Birbhum, Bankura mushroom can fight cancer: Nature publishes Rahara RKM scientist study
Times of India | 6 March 2025
12 Kolkata: For years, a quiet mystery surrounded some regions in Birbhum and Bankura — cancer seemed to spare them. Swapan Kumar Ghosh, a scientist who grew up in Birbhum, was intrigued. His search for answers led him to an unexpected source: a wild mushroom, called kurkure chhatu (Astraeus asiaticus), a staple in the local diet.
After years of rigorous research, he discovered that this humble mushroom contained powerful compounds that helped prevent cancer and showed potential to fight it — particularly cervical, lung and breast cancer.
The prestigious journal Nature published his paper, bringing global attention to this discovery. Ghosh and his team of scientists from Ramakrishna Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara, found that Astraeus asiaticus was packed with natural compounds that protected the body from harmful free radicals, which could contribute to cancer growth. Ghosh did his postdoctoral research at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He also spent time at Harvard University.
Ghosh and his team are planning and preparing for human trials. If successful, this groundbreaking discovery could transform cancer treatment, offering patients a more natural, effective, and side-effect-free alternative to chemotherapy. "Hopefully, the trials will be successful," he said.
When tested on cancer cells from the cervix, lungs and breasts, the mushroom extract displayed an extraordinary ability: it selectively targeted and destroyed cancer cells, while sparing healthy ones. Unlike chemotherapy, which often damages normal tissues, this mushroom-based treatment showed promise as a gentler, yet effective, alternative.
"Drug resistance is now a great problem in cancer treatment, said Swapan Kumar Ghosh. "Our product can solve this problem and will be very useful for cancer management. This mushroom product can be used simultaneously, along with chemotherapy, as an adjuvant drug," he added. "These mushrooms have both antioxidant and anti-cancer properties."
The researchers further investigated how the mushroom's compounds interacted with key proteins involved in cell death, offering valuable insights for the development of new cancer therapies. "Our product from Astraeus asiaticus, after human trials, will be useful in managing cancer and may even replace chemotherapy, as it has no side effects. It kills cancer cells without affecting normal cells, whereas chemotherapy affects both. In addition, this mushroom extract, or F12, can also be used as a cancer preventive," Ghosh said.
His research has attracted global interest. "Many offers are coming from different corners of the globe for collaboration, but I wish to do all in my lab. However, for human trials, we have to take help from a govt hospital," he said.
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