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Home > Supplements > Antioxidants >
| Agaricus blazei is a medicinal mushroom that contains a
special class of polysaccharides known as "beta glucans." Studies show
beta glucans stimulate activity of natural killer (NK) cells, which are
an important part of the immune system.
The Agaricus blazei in this product is extracted with the preferred
hot water/alcohol method to increase its digestibility and enhance
bioavailability of the polysaccharides.
Originally discovered in Brazil, Agaricus blazei is widely consumed
in many countries, where it is regarded as a health food, due to its
medicinal properties. The mushroom is used both in tea form and as a
food. Since 1965, strains of Agaricus blazei have been imported to
Japan, where it is now widely cultivated and researched.1
Folk Use
The folk use of this herb encompasses a broad profile of reported
effects,1,2 including:
__1) Fighting physical and emotional stress.*
__2) Immune support.*
__3) Maintaining normal blood sugar levels.*
__4) Maintaining already normal cholesterol levels.*
__5) Digestive support.*
__6) Bone health.*
__7) Liver support*
Among the above properties attributed to Agaricus, immune support is
the major focus of usage scientific research to date. Like other
medicinal mushrooms, Agaricus contains complex polysaccharides that
stimulate the immune system. It is reported that Agaricus is utilized
for this purpose by 300,000 to 500,000 people in Japan annually, where
yearly production of the dried mushroom ranges from 100,000 to 300,000
kg.2
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Supports immune function*
Agaricus blazei has been the subject of research in Japan, where
investigations have focused on the role of mushroom polysaccharides as
"biological response modifiers that can stimulate immune function.
Studies have shown that beta glucans extracted from Agaricus are the
active polysaccharides, with 1,6 beta-glucan as the most potent
immunomodulator.3 Fungi-derived beta glucans have
been found to stimulate the release of tumor necrosis factor from immune
cells called "macrophages."4 While activating the
immune response to abnormal cells, beta glucans have no effect on normal
cells.5 Additional experiments have shown that
Agaricus blazei activates the alternative complement pathway, which is
an important part of the body’s immune defense against foreign
organisms.6 Agaricus extracts have demonstrated an
ability to help maintain cellular health through an antimutagenic effect
on cells.2,7 In the test tube, isolated fractions
of Agaricus blazei have been found to inhibit proliferation of white
blood cells and cytokines that can cause inflammation if over expressed.
These results suggest Agaricus may help regulate immune over-activity.8
Liver protection against toxins*
A water extract of Agaricus blazei was tested on rat liver cells
exposed to the toxic chemical diethylnitrosamine (DEN). Rats were
administered the mushroom extract for two weeks and then injected with
the toxin. Compared to control rats that did not receive the extract,
the rats given Agaricus showed markedly less liver damage. Different
doses of the toxin where used to gauge the level of protection exerted
by the mushroom. Liver enzymes were lower in rats that received
moderate, but not high, doses of the toxin, leading researchers to
conclude that Agaricus protects against moderate, but not severe,
chemical-induced liver toxicity. No adverse effects were seen.9
A group of medical researchers in China has reported that 10
hepatitis patients given Agaricus blazei showed improvements in liver
function and hematology tests.10
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Suggested Adult Use: 3 capsules daily.
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1. Menoli, R. et al. Antimutagenic effects of the mushroom Agaricus
blazei Murrill extracts on V79 cells. Mutation Research 2001; 496:5-13.
2. Takeshi, T, Kimura, Y, Okuda, H. Isolation of an antitumor compound
from Agaricus blazei Murrill and its mechanism of action. J. Nutr.
2001;131:1409-13.
3. Ohno, N, et al. Antitumor beta-glucan from the cultured fruit body of
Agaricus blazei. Biol. Pharm. Bull. 2001;24(7):820-28.
4. Olson. E, et al. Fungal beta-glucan interacts with vitronectin and
stimulates tumor necrosis factor release from macrophages. Infection and
Immunity 1996; 64:3548-54.
5. Fujimiya, Y, et al. Tumor-specific cytocidal and immunopotentiating
effects of relatively low molecular weight products derived from the
Basidiomycete, Agaricus blazei Murril. Anticancer Research
1999;19:113-18.
6. Shimizu, S, et al. Activation of the alternative complement pathway
by Agaricus blazei Murrill Phytomedicine 2002; 9(6):536-45.
7. de Olivera, JM, et al. Antigenotoxic effects of aqueous extracts of
sun mushroom (Agaricus blazei Murrill lineage 99/26) in mammalian cells
in vitro. Food and Chemical Toxicology 2002; 40:1775-80.
8. Kuo, Y-C, et al. Cell cycle progression and cytokine gene expression
of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells modulated by Agaricus blazei.
J Lab Clin Med 2002; 140:176-87.
9. Barbisan, LF, et al. Influence of aqueous extract of Agaricus blazei
on rat liver toxicity induced by different doses of diethylnitrosamine.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2002; 83:25-32.
10. Li Rong, W, et al. Observation on the treatment effect of Agaricus
blazei Murrill to the liver function of chronic hepatitis patients.
Unpublished report. |
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