Shiitake shish kabobs!!!!!...or...much ado about shrooms

Oral ingestion of Lentinula edodes mycelia extract...in mice   From:  Cancer Science, March, 2011
By:  Tanaka, Ishikawa, Matsui, et al., The Japanese Cancer Association.

Poor little mice "were inoculated subcutaneously in the footpad with B16 melanoma and fed L.E.M. extract [shiitake mushroom juice].  Ingestion of L.E.M. extract significantly inhibited tumor growth, and this in vivo anti-tumor effect was not observed in nude mice, suggesting a T cell-dependent mechanism. In addition, ingestion of [shiitake juice] led to significant restoration of H-2K(b)-restricted and melanoma-reactive T cells in the spleen and draining lymph nodes of melanoma bearing mice....furthermore, an in vitro assay revealed than an immunosuppressive activity of CD4(+) T cells from melanoma-bearing mice was canceled by ingestion of [shiitake juice].  Our results indicate that oral ingestion of L.E.M. extract restores immune responses of class 1-restricted and melanoma-reactive CD8(+) T cells in melanoma-bearing mice, presumably by a mitigation of regulatory T cells-mediated immunosuppression."

So...if you're a hairy mouse, who happens to get melanoma and belong to an individual willing to feed you shiitake mushroom juice, you should do very well!!!  On the day B was pontificating about this new finding over dinner, we happened to be eating mushrooms and broccoli.  However, they were not shiitakes, on that occasion...and yes lentinula edodes are:  shiitakes!
I fear that I shall soon be on a daily diet of shiitakes with turmeric.  I think I need whiskers, a longer tail and more hair!!! - c