Reduce the Adverse Effects of Anti-Cancer Drugs with Reishi

Reduce the Adverse Effects of Anti-Cancer Drugs with Reishi AUTHOR CELIA LEUNG reishi Reishi mushrooms, also called lingzhi, have been a staple in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years due to its reported anti-bacterial and anti-viral activities. Previous studies have shown that reishi mushrooms produce anti-tumour, anti-cancer and immunotherapeutic effects. It is also believed to help lower blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. In a study published by the Health Care Institute and Hiroshima University in Japan, researchers investigated whether reishi extract would be able to prevent the small intestine from injury caused by chemotherapy, a common side effect of anti-cancer drugs. Researchers Naoki Kashimoto, Satomi Ishii, Yuki Myojin, Mitsuyasu Ushijima, Minoru Hayama and Hiromitsu Watanabe report that the fruiting body and mycelium of reishi have similar structures, but the mycelium contains other valuable components such as nutrients. They believe it is the reishi mycelium that protects against radiation-induced small intestinal damage in mice, even after chemotherapy. For the experiment the researchers used male mice and were either fed a basal diet alone as control, a basal diet supplemented with varying levels of reishi extract, or a basal diet supplemented with varying levels of Agaricus blazei Murrill. The mice were then treated a week later with anti-cancer drugs. A few days after administration of the drugs, the mice were sacrificed to study the effects of reishi on small intestinal injury. The effects of reishi mushrooms on small intestinal injury After studying the mice, the researchers found that reishi extracts prevented injury to the small intestine. They believe that the mycelium extracts from reishi increases the amount of regenerative crypts but does not affect body weight loss from anti-cancer drugs. The researchers report that in another study, reishi was able to reduce nausea and vomiting in rats treated with anti-cancer drugs. Based on these results, Kashimoto et al. suggest that reishi mushrooms are beneficial in reducing the negative effects of anti-cancer drugs, improving the quality of life for individuals with cancer. The reishi mushroom stimulates cell growth to repair intestinal injury induced by radiation and chemotherapy drugs, which is promising news for cancer treatment patients, although more research is needed for human trials.