Maitake is a mushroom native to East Asia and cultivated in Europe and America..

It is used for the production of dietary supplements with antiviral, immunomodulatory, antitumor properties, according to Pannochka, an online publication for girls and women from 14 to 35 years old.. net But how effective is maitake?

What does science know about him Let's turn to the official information of the FDA.

Name.

Scientific name: Grifola frondosa (Dickson ex Fr. ), family Polyporaceae. The Latin name Grifola refers to the griffin, a mythical animal with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion..

Traditional Names: Maitake, Dancing Mushroom, Mushroom King.

Application.

Maitake is used primarily as an immunomodulatory and antiviral agent.. It is also credited with the ability to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.. Maitake has been shown to help reduce body weight..

Despite the promising results of some studies, there is not enough information available to Western scientists to approve maitake for use as a drug.. Used in the US in numerous dietary supplements.

Doses.

For disease prevention in most commercial products, doses of maitake range from 12 to 25 mg of extract or 200 to 2500 mg of powder per day.. In clinical trials of maitake in patients with HIV, doses of 4000-6000 mg of mushroom powder per day were used..

Contraindications.

Not identified.

Pregnancy/lactation.

Not enough information.

Side effects, toxicology.

Not enough information.

Botanical description.

Maitake mushroom is native to northeastern Japan, but today it is actively cultivated in other Asian countries, as well as in the European Union, the United States and Canada.. This is a representative of the department of basidomycetes, family Polyporaceae (synonymous with Polyporus frondosus Dicks. ex Fries).

Maitake grows at the foot of oak trees and can reach 50 cm in base diameter.. Mushroom weight up to 100 pounds (45 kg). Maitake looks like a dancing butterfly, which is why it was called "

History of maitake.

In China and Japan, maitake mushroom has been used for about 3,000 years.. Ancient texts talk about the legendary healing properties of maitake. Centuries ago, in Japan, maitake was sold for its weight in pure silver.. In the second half of the 1980s, Japanese scientists came to the conclusion that maitake has more pronounced therapeutic properties than shiitake and kawaratake, mushrooms traditionally used in Asia to strengthen the immune system..

Chemical composition.

The polysaccharide beta-glucan is present in maitake in a small amount - up to 0.2%. It is found in most mushrooms of the Polyporaceae family (such as reishi) and has antitumor activity.. The D-fraction of beta-glucan is considered the most active form of the polysaccharide. Recently, the MD fraction was described, which Japanese scientists tentatively called even more active..

Maitake extracts have been found to contain substances such as beta-1,3-glycan grifolan (grifolan), lectin, the enzymes grifolizin and phytase, as well as lysophosphatidylethanolamine.. The latter, according to some reports, is able to stop apoptosis (cell death) of neurons.

Pharmacological properties.

Immunostimulatory and anti-cancer properties.

Immunostimulatory properties are characteristic of many mushrooms, including shiitake and kawaratake, which are used in Japanese medicine for cancer..

Maitake polysaccharide may be slightly different from the beta-glycans found in other mushrooms.. Scientists believe that a large molecular weight and a branched structure cause a more pronounced antitumor and immunomodulatory effect..

In 1998, the US FDA approved a research project to study the effectiveness of maitake D-fraction in breast and prostate cancer..

Animal research.

Maitake extract has been studied in laboratory mice and in vitro studies using Escherichia coli. It activates macrophages; enhances the production of natural T-killers and the synthesis of cytokines; increases the activity of humoral immunity, protects the immune system from the side effects of chemotherapy.

In experiments on mice, maitake demonstrated antitumor activity and synergy with the simultaneous administration of chemotherapeutic drugs.. Has been found to prevent metastasis in some types of cancer.

Clinical Trials.

Qualitative clinical trials of maitake in humans are limited. Scientists have considered the use of maitake in cancer of the liver, lung, stomach, breast, prostate. In one of the studies, which included 165 patients with cancer, an improvement in the quality of life of patients was reported: 90% of the symptoms associated with chemotherapy (nausea, hair loss) decreased, and pain decreased in 83% of patients..

Sugar-reducing properties.

Administering maitake powder (orally) to genetically engineered diabetic mice reduced blood sugar levels compared to controls. The mechanism of hypoglycemic action of maitake may be associated with an increase in insulin sensitivity..

Hypotensive action.

In experiments on rats with hypertension, maitake powder led to a decrease in blood pressure.. One group of researchers indicates that maitake extract is able to reduce systolic blood pressure in rats from 200 to 115 mm. rt. st. within 4 hours.

As far as confirming these findings in humans, there is one small, unpublished study. 11 patients with essential hypertension took 500 mg of maitake powder twice a day. During treatment, mean diastolic pressure decreased by 8 mm. rt. st. , and systolic - by 14 mm. rt. st.

Hypocholesterolemic action.

Maitake affects lipid metabolism by reducing lipid accumulation in the liver.. Maitake Powder Reduces Total Cholesterol and Very-Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) Cholesterol in Hypercholesterolemic Rats According to Some Scientists.

obesity treatment.

At least 2 studies support maitake's ability to reduce body weight in obesity. After 18 weeks of treating obese rats with maitake powder, they lose significant weight. In an observational study of 30 patients, weight loss of 3-12 kg (7-26 lbs) was observed after 2 months of maitake powder tablets at doses ranging from 20 to 500 mg..

Antiviral action.

In in vitro studies, maitake D-fraction demonstrated an inhibitory effect against hepatitis B virus when used alone, as well as a synergistic effect with alpha-2b-interferon..

One well-known human trial (with insufficiently good methodology) demonstrated a positive effect of maitake on CD4+ count and viral load in HIV infection..

In another study involving 35 HIV-positive patients, maitake powder and the DM fraction of the extract improved the quality of life of 85% of patients after 1 year of administration.. The effect of maitake on viral load and CD4+ count was minimal.

Action on the nervous system.

In vitro experiments have shown that lysophosphatidylethanolamine (a substance from maitake extract) causes a cascade of reactions that slow down neuronal differentiation and stop apoptosis..

medbe. en.