Please note that the information provided below is the personal opinion of Mr Milan Schirlo, who is a therapist and an advocate of traditional Chinese medicine and a healthy lifestyle. Mr Schirlo does not promote any specific products or manufacturers of food supplements. Furthermore, this article is not connected to the sale of any products. The information is provided for the purpose of disseminating publicly available knowledge, conclusions of expert studies, education, and personal findings regarding vital mushrooms and a healthy lifestyle.

For legislative reasons, I cannot state some information. Therefore, the text for some points is missing. I am working on republishing it. Thank you for your understanding.

Maitake

Latin: Grifola frondosa

Czech: trsnatec lupenitý, sírovec

Chinese: Hui Shu Hua

Japanese: Maitake

About Maitake

Maitake (Grifola frondosa, Hen of the Woods, Hui Shu Hua) is one of the most well-known vital mushrooms. It is classified as a wood-decay fungus. This means that it uses the wood of deciduous trees as a source of nutrients. It is a saprophyte; it does not kill the tree, it only uses it. Maitake creates huge fruiting bodies at the base of deciduous trees, which can weigh several tens of kilograms and reach 40 cm in diameter. The fruiting bodies are made up of many caps that form a rosette and share a common stalk. Individual caps are 3–14 centimetres in size. Their colour is light to dark brown or grey-brown. Maitake avoids subtropical and tropical regions. Otherwise, it occurs all over the world. In Japanese, Maitake means dancing mushroom, because people danced with joy when they found this tasty and therapeutically valued mushroom. Finding wild-growing Maitake is difficult, the mushroom was very expensive, and so mushroom pickers kept the locations of their finds secret, and this information was often passed down from generation to generation. It is most used in China, both as food and as medicine. Maitake is written about in significant herbals of traditional Chinese medicine. It is documented in them that it has been used for many centuries. It is interesting that although it is so well known mainly thanks to traditional Chinese medicine, the established name of the mushroom, i.e. Maitake, is of Japanese origin.

For the scientific world, Maitake was documented by the Scottish mycologist James J. Dickson, who described it in 1785. He named it Boletus frondosus. Samuel F. Gray renamed the mushroom to Grifola frondosa in 1821.

Currently, there is a high demand for Maitake, and since it occurs only minimally in the wild, it is artificially cultivated on a large scale.

Maitake has many effects, which are determined by its composition. We will look at both in the following lines.

Characteristics according to traditional Chinese medicine

Si Qi (nature): neutral

Wu Wei (taste): sweet

Gui Jing (tropism): lungs, kidneys, liver, large intestine (some sources state that it affects all organs)

Main effects according to traditional Chinese medicine:

• replenishes the spleen and its Qi
• drains dampness
• tonifies the kidneys and liver
• clears heat
• calms the spirit

1, supports the functions of the spleen and stomach

• from the perspective of Chinese medicine, it supports the functions of the spleen and stomach, in other words, it supports digestion and the transformation of food into Qi and blood, which are the basic building blocks of our organism
• Maitake simultaneously drains dampness and clears heat: in other words, we could say that it supports digestion and drains damp heat
• damp heat (Shi Re) is a concept of Chinese medicine, which is most closely approximated in meaning by the concept of chronic, but it is not entirely accurate, it can be elevated cholesterol, it can be atherosclerotic plaques, it can be inflammation as a reaction of the immune system, etc.
• damp heat has a tendency to "clog" everything and limit the permeability of the organism, which can cause various health imbalances
• damp heat is closely related to the modern concept of metabolic syndrome
• metabolic syndrome is a term for a set of pathologies that have common causes and together lead to a number of health complications, which include type II diabetes, where Maitake can lower glycaemia and increase tissue sensitivity to insulin
• Maitake has a protective effect on the pancreas, there is no destruction of beta cells producing insulin, this is also due to its ability to neutralise free radicals
• it is often used for diabetes in combination with the mushroom Coprinus (Coprinus is more intensive in its action for diabetes, Maitake solves the problem more comprehensively, it solves the entire metabolism)
• metabolic syndrome also includes high levels of fats (again with Coprinus – magnesium), then high cholesterol (products containing red fermented rice work excellently here), overweight and, last but not least, high blood pressure
• high blood pressure can also be directly linked to diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. Maitake influences these, therefore it contributes to lowering blood pressure in this way. However, one study showed that although there was no change in lipid levels in the experimental animals during its course, they still experienced a decrease in blood pressure. This supports the possibility that Maitake influences blood pressure through other mechanisms as well
• Maitake can help with being overweight – by harmonising the patient's weight – an observational study, in which there were 30 respondents, experienced weight loss when taking Maitake, up to 12 kg in 2 months
• Maitake also supports the appetite that is caused by a weakened spleen, upon its strengthening, the weight harmonises
• thanks to these effects on metabolism, Maitake also helps to detoxify the body

