February 9, 2017/Chung Shan Medical University/Pharmaceutical Biology
Text/WuTingyao
For a healthy person, is there a difference between eating Ganoderma lucidum and not eating Ganoderma lucidum? Or from another angle, do people in good health need to eat Ganoderma lucidum?
In February 2017, a research team led by Professor Chin-Kun Wang from Chung Shan Medical University published a clinical research report in “Pharmaceutical Biology”, which is worthy of our reference.
The Ganoderma lucidum capsules used in this study each have a net weight of 225 mg, and the content is Ganoderma lucidum fruiting body extract, which contains 7% of ganoderic acids (including ganoderic acid A, B, C, C5, C6, D, E and G) and 6% polysaccharide peptides. The content of the placebo capsule is 90% starch and 10% Ganoderma lucidum extract residue, which looks exactly like the Ganoderma lucidum capsule.
The researchers recruited 42 volunteers (22 men and 20 women) aged 40 to 54 who were in good overall health except for a few who had a higher GOT or GPT or mild fatty liver or gallbladder polyp.
They were divided into two groups for a “double-blind crossover test”: one group took a placebo, and the other group took Ganoderma lucidum capsules (1 capsule a day after lunch or dinner) for six months. After that, all subjects entered the “washout period” (no placebo or Ganoderma lucidum). One month later, those who took Ganoderma lucidum changed to placebo, and those who took placebo changed to Ganoderma lucidum. Both lasted for six months.
Ganoderma lucidum enhances antioxidant capacity.
With this experimental design, the difference between “eating Ganoderma lucidum” and “eating placebo” can be observed successively in the same subject. In the end, a total of 39 people completed the test. It was found that there were no significant differences in height, weight, body fat and body mass index (BMI) of the subjects regardless of whether they were taking Ganoderma lucidum or placebo.
However, the data measured from the subjects’ blood shows that eating Ganoderma lucidum for half a year can significantly increase the Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), as well as the content and activity of antioxidant enzymes, and significantly reduce the oxidative damage to cell membranes and DNA; In contrast, placebo did not bring much change (see the table below).
The antioxidant enzymes in red blood cells are also an important indicator of the body’s antioxidant capacity-red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen molecules are the most vulnerable to oxidative damage, and their defense mechanisms are even more important. Experimental results also show that Ganoderma lucidum can greatly increase the content of various antioxidant enzymes in red blood cells (see the table below).
Sorted by / Wu Tingyao (Source / Pharm Biol. 2017 Dec;55(1):1041-1046.)
Ganoderma lucidum helps protect the liver.
In addition, Ganoderma lucidum reduced the subjects’ average GOT and GPT by 42% and 27%, respectively. Abdominal ultrasound also showed that the symptoms of three subjects who had initial fatty liver or gallbladder polyp almost restored to normal after being treated with Ganoderma lucidum (as shown in the figure below).
Picture (A), Picture (B), Picture (C) are the abdominal ultrasonography photos of subjects No. 10, No. 19 and No. 36, respectively. The former two have mild fatty liver, and the latter has gallbladder polyp. After eating Ganoderma lucidum for six months, the original symptoms were almost invisible from the ultrasound pictures of the abdomen (picture (D), picture (E), picture (F) in order).
(Data source/Pharm Biol. 2017 Dec;55(1):1041-1046.)
Ganoderma lucidum upgrades health.
The above results indicate that Ganoderma lucidum can enhance anti-oxidation, improve liver function and repair liver damage in healthy people. Since “oxidation” is one of the sources of “aging”, the results of this study also have anti-aging significance.
Let us see how much Ganoderma lucidum these subjects ate. Just one capsule per day! As long as you continue to consume a small amount (225 mg) of Ganoderma lucidum extract, you can improve your already good health. Why not? It’s definitely more economical than asking Ganoderma lucidum for help after getting sick. Of course, the premise is that the Ganoderma lucidum you eat must be at least as rich in triterpenes and polysaccharides as the Ganoderma lucidum used in this clinical trial!
[Source] Chiu HF, et al. Triterpenoids and polysaccharide peptides-enriched Ganoderma lucidum: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study of its antioxidation and hepatoprotective efficacy in healthy volunteers. Pharm Biol. 2017; 55(1):1041-1046. doi: 10.1080/13880209.2017.1288750.
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About the author/ Ms. Wu Tingyao
Wu Tingyao has been reporting on first-hand Ganoderma information since 1999. She is the author of Healing with Ganoderma (published in The People’s Medical Publishing House in April 2017).
★ This article is published under the exclusive authorization of the author.
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★ The original text of this article was written in Chinese by Wu Tingyao and translated into English by Alfred Liu. If there is any discrepancy between the translation (English) and the original (Chinese), the original Chinese shall prevail. If readers have any questions, please contact the original author, Ms. Wu Tingyao.
