Reishi is a unique health food with a wide range of medicinal properties. The most important active ingredients in Reishi are the polysaccharides.
Researchers in Taiwan recently found that the polysaccharide extract from Reishi is 3 times more potent than PSK, a polysaccharide isolated from Coriolus Versicolor (Yun Zhi) in Japan. The conclusion was drawn from a parallel clinical test on two groups of cancer patients.
Reishi is officially listed as a substance for treating cancer by the Japanese government.
In comparison to its other properties, Reishi has received the most attention as a source of antitumor activity. This action is due to immunostimulating polysaccharides, particularly those known as Beta-D-Glucans.
Dr. Fukumi Morishige, M.D., Dr. Med. Sci., Ph.D., a former heart surgeon and cancer surgeon, did extensive research on the action of Reishi on the immune system. He gave two groups of patients Reishi extracts. In those patients who had shown high readings of immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, IgE, IgM), their counts had lowered, while those who previously had low counts now showed the same antibodies in higher counts.
In 1979, researchers in Poland found that an RNA from Reishi disrupts viral diseases by inducing the production of interferon. This RNA was found in the fruit body of Reishi and in higher levels in the mycelium.
Reishi Polysaccharides increase RNA and DNA in the bone marrow where immune cells such as lymphocytes are made. One of the active polysaccharides is called D6. Researchers in Beijing injected it into mice for a week and then monitored the changes in DNA and RNA in the bone marrow. Increases were roughly 50%. Protein in bone marrow also increased by as much as 28.5%.
It is in the bone marrow that the body manufactures B-cells which in turn produce antibodies. It is also where macrophages have some of their earliest beginnings.
Investigators in China found that the polysaccharide part of Reishi causes a marked increase in the action of macrophages to gobble up foreign cells in the abdomen of mice.
Dr. Morishige discovered that vitamin C renders the high molecular weight polysaccharides into oligoglucans of molecular weight about 30,000. He explains that once the oligoglucans are dissolved in the bloodstream, the macrophage, which normally rests until late in the war on abnormal and foreign cells, is called into action at an earlier stage of the battle.
Reishi polysaccharides also augments the responsiveness of antibodies, particularly IgG, by expanding the "memory" of T-cells. IgG constitutes a major class of antibodies in human serum that act to enhance phagocytosis (the cell-gobbling action of certain immune cells) and neutralize toxins.
AIDS treatment news, a newsletter out of San Francisco, talks about research conducted on Fu Zheng treatment of AIDS by Dr. Subhuti Dharmananda and his group. Reishi is one of the herbs that appears to be used successfully.
Reishi polysaccharides have high molecular weights of up to 1,050,000, which makes absorptiion by the intestines difficult. Dr. Fukumi Morishige, M.D. found that patients given large doses of Reishi (2-9g/day) had diarrhea, but when a large dose of vitamin C was combined, no diarrhea occurred. Vitamin C renders the high molecular weight polysaccharides to a molecular weight of 30,000 when they are much more readily absorbed by the intestines and bloodstream.
For general health maintenance and prevention, take 1 Reishi Polysaccharide capsules twice per day on an empty stomach. Also take 500 mg of Vitamin C per day after breakfast.
When a serious illness occurs, increase the dosage to 4 capsules of Reishi Polysaccharide in the morning and 4 Reishi mycelium capsules at night on an empty stomach. Also take 2,000-3,000 mg of Vitamin C per day after meals.
Some people may experience Vertigo Reaction when they first take Reishi. During the first week, they may experience slight swelling of the head or dizziness. Arthritis patient may experienced a temporary increase in the pain level. This is a cleansing reaction, often called a "healing crisis". Continue to take Reishi and the symptoms will be alleviated within a week.