Medicinal Mushrooms: Bioactive Compounds, Use, and Clinical Trials

Medicinal mushrooms have important health benefits and exhibit a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities, including antiallergic, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antiviral, cytotoxic, immunomodulating, antidepressive, antihyperlipidemic, antidiabetic, digestive, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, nephroprotective, osteoprotective, and hypotensive activities. The growing interest in mycotherapy requires a strong commitment from the scientific community to expand clinical trials and to propose supplements […]

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Differential Immune Activating, Anti-Inflammatory, and Regenerative Properties of the Aqueous, Ethanol, and Solid Fractions of a Medicinal Mushroom Blend

Purpose To compare three fractions of a medicinal mushroom blend (MMB), MyCommunity, on immune-activation, inflammation-regulation, and induction of biomarkers involved in regenerative functions. Methods A seventeen-species MMB was sequentially extracted: first, saline solution at ambient temperature, followed by re-extraction of the solids in ethanol, and finally resuspension of the homogenized ethanol-insoluble solids in cell-culture media. […]

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Neuroprotective Metabolites of Hericium erinaceus Promote Neuro-Healthy Aging

Frailty is a geriatric syndrome associated with both locomotor and cognitive decline, typically linked to chronic systemic inflammation, i.e., inflammaging. In the current study, we investigated the effect of a two-month oral supplementation with standardized extracts of H. erinaceus, containing a known amount of Erinacine A, Hericenone C, Hericenone D, and L-ergothioneine, on locomotor frailty and cerebellum […]

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Medicinal Mushrooms: Their Bioactive Components, Nutritional Value and Application in Functional Food Production

Medicinal mushrooms, e.g., Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers.), Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst.), Chaga (Inonotus obliquus (Ach. ex Pers.) Pilát), Cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Berk.) G.H. Sung, J.M. Sung, Hywel-Jones and Spatafora), Shiitake (Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler), and Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor (L.) Lloyd), are considered new-generation foods and are of growing interest to consumers. They are characterised by a […]

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Immunomodulatory Activities of a Fungal Protein Extracted from Hericium erinaceus through Regulating the Gut Microbiota

A single-band protein (HEP3) was isolated from Hericium erinaceus using a chemical separation combined with pharmacodynamic evaluation methods. This protein exhibited immunomodulatory activity in lipopolysaccharide-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages by decreasing the overproduction of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6, and downregulating the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and nuclear factor-κB p65. Further researches revealed that […]

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Immune-modulating Effects of Maitake Mushroom Extract

Reference Deng G, Lin H, Seidman A, et al. A phase I/II trial of a polysaccharide extract from Grifola frondosa (Maitake mushroom) in breast cancer patients: immunological effects. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2009;135(9):1215-1221. Design Phase I/II dose escalation trial Participants Thirty-four postmenopausal breast cancer patients (≥18 y) with resected stage I, II, or III breast cancer who were […]

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Immune-enhancing effects of Maitake (Grifola frondosa) and Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) extracts

Background The role of glucan in stimulation of immune reactions has been studied for several decades. In this report, we focused on the effects of orally administered glucan Maitake and Shiitake on immune reactions. Materials and methods We measured phagocytosis, NK cell activity, and secretion of IL-6, IL-12, IFN-γ as well as C-reactive protein (CRP) […]

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What is Mesima?

Mesima is the substance to enhance the anti-cancer immunological activities containing protein bounded polysaccharide (PPLA) that is obtained in the process to massively cultivate, extract and refine pure mycelium from fruit body of Phellinus linteus that is called as Sang-Hwang (galenical name) that is a kind of mushroom. The research team of Dr. Chihara in […]

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