Written by Dr. James Meschino, D.C., M.S.,
– Research and Clinical Director, RenaiSanté Institute of Integrative Medicine –

Recent And Historical Use Of Reishi Mushroom Extract
Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) is called “the mushroom of immortality” in China and has been used in Oriental Medicine for over 2,000 years. ^(1,2) In recent years its active ingredients have been the subject of intensive research regarding their apparent ability to help prevent or treat certain types of cancer, aid in the treatment of liver disease, HIV infection, acute or recurrent herpetic infections, high blood pressure, chronic bronchitis, allergies and asthma, and favorably modulate immune function. ⁽³⁾ The reishi mushroom grows wild on decaying logs and tree stumps in the coastal provinces of China. The fruiting body of the mushroom is used medicinally. ⁽⁴⁾

Active Constituents: Reishi mushrooms contain a number of active agents that are known to modulate function of the immune system in humans. The primary agents include:

1. Specific Polysaccharides - which occur in the form of Beta-D-glucans bound to amino acids. These agents are known to possess immune-modulating and anti-cancer properties. (3)
2. Triterpene compounds - known as ganoderic acids, which have been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce platelet stickiness and may decrease LDL-cholesterol. (5)
3. Other major active constituents - including sterols, coumarin and mannitol. (5)

Clinical Application and Mechanism of Action

1. Anti-Cancer Agent: Cancer studies in animals have shown a 50% tumor regression rate with reishi mushroom extract treatment (e.g., connective tissue cancer model in mice). ⁽⁶⁾ Reishi mushroom extract is used by some cancer surgeons in Japan to treat cancer patients and significant anti-tumor and immunostimulation effects have been noted in many of these cases. ⁽⁷⁾ Polysaccharides from reishi mushrooms and from other types of folk-medicinal fungi are patented in Japan for use as immunomodulators in the treatment of cancer. They are combined with chemo- and radiotherapy and have demonstrated an ability to reduce side effects, increase the efficacy of treatments, and are used to accelerate recovery from disease. ^(8,9)
   Studies from China have shown that reishi mushroom extract potentiates the tumoricidal capacity of macrophages and T-cells. ^(10,11) Reishi mushroom extract is known to have other immune modulating effects and antioxidant properties as well. ^{(12,13,14,15,16)}
2. Immune System Enhancement: (Bronchitis, Asthma, Allergies, Herpetic Conditions and HIV Infection) As noted above, reishi mushroom extract modulates many components of the immune system, which in part, account for its apparent anti-tumor properties. Chronic bronchitis in the elderly has been shown to respond favorably to treatment using a concentrated reishi mushroom product in a trial involving 2,000 cases in China. This study demonstrated a better than 60% success rate. After several months of treatment there was a noted rise in the levels of immunoglobulin A in the sputum. ⁽¹⁰
   The combination of astragalus and reishi mushroom extract represents an effective means of daily immune support and a therapeutic intervention for a large number of immune compromised states (e.g.,chronic fatigue, chronic bronchitis, herpes I and II recurrent infections, post-herpetic neuralgia, recurrent apthous ulcers or canker sores, the common cold, HIV infection, etc.) and for patients undergoing chemo-or radiation therapy.
3. Cardiovascular Health: (High Blood Pressure and Reduced Platelet Aggregation) Two human controlled studies revealed that reishi mushroom extract can reduce high blood pressure to a significant degree (systolic and diastolic), even in patients who had previously failed to respond to established anti-hypertensive medications. ^(30,31) Animal studies reveal that reishi mushroom extract reduces blood pressure through a central inhibition of sympathetic nerve activity, although it does not slow heart rate or induce a sedative effect in general. ⁽³²
4. Liver Protective Effects: (Hepatoprotective Properties) Reishi is prescribed in China for the treatment of chronic and acute hepatitis. ⁽³⁶⁾ Various ganoderic acids in reishi mushrooms have strong antihepatotoxic properties, ⁽³⁷⁾ which under experimental conditions have been shown to protect liver cells from chemically-induced injury, including protection from the highly toxic and lethal substance, carbon tetrachloride. ^(38,39)

ScienceDaily (Apr. 25, 2008) — Just as fire engines arrive quickly at the scene to save people and property, the cells that fight viruses have to reach the site of an infection promptly to mount a protective response.

According to recent studies by University of Washington (UW) scientists, specialized types of white blood cells, a category called regulatory T cells, seem to help orchestrate this timely reaction to a virus invasion.

The Rudensky laboratory is noted for many contributions to the superhot field of regulatory T cells. These cells are important in controlling autoimmunity, a cellular self-attack that can lead to diseases like reactive arthritis. UW researchers and other scientists have shown that young mice deficient in regulatory T cells die from an aggressive form of autoimmunity that damages several organs.

Alexander Y. Rudensky, professor of immunology, noted the great clinical interest in the therapeutic potential of regulatory T cells. Evidence is growing on the role of regulatory T cells in keeping the body’s immune responses in check. Studies in lab animals suggest these cells might be harnessed to treat autoimmune diseases or reduce rejection of transplanted organs.

Researchers think that regulatory T cells might call a halt to immune responses as the body nears success in eliminating an infection. This suppression as the fight draws to an end would reduce tissue damage from robust immune responses.

But what happens early in infection? Does the immunity-suppressing function of regulatory T cells form an obstacle to organizing an attack on germs that have just invaded the body? Do regulatory T cells temporarily lose their suppression ability in reaction to viral-sensing mechanisms or other signals? In the recent Science Express study, researchers looked for a role for regulatory T cells during the start of a herpes simplex virus infection in mucus membranes.

When regulatory T cells are deficient in mice, the herpes simplex virus replicates rapidly in the mucus membranes and spreads to the spinal cord. Upon closer examination of these mice that lack regulatory T cells, the researchers found very little interferon, an anti-viral chemical that also boosts the immune response, at the infection site, even though it was found in the draining lymph nodes.

Also in the lymph nodes they noticed a sharp increase in certain chemokines, chemicals that stimulate immune cells to move in and cause inflammation. The presence of chemokines appeared to encourage the entry and retention of certain infection-fighting cells in the lymph nodes draining the site of infection, an ineffective place for the infection-fighting cells to be during the start of a viral attack.

The researchers also noticed a delay in killer cells, dendritic cells (the cells that capture and present foreign proteins to other immune cells), and T cells arriving at the site of infection, where they were supposed to go earlier to fulfill their virus-fighting roles. The researchers suggested that a possible reason for this tardiness is an alteration in the chemical cues necessary for these cells to migrate to the site of infection.

The authors described the finding of an immune-response promoting role for regulatory T cells during the early stages of a local infection as “unexpected,” considering the cells’ suppressor roles during later stages of an immune response.

Findings appear in the April 24 edition of Science Express. The authors of the study, “Coordination of Early Protective Immunity to Viral Infections by Regulatory T Cells,” are Jennifer M. Lund, senior fellow in immunology; Lianne Hsing, immunology graduate student; Thuy T. Pham, senior biology major; and Alexander Y. Rudensky, professor of immunology.

Adapted from materials provided by University of Washington, via EurekAlert!, a service

University of Washington (2008, April 25). Specialized White Blood Cells Coordinate First Responders To Viral Infection. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 25, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/04/080424152249.htm