Shiitake Mushroom (15% Polysaccharides)

History and Uses:
Shiitake Mushroom grows on the trunks or stumps of trees, and in the wild, this light amber fungus is also found on fallen hardwood trees. Shiitake has been revered in Japan and China as both a food and medicinal herb for thousands of years. Wu Ri, a famous physician from the Chinese Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644), wrote extensively about this mushroom, noting its ability to increase energy, cure colds and eliminate worms. Wild Shiitake Mushrooms are native to Japan, China and other Asian countries, and they are also widely cultivated throughout the world, including the United States. The fruiting body is used medicinally. Mushrooms have been valued as both food and medicine throughout the world, but until recently, many in the West associated all mushrooms with poison. The recent surge of Western interest in medicinal mushrooms shows that this attitude may be changing, however, and Japanese products containing LEM, a polysaccharide-rich extract from the Shiitake Mushroom, and similar extracts from Maitake Mushroom, are currently undergoing trials in Japan and the United States to see whether they are effective treatments for various cancers and AIDS. A vast amount of research into Shiitake's medicinal properties has been completed and shows that it has the ability to fight tumors and viruses and can enhance the immune system. Primary chemical constituents of Shiitake include polysaccharide (lentinan), eritadenin, proteins, fatty acids and

vitamins D, B-2 and B-12. The proteins contain all of the essential amino acids and most commonly-occurring, non-essential amino acids and amides. The fatty acids are largely unsaturated, and Shiitake is rich in vitamins and minerals. Key therapeutic substances also present are glucans, a major constituent of the cell walls. Shiitake also yields lentinan, a beta-1,3-linked glucan polysaccharide, and in tests, it has reversed tumor growth when injected in mice. It acts by stimulating the immune system, rather than by direct action on the tumor. Because of its large molecular size, lentinan is not absorbed efficiently when taken orally, but some is absorbed. Lentinan activates the alternative complement pathway, stimulating the macrophages, thus inhibiting tumor growth. It also may activate interleukin-1 secretion, which helps trigger T lymphocytes. Shiitake is believed to stimulate interferon production. Eritadenine, a purine alkaloid from Shiitake, is similar to nucleotides in structure and has been shown to lower cholesterol in animal studies.