Medicinal functions of shiitake mushrooms: anti-tumor, immunity enhancement, lipid-lowering, anti-thrombotic

There are not many vegetables that can be eaten and used as medicine. Shiitake mushrooms have certain medicinal value. Let me tell you about them today:

Anti-tumor effects of shiitake mushrooms

Shiitake mushrooms contain a variety of effective medicinal components, especially lentinan (LNT), which has certain anti-tumor effects. In 1969, Chihara et al. of Japan isolated and extracted LNT and confirmed that it had a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of S-180 sarcoma in mice. Since then, many scholars at home and abroad have conducted a large number of more in-depth and diversified studies on the anti-tumor effects of LNT. In 1984, a US patent reported that a xylose-rich solid culture medium was used to culture shiitake mushrooms, and an anti-cancer glycoprotein with xylose as the main component could be obtained from the mycelial culture. Ou Huichun et al. of my country isolated a glycoprotein from the solid culture of shiitake mushrooms, and its anti-sarcoma 180 effect was 10 times better than that of mitomycin [6]. After the 1980s, a large number of pharmacological and clinical experiments on LNT were conducted. Yao Yang et al. used a combination chemotherapy regimen to treat 80 patients with advanced malignant tumors. The results showed that 43 cases were treated with Lentinan, with an effective rate of 55.81%, while 37 cases were treated with combined chemotherapy alone. The effective rate of the control group without Lentinan was only 35.14%, and the difference between the two groups was significant [7]. In the field of blood cancer research, Xie Xiaopeng et al. used Lentinan in combination with leukemia chemotherapy to reduce the negative effects of chemotherapy and increase the complete remission rate [8]. A large number of experiments have shown that Lentinan is mainly used as an auxiliary drug in tumor treatment. It has the effect of inhibiting and preventing postoperative micrometastasis of chronic myeloid leukemia and various cancers. This effect is indirect toxicity to cancer cells through the body's immunity, which is particularly suitable for the body's recovery after illness. Compared with other anti-tumor drugs, LNT has almost no toxic side effects.

Shiitake mushrooms boost immunity

According to research, Lentinan can activate macrophages, enhance macrophage phagocytosis, and increase the infiltration of neutrophils into tumor nodes, thus promoting the recovery of the host's internal imbalance caused by cancer and infection. Lentinan can also increase the transformation rate of lymphocytes and enhance the body's anti-tumor ability. Sixteen days after intraperitoneal injection of Lentinan into mice, the activity of acid phosphatase (ACP) and arginase in mouse peritoneal macrophages increased significantly, and the ability to damage tumor cells and the inhibitory effect on tumor cell proliferation were significantly enhanced [9]. Dong Pujiang et al. studied the immunosuppressive factors produced by A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells and the effects of Lentinan on T cell transformation, and found that: T cell transformation was inhibited by the immunosuppressive factor, and the degree of inhibition was positively correlated with the depth of the immunosuppressive factor. Appropriate concentrations of Lentinan can effectively antagonize this inhibitory effect [10]. Zhou Aiwu et al. found that Lentinan can promote the production of hemolysin antibodies in spleen cells of immunocompromised mice induced by cyclophosphamide, and can also promote the proliferation of induced mouse lymphocytes, increase the number of spleen antibody secreting cells and the formation of spleen specific secretory cells [11]. Foreign reports have shown that Lentinan can activate T lymphocytes and promote the differentiation of a variety of immature T cells into mature T cells [12]. At present, Lentinan is regarded as the strongest restorer of helper T cell activity and T cell immune enhancer involving macrophages both at home and abroad.

Shiitake mushrooms can lower blood lipids and prevent thrombosis

Studies have found that shiitake adenine and shiitake polysaccharide can promote cholesterol metabolism and reduce its content in serum, and have certain preventive and therapeutic effects on cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, arteriosclerosis, and hypertension. Shiitake mushrooms are rich in vitamins, which have the effect of lowering blood lipids and increasing coronary blood flow, and also have good preventive and therapeutic functions for hypertension and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Japanese scholars have reported that if each person eats 90g of fresh shiitake mushrooms (or 9g of dried shiitake mushrooms) per day, the average serum cholesterol of the human body will decrease by 6% to 12% after one week, so shiitake mushrooms have become a health food for patients with hypertension.

Liver-protective effects of shiitake mushrooms

According to research, shiitake mushrooms have a certain effect on the treatment of acute and chronic liver diseases such as viral hepatitis, infectious hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Lentinan has a liver-protecting effect and enhances detoxification ability, reducing serum transaminase levels. Shi Yali et al. revealed through a mouse exhaustion experiment model that shiitake polysaccharide can significantly reduce liver damage caused by chemicals such as CCl4, stimulate the regeneration of part of the liver of mice with liver resection, and resist various toxins. At the same time, supplementation of shiitake polysaccharide increases the content of liver glycogen, which has a liver-protecting effect.

In short, in addition to its good function of treating liver disease and cancer, shiitake mushrooms can effectively reduce blood lipids and enhance human immunity, thereby effectively improving human physical fitness. Therefore, it is highly regarded by the medical community as a "health food" and some people call it a "functional food." With the rapid development of the economy and the continuous improvement of people's living standards, the international and domestic markets for shiitake mushrooms will expand day by day, and the demand for shiitake mushrooms and their processed products and health products will increase rapidly. The prospects for mushroom products are attractive.