2, Anti-tumour effects

• Maitake has significant antiviral, antibacterial effects and antiparasitic effects
• Strengthening immunity also ensures anti-cancer action, but it also has direct anti-tumour effects
• it is most often used in combination with other mushrooms for breast, prostate, colon and liver cancer
• for breast cancer, the most common combination is Maitake + Coriolus + Reishi
• thanks to the fact that Maitake acts positively on metabolism, it can also reduce the negative impacts of conventional treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy

3, Osteoporosis

• Maitake is able to support bone tissue – along with Shiitake or Cordyceps
• it strengthens the production of bone tissue thanks to the stimulation of osteoblasts
• it supports bone mineralisation
• for osteoporosis, Maitake is usually combined with Shiitake

4, Preventive mushroom for old age

• one of the described effects of Maitake is that it prolongs life
• this is related to its effects on harmonising immunity and metabolism
• Maitake is therefore often called the "preventive mushroom for old age"
• if we look at Maitake through the eyes of Chinese medicine, it strengthens the Qi of the spleen and stomach + clears damp heat + strengthens the kidneys
• this is an ideal combination for a person who is of older age, is weakened and clogged. And as a bonus, it harmonises the Shen spirit
• kidney nutrition is not direct, but through the spleen. The spleen produces Qi and blood from food, and what we do not use, it stores in the kidneys, which serve as an iron reserve for worse times

5, Maitake supports the immune system

• Maitake, just like other mushrooms, thanks to a high concentration of polysaccharides, also acts on our immune system and is strong mainly in the fight against viruses

6, Fertility problems

• Maitake can support ovarian function
• it is used for fertility problems along with Cordyceps
• it is also used for fertility problems arising on the basis of polycystic ovaries

Less common use of Maitake:

• weakness of the urinary bladder (+ Reishi – for older people, + Cordyceps – for younger people)
• oedemas
• urinary retention
• ascites
• obesity from Qi deficiency and accumulation of dampness
• general strengthening of bones
• haemorrhoids
• neutralisation of free radicals, reduction of oxidative stress
• protection and regeneration of the liver
• anti-infective effects
• protection and regeneration of the nervous system
• anti-thrombotic effect, i.e. it reduces the risk of thrombus formation

Dosage:

• mushrooms can be taken in various forms. The form of hot-water extracts with 30% polysaccharides is most often used for health problems.
• just like with other mushrooms, I recommend taking it for 5 days and taking a 2-day break, especially if problems related to the immune system are being solved (even secondarily, i.e. I use this rule almost always)
• you can find out more about taking vital mushrooms here

a, Mushrooms in the form of extracts (recommended form of use)

If you are taking mushrooms in the form of 30% extracts, I recommend:

Preventive use

• 1 g of mushroom extract per day (all mushrooms combined)

For milder health problems

• 2 g of mushroom extract per day (all mushrooms combined)

For more serious health problems

• 3-5 g of mushroom extract per day (all mushrooms combined)

b, Mushrooms in tincture

• dose the tincture according to weight
• usually, as many drops are given as a person weighs
• this daily dose is divided in half, half is taken in the morning and half at noon

c, Mushrooms in the form of powder (powder, biomass)

• usually 2-3 times a day a teaspoon of mushroom powder mixed in water
• this is more of a preventive use

d, Dried mushrooms

• 20-100 g per day
• they are either added to food or decoctions are made from them
• you prepare a decoction by taking 100 g of mushrooms and putting them into about half a litre of cold water and boiling for half an hour on a low flame. Some mushrooms can be eaten even with the decoction (e.g. Hericium), some are too woody to eat (like Reishi).

Contraindications and known drug interactions:

Pharmacological effect of Maitake:

• Modulation of the immune system
• Anti-tumour effects
• Anti-diabetes
• Reduction of fats, reduction of the risk of cardiovascular diseases and liver diseases
• Antimicrobial effects
• Antioxidant effects
• Bone strengthening
• Protection of the nervous system, improvement of the psyche
• Maitake for women
• Influence on blood clotting
• Influence on the composition of intestinal microflora

Active substances in Maitake

Like other mushrooms, Maitake is almost 90% liquid. The rest, i.e. dry matter, contains a large amount of bioactive substances. We will list some of them.

