After experiencing the first wave of Omicron, we all encountered online and offline “difficulties in snapping up medicines”. Lianhua Qingwen and ibuprofen were out of stock. The second wave of new mutant strain XBB.1.5 came … Montmorillonite powder was sold out immediately.
The speed at which people hoard medicines will never keep up with the process of virus mutation. In response to the novel coronavirus, it is better to stock up on health than to stock up on medicine!
There is no special medicine for treating COVID-19.
Zhang Boli, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, mentioned that no matter whether it is Western medicine or traditional Chinese medicine, there is no “special medicine”, let alone “miracle medicine”.
When a person is infected with the novel coronavirus, strictly speaking, traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine only play the role of adjuvant treatment, helping to alleviate some symptoms, control the development of the disease and reduce the risk of mild disease turning into severe disease. Even if the “small molecule specific drug”, its mechanism is only to inhibit the replication of the virus but not to eradicate the virus.
When taking medicine, you must use it rationally and have some patience. It takes time for the medicine to work. Remember that there are no miracle medicines and special medicines. It is even more forbidden to take medicines indiscriminately when you are sick, and to use drugs in combination without purpose, which will easily cause drug injury. The “main force” against the novel coronavirus is autoimmunity. Therefore, hoarding medicine is not as good as hoarding “health”.
What we call “immunity” generally refers to resistance, that is, the ability to resist pathogens. The immunity of the human body comes from a whole set of immune system of the body, which is composed of immune organs, immune cells and immune factors, and establishes lines of defense for the body to resist the outside world.
A stable and balanced immune state allows the body to promptly detect and accurately remove harmful substances or pathogens when they invade. When the immunity is low and the immune cell response efficiency is low, the virus will wreak havoc in the body and cause severe illness. Therefore, if you want to have mild symptoms after infection, or turn negative in a short period of time, the key is to improve your immunity.
Improve one’s own resistance, that is, improve the body’s vital energy. The main role of traditional Chinese medicine is to “secure the root and cultivate the vitality”.
At present, the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in epidemic prevention and control are becoming increasingly prominent. As the only Chinese medicinal material that can enter the five meridians (kidney, liver, heart, spleen, and lung) among the 365 traditional Chinese medicines, Ganoderma lucidum has the effect of enhancing immunity and maintaining overall functional balance.
It is also mentioned in Lingzhi From Mystery to Science that pharmacological research results prove that Ganoderma lucidum can enhance the body’s non-specific immune functions, such as promoting the proliferation, differentiation and other functions of dendritic cells, enhancing the phagocytosis of macrophages and natural killer cells, and directly killing bacteria and viruses that invade the human body.
Reishi mushroom can also enhance humoral immunity and cellular immunity, such as promoting the production of immunoglobulin, increasing the proliferation response of T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes, and promoting the production of cytokines such as interleukin 1, interleukin 2 and interferon Y, thus further enhancing the ability of the human body to resist bacterial and viral infection.
—Excerpt from P42 of Lingzhi From Mystery to Science by Zhi-Bin Lin
Ganoderma lucidum extract inhibits novel coronavirus infection in vitro and in vivo.
So, while Ganoderma lucidum improves human immunity, does it have any inhibitory effect on the novel coronavirus? Can patients with COVID-19 eat Ganoderma lucidum to have a positive effect on the body? Several recent research results provide us with favorable evidence.
In April 2020, the international academic journal Molecules published “Natural Bioactive Compounds from Fungi as Potential Candidates for Protease Inhibitors and Immunomodulators to Apply for Coronaviruses”.
This paper reviews the discovery and research progress of natural active compounds of fungi in inhibiting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease, and proposes that fungi, especially active compounds of Ganoderma lucidum (triterpenoids, polysaccharides and small molecular proteins) play an important role in inhibiting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease. This study provides a potential drug candidate for the prevention and treatment of coronaviruses, which can be used in the future to prevent and treat coronaviruses, especially for the prevention and treatment of novel coronavirus infections.
In 2021, “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) 2021 Vol. 118 No.5″ published an article “Identification of Inhibitors of Novel Coronavirus Infection from Listed Drugs and Herbal Medicines”. The study found that Ganoderma lucidum water extract can significantly inhibit the infection of the novel coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) both in vivo and in vitro.
It can be seen that patients with COVID-19 can have a positive effect on the body by eating Ganoderma lucidum!
In daily life, adjusting physical condition, paying attention to rest, moderately drinking water, eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, ensuring nutritional intake, maintaining a good mood and improving the body’s immunity are important factors to successfully survive the infection process.
At the same time, don’t forget to eat Ganoderma lucidum regularly to enhance immunity!
Note: Part of the content refers to CCTV and Baidu data.
