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Potential medical benefits of cordyceps*

Metabolic and ventilatory thresholds increased in elderly populations1*

Study Design: Twenty healthy elderly subjects (age 50–75 years) were enrolled in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, prospective study and randomized in a 1:1 fashion. The subjects were taking either 333 mg of cordyceps or placebo capsules 3 times a day for 12 weeks. The active compounds in the cordyceps were adenosine (0.14%), adenine, uracil, uridine, mannitol (5%), b-sitosterol, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides (0.5%), 18 common amino acids, zinc, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, and vitamin E.

Bar chart: 20 elderly subjects split between cordyceps and placebo for a 12-week study.
Pie chart: Cordyceps compound composition including adenosine (0.14%) and mannitol (5%).

Adapted from Chen S et al. J Altern Complement Med. 2010.

No adverse events occurred throughout the duration of the trial1

Significant increase in immune cell activity2*

Study Design: In a single-center, randomized, double-blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial 79 health males were randomized 1:1 to determine the effects of C. militaris on lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity and immunity. The content of cordycepin was 0.19% by weight.

Bar chart illustrating the randomized placement of 79 healthy males in a single-center clinical trial to study the effects of C. militaris on lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity.
Pie chart displaying the composition of C. militaris, highlighting that cordycepin constituted 0.19% of the weight.

Adapted from Kang HJ et al. J Med Food. 2015

There was no statistically significant adverse reaction throughout the duration of the trial2*

Potential medical benefits of lion’s mane

Lion’s mane significantly improved cognitive function3*

Study design: In a double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial, 30 patients who were 50-80 years old and diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment were randomized 1:1 into lion’s mane and placebo groups. The primary objective was to measure improvement in cognitive function based on the Hierarchic Dementia Scale-Revised (HDS-R). Patients received 250 mg of 96% Hericium erinaceus over the course of the 22-week study consisting of 2 weeks of preliminary examination, 16 weeks of test food intake, and a 4-week follow-up observation.

Alt text: Bar graph showing results from a 22-week double-blind trial comparing cognitive function improvements between a lion’s mane group and a placebo group. The study involved 30 patients aged 50-80 with mild cognitive impairment, using the Hierarchic Dementia Scale-Revised (HDS-R) as a measure. Patients in the lion’s mane group were administered 250 mg of 96% Hericium erinaceus.

Adapted from Mori K et al. Phytother Res. 2009

Laboratory tests showed no adverse events3*

Lion’s mane demonstrated a reduction in depression and anxiety4*

Study Design: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted over 4 weeks, 30 females with no specific diseases were randomized 1:1 and received either lion’s mane or placebo. The study used the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D), which is a short, self-reported scale designed to measure depressive symptomatology in the general population and the Indefinite Complaints Index (ICI), which is a 40-item scale that includes anxiety.

Line graph showcasing the scores from the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D) for 30 females over 4 weeks, comparing results between those administered lion’s mane and a placebo group.
Bar graph displaying the Indefinite Complaints Index (ICI) scores, a scale encompassing anxiety symptoms, for 30 females, comparing the lion’s mane group to the placebo over a 4-week period.

Adapted from Nagano M et al. Biomed Res. 2010

Potential medical benefits of Reishi

Reishi mushroom extracts reduced human colorectal cancer cells5*

Study design: Two different fractions of Ganoderma lucidum extract, a fraction containing mainly polysaccharides (GLE-1), and a triterpenoid fraction without polysaccharides (GLE-2) were analyzed. Their antiproliferative activity was evaluated by cell proliferation assay and 3H-thymidine incorporation assay. Scavenging effects of DPPH radical were assessed using ESR-spectroscopy. Extracts contained 15.8% polysaccharides (beta glucans) and 1.89% terpenoids (ganoderic acid).

Bar graph comparing antiproliferative and radical scavenging effects of two Ganoderma lucidum extract fractions: GLE-1 (polysaccharide-rich) and GLE-2 (triterpenoid-rich).

Adapted from Xie JT et al. Exp Oncol. 2006

1,3 and 1,6 Beta-Glucans extracted from Reishi mushrooms significantly inhibited inflammation in a dose dependent manner6*

Study design: The primary objective was to determine the anti-inflammatory effect of GLPss58, based on the binding of L-selectin to its ligand, which is the first step of inflammation procedure of leucocytes. GLPss58 is a derivative of Reishi-extracted GLP20 and has a structure comprised of a beta-1,3-linked D-glucan with a beta-1,6-d-glucopyranosyl.

Adapted from Zhang K et al. Int J Biol Macromol. 2018

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References: 1. Chen S, Li Z, Krochmal R, et al. Effect of Cs-4 (cordyceps sinensis) on exercise performance in healthy older subjects: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Altern Complement Med. 2010;16(5):585-590. 2. Kang HJ, Baik HW, Kim SJ, et al. Cordyceps militaris enhances cell-mediated immunity in healthy Korean men. J Med Food. 2015;18(10):1164-1172. 3. Mori K, Inatomi S, Ouchi K, et al. Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytother Res. 2009;23(3):367-372. 4. Nagano M, Shimizu K, Kondo R, et al. Reduction of depression and anxiety by 4 weeks hericium erinaceus intake. Biomed Res. 2010;31(4):231-237. 5. Xie JT, Wang CZ, Wicks S, et al. Ganoderma lucidum extract inhibits proliferation of SW 480 human colorectal cancer cells. Exp Oncol. 2006;28(1):25-29. 6. Zhang K, Liu Y, Zhao X, et al. Anti-inflammatory properties of GLPss58, a sulfated polysaccharide from Ganoderma lucidum. Int J Biol Macromol. 2018;107(Pt A):486-493.