◎ This article was first published in traditional Chinese in Issue 96 of “霊芝」 (12月 2022), and was first published in simplified Chinese on “ganodermanews.com” (January 2023), and is now reproduced here with the authorization of the author.

In the article “The basis of Reishi to prevent influenza ─ Sufficient healthy qi inside the body will prevent invasion of pathogenic factors” in the 46th issue of “霊芝” in 2009, I mentioned that the theory of traditional Chinese medicine believes that health and disease belong to the different states of “conflict between healthy and pathogenic qi”. その中で, the “healthy qi” refers to the human body’s ability to resist diseases, and “pathogenic qi” generally refers to viruses and bacteria that invade the human body or tumors that generate in the body.

つまり, a person is in a healthy state because sufficient healthy qi inside the body prevents the invasion of pathogenic factors, つまり, the human body has a strong ability to resist diseases, which does not mean that there is no pathogenic qi in the body but means that the pathogenic qi in the body cannot overwhelm the healthy qi; a person is in a state of illness because pathogenic factors invade the body deficient in healthy qi, つまり, the deficiency of healthy qi weakens the body’s disease resistance, and the accumulation of pathogenic factors in the body leads to disease. The ideal method of treatment is to completely eliminate the pathogenic factors. However, up to now, neither Western medicine nor traditional Chinese medicine can completely eliminate some pathogenic factors.

Isn’t that the case with today’s novel coronavirus infection? Due to the lack of specific antiviral drugs, neither western medicine nor traditional Chinese medicine can thoroughly kill viruses. The reason why infected people can recover is to rely on strengthening the body’s immunity (healthy qi) on the basis of symptomatic treatment (relief of uncomfortable symptoms) to eventually clear the virus (pathogenic qi). 

A strong immune system makes it difficult for viruses to cause disease. 

The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has infected and ravaged the world for 3 年. By the end of 2022, より多い 600 million people have been infected and more than 6 million people have died. 現在のところ, the Omicron variants of the novel coronavirus are still spreading wildly around the world. Although their pathogenicity and fatality rate are both reduced, it is highly contagious and its infection rate is extremely high.

Existing antiviral drugs cannot kill specific viruses, but can only inhibit the proliferation of viruses. Apart from routine preventive measures such as wearing masks, paying attention to hand hygiene, maintaining social distancing, and avoiding gatherings, the most important thing is nothing more than “strengthening healthy qi”.

Immunity refers to the ability of the body’s immune system to resist and eliminate the invasion of pathogens such as bacteria and viruses, remove aging, dead or mutated cells in the body and substances that cause allergic reactions, maintain the stability of the body’s internal environment and keep the body healthy.

Many factors such as mental stress, 不安, 過労, 栄養失調, 睡眠障害, 運動不足, エージング, disease and drugs can affect the body’s immunity and can cause immune hypofunction or immune dysfunction.

エピデミックの間, some people who had close contact with people infected with the novel coronavirus did not get sick and became asymptomatic cases; some people got sick but had mild symptoms.

The reason why these people are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms is that the body’s strong immunity (healthy qi) suppresses the virus (pathogenic qi). When there is sufficient healthy qi in the body, pathogenic factors have no way to invade the body.

Schematic diagram of Reishi strengthening healthy qi and eliminating pathogens

Reishi enhances immunity and inhibits viral infections.

Reishi has an immune-boosting effect. 初めに, Reishi can enhance the non-specific immune function of the body, including promoting the maturation, differentiation and function of dendritic cells, enhancing the killing activity of mononuclear macrophages and natural killer cells, and can directly eliminate invading viruses.

第二に, Reishi enhances the functions of humoral immunity and cellular immunity such as promoting the proliferation of B cells, promoting the production of immunoglobulin (antibody) IgM and IgG, promoting the proliferation of T cells, enhancing the killing activity of cytotoxic T cells (CTL), and promoting the production of cytokines like interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma).

Studies have shown that Reishi can inhibit the immune escape of tumor cells, but whether it has a similar effect on the immune escape of viruses remains to be further studied. However, for the immune hypofunction caused by various reasons such as mental stress, 不安, 過労, エージング, disease and drugs, Reishi has been proven to help restore normal immune function.

The immune-boosting effect of Reishi provides a theoretical basis for its prevention of coronavirus infection.

Reishi quiets the spirit, resists stress and enhances immunity.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some people experienced fear, tension, 不安, 睡眠障害, and even depression due to mental stress caused by COVID-19 infection or epidemic prevention and control measures, all of which will affect immunity.

In the article “Animal Experiments and Human Experiments of 霊芝ルシダム Against Stress-Induced Immune Function Suppression” in the 63rd issue of 霊芝 で 2014, I talked about the pharmacological experiments that マンネンタケ improved the immune function of mice caused by stress. This paper points out that the physical and mental stress produced by high-intensity training can suppress the immune function of athletes, but Ganoderma lucidum can improve immune function.

These effects are related to the immune-boosting and spirit-quieting features ofReishi. In another word, Reishi helps alleviate mental stress by its effects such as sedative hypnosis, anti-anxiety, and anti-depression. Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine that the spirit-quieting efficacy of Reishi could reduce the mental stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and boost immunity.

マンネンタケ also has an anti-novel coronavirus effect.

