Important weapon in cancer treatment: “Mushrooms”

A seminar on “Mushrooms, the Super Food of Human Life and Nature” was organized at Istanbul Arel University. Speaking at the seminar organized by the Faculty of Fine Arts Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department, Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Coşkun Usta stated that mushrooms are an important weapon in cancer treatment and can be used as a medicine in the treatment of many diseases.

In the seminar about mushrooms, which are used in the treatment of many diseases such as cancer, anxiety, Alzheimer's and depression and are one of the indispensable tastes of our tables, the unknown aspects of mushrooms were shared with gastronomy students by experts.

Moderated by Dr. Özlem Çayır, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, the event started with a moment of silence and the reading of the National Anthem.

Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Gün, who made an opening speech at the event, stated that mushrooms have an important place in Turkish cuisine and said, “As Istanbul Arel University Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department, we wanted our students to get information about mushrooms and mushrooms.”

Speaking at the seminar, Istanbul Arel University Faculty of Fine Arts Dean Prof. Dr. Nalan Büker stated that mushrooms have an important place in Turkish culture and thanked everyone who contributed to the event.

“As a university, we attach importance to social contribution activities”

Emphasizing that mushrooms have many benefits, Istanbul Arel University Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Ergül Berber emphasized that the university attaches importance to social contribution activities.

Prof. Dr. Ergül Berber said, “As a university, we attach importance to social contribution activities. It is very important for us to be intertwined with the society, to be intertwined with the sector, to raise awareness on certain issues in the society. For this reason, I would like to thank all my professors who contributed to this event. I am looking forward to the event. Mushrooms are interesting organisms. It also has a lot of benefits,” he said.

“Mushrooms can be an important weapon in the fight against cancer”

Underlining that mushrooms should be used in the field of health and medicine, Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Coşkun Usta emphasized that mushrooms are an important weapon in the fight against cancer.

Prof. Dr. Coşkun Usta; “As a professor of pharmacology, as a physician, I see that we should produce drugs from what we eat. When we produce drugs from chemicals, it is very contrary to the body. Look, we say that medicines are beneficial, right? But look, we take it into the body and the body tries to excrete it. The liver immediately detoxifies it. To destroy it immediately. What does it do? It tries to turn it into water and urinate it. But when you give the molecule you get from food, it binds to receptors in the brain. This means that it is not foreign to the body that recognizes it in the body, that is, plants produce such molecules to protect themselves or fungi produce such molecules to protect themselves that they can interact with some receptors, that is, some systems in our body.

Look, the world is working. Depression and anxiety are being studied a lot right now. Look, we currently have a drug from Turkey that is used in the treatment of cancer in the world. Pharmaceutical companies have been producing taxol for years. What we call taxol is already a product of the fungus. In other words, we can use mushrooms that produce very serious molecular while fighting cancer.”

“Why should we consume mushrooms?”

Stating that mushrooms are good for weakness and fatigue, Prof. Dr. Coşkun Usta emphasized that mushrooms should be consumed for the immune system.

Prof. Dr. Coşkun Usta said, “Why should we consume mushrooms, what are their benefits? First of all, it supports our immune system very well. It regulates it very well. You should definitely consume mushrooms for your immunity. It is definitely very good for weakness and fatigue. Anxiety disorders, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive conditions that relieve the disease of our age. We always get vitamin D from the sun, but only mushrooms have vitamin D from plants. It is that powerful. In order for our neurons to work, in order not to get Alzheimer's, in order not to get Parkinson's, in order not to be forgetful, we should consume mushrooms.”

“The panacea lion's mane”

Usta stated that many types of mushrooms grow in nature and can be used in the treatment of many diseases.

Prof. Dr. Coşkun Usta continued his words as follows:

“One of these mushrooms is lion's mane. Medical studies have shown that lion's mane is very effective in dementia. In other words, if neurological symptoms are shown, they secrete molecules that can support and protect the brain in many cases, including Alzheimer's Parkinson's, epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia in our elderly, and it is really a serious supporter. Look, there are very special studies that it regulates blood sugar. So if you want to use lion's mane, you can use it to improve the performance of your brain, to protect from these things or for your blood sugar. But we can say that it is also useful at some points. It is also a very valuable mushroom in terms of health. It has a very strong anti-stress feature.”

“Be very careful when consuming mushrooms”

Yalova University Dr. Lecturer Semra Erol gave important information about the use of mushrooms in the field of medicine based on her researches. Stating that mankind's interest in mushrooms dates back to prehistoric times, Dr. Faculty Member Semra Erol said, “It is known that mushrooms were used both as food and medicine in Chinese Egyptian, Roman and Greek civilizations. In Mayan, Aztec, Inca, Central Asian Shaman cultures, mushrooms were used both for medicinal purposes and in religious rituals.”

In the continuation of his speech, Erol stated that mushrooms should be consumed very carefully when consuming mushrooms and should be consumed after the approval of reliable sources, and that there may be loss of life in the misuse of mushrooms. Stating that there are various mushrooms in nature and that they make important contributions to human life, Erol mentioned that important contributions can be made to the economy by producing some mushroom cultures.

Tricks of mushroom picking were explained at the event

Mushroom Picking and Identification Expert Süleyman Yıldırım, also known as Mushroom Grandfather, shared the tricks of mushroom picking with the students. Yıldırım, who presented the equipment that should be used while collecting mushrooms to the students one by one, recommended important resources about mushrooms to the students. Süleyman Yıldırım, who introduced the mushrooms he collected to the participants, emphasized that especially for gastronomy students, having knowledge about mushrooms will provide them with an important opportunity in terms of economy and career. Asking students to use baskets while collecting mushrooms, Süleyman Yıldırım stated that mushroom cultures are released into nature in this way and will allow them to grow in more areas. Underlining that mushrooms are very beneficial to nature and human beings, Yıldırım stated that mushrooms should not be collected without training from an expert.

Participants enjoyed mushrooms at the event

Mushrooms produced by Mush Mantar as canned and sauces were tested by the participants. At the event where mushroom kokoreçin was served at the same time, the participants had their fill of mushrooms. Nizolive olive oils were introduced to the participants by Berna Küçükkaya, Production Director. Nizolive Olive Oils, which managed to receive awards in many sectors in Europe, received full marks from the participants and students.

The seminar held at Istanbul Arel University Tepekent Kemal Gözükara Campus was attended by Vice Rector of our University Prof. Dr. Ergül Berber, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Gün, Emiritus Prof. Dr. Güler Ertan, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts Prof. Dr. Nalan Büker, Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Coşkun Usta, Yalova University Faculty Member Semra Erol, Secretary General of our University Mustafa Kılıçaslan, Mushroom Collection and Identification Specialist Süleyman Yıldırım, Nizolive Olive Oils Production Director Bernard Küçükkaya. Prof. Dr. Coşkun Usta, Yalova University Faculty Member Semra Erol, Secretary General of our University Mustafa Kılıçaslan, Mushroom Collection and Identification Specialist Süleyman Yıldırım, Nizolive Olive Oils Production Director Berna Küçükkaya, academic and administrative staff and students attended the event.