Maitake Mushroom Extract (Grifola frondosa; Hui Shu Hua) 2 fl oz: HH
For thousands of years Maitake mushrooms have been revered in China and Japan as a food to maintain health, preserve youth, and increase longevity. Within the last 20 years there has been an increased scientific interest in the study of Maitake and its healing properties. Maitake has been recognized to be helpful in treatment and/or prevention of the following: Cancer HIV/AIDS High Blood Pressure Diabetes Obesity High Cholesterol A common denominator among some mushrooms and some herbs is the presence of complex polysaccharides in their structure. These active constituents help support immune system function and are sometimes called immunomodulators. The polysaccharides present in maitake have a unique structure and are among the most powerful studied in test tubes to date.(2) The primary polysaccharide, beta-D-glucan, is well absorbed when taken orally and is being studied as a potential tool for prevention and treatment of cancer and as a adjunctive treatment for HIV infection.(3,4) Animal studies suggest maitake may lower serum cholesterol and triglycerides.(5,6) However, this research is still preliminary and requires human trials for confirmation. Used as recommended above, there have been no reports of side effects with maitake. At the time of writing, there were no well-known drug interactions with maitake. References: 1. Hobbs C. Medicinal Mushrooms. Santa Cruz, CA: Botanica Press, 1995, 110–5. 2. Nanba H, Hamaguchi AM, Kuroda H. The chemical structure of an antitumor polysaccharide in fruit bodies of Grifola frondosa (maitake). Chem Pharm Bull 1987;35:1162–8. 3. Yamada Y, Nanba H, Kuroda H. Antitumor effect of orally administered extracts from fruit body of Grifola frondosa (maitake). Chemotherapy 1990;38:790–6. 4. Nanba H. Immunostimulant activity in vivo and anti-HIV activity in vitro of 3 branched b-1–6-glucans extracted from maitake mushrooms (Grifola frondosa). VIII International Conference on AIDS, Amsterdam, 1992 [abstract]. 5. Kubo K, Nanba H. Anti-hyperliposis effect of maitake fruit body (Grifola frondosa). I. Biol Pharm Bull 1997;20:781–5. 6. Adachi K, Nanba H, Otsuka M, Kuroda H. Blood pressure lowering activity present in the fruit body of Grifola frondosa (maitake). Chem Pharm Bull 1988;36:1000–6. 7. Hobbs C. Medicinal Mushrooms. Santa Cruz, CA: Botanica Press, 1995, 110–5.