マンネンタケ is well known for its antiviral properties. エピデミックの間, people are more concerned about whether マンネンタケ has an anti-novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) effect.

The research by scholars from Academia Sinica, Taiwan published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” In 2021 それを証明したマンネンタケ 多糖類 (RF3) has obvious anti-novel coronavirus effects in in vivo and in vitro antiviral tests, and is non-toxic.

Studies have shown that RF3 (2 μg/ml) in vitroで培養されたSARS-Cov-2に対して顕著な抗ウイルス効果がある, そして、次のように希釈しても依然として阻害活性を持っています。 1280 回, but it has no toxicity to the virus-host Vero E6 cells. Oral administration of マンネンタケ 多糖類RF3 (1日あたりの用量で 30 mg/kg) can significantly reduce the viral load (content) SARS-Cov-2ウイルスに感染したハムスターの肺, but the weight of experimental animals does not decrease, それを示している マンネンタケ polysaccharide is non-toxic (下の図に示すように) [1].

The anti-novel coronavirus effect of the above-mentionedマンネンタケ polysaccharides in vivo and in vitro provides a theoretical basis for “eliminating pathogenic factors” for its prevention of novel coronavirus infection.

The experimental results ofマンネンタケ polysaccharides against the novel coronavirus in vivo and in vitro

マンネンタケ enhances the effect of the virus vaccine.

Virus vaccines are autoimmune preparations made by artificially attenuating, inactivating or genetically modifying viruses or their components to prevent viral infections.

The vaccine retains the characteristics of the virus or its components to stimulate the body’s immune system. Vaccination against viruses can train the immune system to recognize viruses and induce immunoglobulins (such as IgG and IgA antibodies) to protect against bacterial and viral infections. When viruses enter the body in the future, vaccines can recognize and kill viruses. Vaccines can also stimulate cellular immunity and form corresponding immune memory. When viruses enter the body in the future, vaccines can quickly identify and eliminate viruses.

It can be seen from this that the purpose of vaccination is also to prevent the invasion of pathogenic factors by sufficient healthy qi inside the body so as to obtain specific antiviral immunity. マンネンタケ polysaccharide alone can enhance the body’s non-specific immunity as well as specific humoral immunity and cellular immunity. の組み合わせ マンネンタケ and vaccine (antigen) has the function of adjuvant, which can enhance the immunogenicity of antigen and enhance the effect of the virus vaccine.

In the article “Adjuvant properties of マンネンタケ polysaccharides – enhancing the effect of virus vaccines” in the 92nd issue of 霊芝 で 2021, I introduced in detail that マンネンタケ polysaccharides extracted and purified from マンネンタケ fruiting bodies can enhance the effects of porcine circovirus vaccines, swine fever virus vaccines and chicken Newcastle disease virus vaccines, promote the production of specific antibodies and immune cytokines such as interferon-γ, alleviate symptoms caused by virus attack on experimental animals and reduce mortality. These studies provide a basis for the research and application of マンネンタケ to enhance the effect of the novel coronavirus vaccine.

「マンネンタケ + vaccine” can improve protection. 

Omicron virus has low pathogenicity and low case fatality rate, but is highly contagious. After the novel coronavirus epidemic control was lifted, many families or units tested positive for nucleic acid or antigen rapid screening.

Therefore, the most important preventive measure for those who have not turned positive is to “strengthen healthy qi and eliminate pathogen”, namely to enhance immunity to resist viral infection. マンネンタケ is one of the great options for boosting immunity. With 霊芝 protection combined with vaccination, you may have a chance to escape.

ついに, I sincerely hope that マンネンタケ which strengthens healthy qi and eliminates pathogens can be used to prevent and control the epidemic, overcome the pathogens, and protect all living beings.

参照: 1. Jia-Tsrong Jan, 他. Identification of existing pharmaceuticals and herbal medicines as inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2021; 118(5): e2021579118. 土肥: 10.1073/ pnas.2021579118.

BriefIntroduction of Professor Zhi–bin リン

He has devoted himself to the study of 霊芝 for nearly half a century and is a pioneer in the study of Ganoderma in China.

He has successively served as the vice president of Beijing Medical University, the deputy dean of the School of Basic Medicine of Beijing Medical University, the director of the Institute of Basic Medicine and the director of the Department of Pharmacology of Beijing Medical University. He is currently a professor in the Department of Pharmacology, the School of Basic Medicine of Beijing Medical University.

から 1983 に 1984, he was a visiting scholar at the WHO Traditional Medicine Research Center at the University of Illinois in Chicago, アメリカ合衆国, and a visiting professor at the University of Hong Kong from 2000 に 2002. 以来 2006, he has been an honorary professor at the Perm State Pharmaceutical Academy in Russia.

以来 1970, he has used modern sci-tech methods to study the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of 霊芝 and its active ingredients and has published more than 100 research papers on Ganoderma.

で 2014 そして 2019, he was included in the Most Cited Chinese Researchers list published by Elsevier for six consecutive years.

He is the author of a number of 霊芝 works such as “Modern Research on Ganoderma” (1-4 editions), “Lingzhi From Mystery to Science” (1-3 editions), “Adjuvant Treatment of Tumors with Lingzhi that strengthens healthy qi and eliminates pathogens”, “Talk about Ganoderma” and “Ganoderma and Health”.