that most "healing mushrooms" were rarely eaten as a casual dinner table food. Because most medicinal varieties—like Reishi, Cordyceps, or Lion's Mane—are woody, bitter, or tough to digest, they required specific preparation methods to extract their active compounds. Traditional Chinese Medicine, for example, mushrooms were usually prepared as a dried powder, alcohol-derived tincture, or as a medical decoctions (i.e. tea or soup). With white button mushrooms, though, it's an entirely different story: not only are they served in some of the most tasty culinary dishes around the world, they're also known for their medicinal properties. Even in western countries—where food isn't generally accepted as medicine—the powerful properties of the little fungi are finally being recognized. Endless health benefits In fact, "recognized" is a gross understatement. Today universities and independent laboratories alike are researching the mushroom's active properties in relation to just about every aspect of health: immune function, heart health, digestive support, bone health, inflammation control, weight loss, and skin health. But perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of white button mushrooms is its capacity to halt cancer progression. In a 2019 Japanese study, researchers followed 36,000 men for an average of 13 years and found that consumption of the fungi was associated with a reduced prostrate cancer risk. In 2021 a study from the Endocrine Society reported that white button mushrooms slowed the progression of prostate cancer by disrupting androgen receptor signaling. Then, in 2024, the most pivotal study to date was published in Clinical and Translational Medicine. The researchers wanted to understand how consuming white button mushrooms—the ones found in just about every grocery store—helped slow down the progression of cancer. Again, the researchers were looking at prostrate cancer specifically. The researchers discovered that a specific extract from these mushrooms helped clear away immune-blocking cells that usually allow cancer to grow unchecked. These cells are known as Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs). At the same time, white button mushroom extract simultaneously appeared to "wake up" the body’s natural cancer-fighting cells. To conduct the study, researchers used a "two-pronged" approach: they tested both laboratory mouse models and human patients who were part of an ongoing clinical trial. In the mouse model they tested how white button mushroom treatment affected tumor growth, immune cell levels, and survival rates. This part of the research had to be done with mouse models because scientists require genetically identical mice—mice that are then injected with prostate cancer cells to induce controlled, uniform tumors. In the human trial side of the study the researchers analyzed blood samples from prostate cancer patients who took white button mushroom extract supplements for three months. Study results The researchers determined that, in both the mice and the human patients, consuming the mushroom extract significantly reduced the number and activity of the MDSCs. Normally, the immune system attacks cancer, but MDSCs act like "brakes," suppressing the immune system and helping the tumor grow and spread. In short, by reducing the power and number of MDSCs, the white button mushroom extract restored the body's immune system to fight back.  This, in turn, encouraged a type of "healing chain reaction." With the immune brakes removed, the study subjects showed a notable increase in active, cancer-killing T cells and natural killer cells. Meanwhile, in the mouse model, the mice treated with the mushroom extract experienced delayed tumor growth and longer lives compared to the non-treatment mice. Future mushroom synergy? In the part of the research where the mushroom treatment was combined with standard immunotherapy drugs—again, in mice only—it led to even better tumor shrinkage and survival outcomes than with either treatment alone. Mushroom science may not yet be at the point where cancer patients pick up "cancer cure mushroom prescriptions" at the local pharmacy, but the researchers themselves have summarized precisely where we're at currently: "Laboratory and animal studies have shown that white button mushroom extracts can inhibit cancer cell proliferation and induce apoptosis (cancer cell death)." White button mushroom extract can be found in Essential Shrooms from Optimal Health Systems. Click the banner ad on this page to learn more. - - -  Sources: Clinical & Translational Medicine (2024 study), The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry (2021 study), International Journal of Cancer (2019 study). Â