Sugars, polysaccharides:

Mushrooms are rich in carbohydrates, sugars, mainly in polysaccharides of the beta glucan type. In this case, they are both e.g. beta-(1-3)-D-glucans, as well as beta-(1-6) and beta-(1-6)-D-glucans, this designation is given by the place where the polysaccharide branches. Glucans are absorbed from the digestive tract and are involved in the fight against cancer, free radicals and strengthen the immune response. In Maitake, there are also "insoluble" non-absorbable polysaccharides, i.e. crude fibre, which is a source of nutrients for intestinal microflora.

Other sugars in Maitake are monosaccharides, i.e. simple sugars. The content is in the table below. It shows the content in the mature fruiting body and mycelium in milligrams per gram of dry matter (arabinose, arabitol, fructose, glucose, lactose, mannitol, mannose, ribose, theralose).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7824844/

Maitake is known for the fact that carbohydrate fractions are extracted from it, which are standardised. The most well-known are Grifolan, D-fraction, MD-fraction and SX-fraction. All mentioned fractions meet Japanese ISO standards.

In the revised table below is an overview of the most well-known fractions.

https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10010095

Amino acids and proteins

Maitake also contains a large amount of amino acids and proteins.

To document the content and concentration of individual amino acids in the fruiting body and mycelia, we allow ourselves to attach another table. Where you can clearly see that the composition of the fruiting body and mycelium differs. The total amount of amino acids is significantly higher in mycelia. In the fruiting body, there are mainly glutamic acid, arginine, serine, alanine, etc. Individual columns show results from various studies (mycelium under number 13,11 and 10, the next two columns 44 and 11 are for mycelium, the abbreviation n.d. means that the amino acid was not detected).

Besides amino acids, there are also proteins in Maitake, among which belong e.g. enzymes. These are mainly those that decompose wood so that the mushroom can obtain the necessary energy. These are mainly hemicellulases, chitinases, pectinases, lactases, peroxidases...

We cannot omit hydrophobin proteins, which are rich in the amino acid cysteine. These molecules allow it to adhere to the surface.

Similar to the case of polysaccharides, even in the case of proteins, specific fractions are created, among the most well-known belong the MLP fraction. It is composed of low-molecular-weight proteins and has immunostimulatory effects. For illustration, we add another table, which shows individual protein fractions.

Fats

Surprisingly, fats are also found in mushrooms, and therefore also in Maitake. And mainly unsaturated fatty acids, oleic, linoleic, which are beneficial to health. Less represented are saturated fatty acids such as palmitic acid, etc.

Organic acids

An important component of Maitake are also organic acids, which give it taste, aroma, etc. These are e.g.

• malic acid
• pyroglutamic acid
• succinic acid
• lactic acid
• formic acid
• acetic acid
• citric acid

Minerals, trace elements and vitamins

Maitake also contains a large amount of minerals and trace elements, which are essential for the proper functioning of the organism. Maitake has the highest concentration of potassium, phosphorus, sodium, calcium, then zinc, selenium, etc.

Of the vitamins, vitamin D, ergosterol, and also B-group vitamins and beta-carotene are worth mentioning.

Grifolin

As the name suggests, this compound is typical precisely for Maitake. It is a secondary metabolite, which has a truly terrifying chemical name – 2-trans,trans-farnesyl-5-methylresorcinol. Studies show that grifolan influences cholesterol metabolism, can thus influence its values in the blood, and also has antimicrobial effects.

Other compounds

Just like in other mushrooms, there are also phenolic compounds and terpenes in Maitake. But considering how effective other components of Maitake, polysaccharides and proteins, are, they are not much researched.

Flavonoids (quercetin, lycopene), phenolic acids, e.g. gallic, are present in Maitake, furthermore it is possible to obtain ceramides and nucleotides from Maitake.

Again, we attach a table where it is possible to see the types of nucleotides, their concentration in fruiting bodies, concentration in mycelium, in fermented wheat and wheat

AMP – adenosine monophosphate

CMP – cytosine monophosphate

GMP – guanosine monophosphate

IMP – inosine monophosphate

UMP – uridine monophosphate

XMP – xanthosine monophosphate

Use of Maitake

If you have read the composition of Maitake, it must be clear to you that it possesses a wide range of effects. We will discuss some in the following text.

Influence on the immune system

The immune system protects us from external and internal danger (pathogens, tumour cells), but it can also damage us if it reacts to harmless stimuli, e.g. allergens, or even considers its own proteins as dangerous, autoimmune diseases.

Maitake, or the substances contained in it, in this case mainly polysaccharides, have the ability to increase the activity of the immune system. To strengthen the activity and functions of cells of innate and acquired immunity.

In experiments where Maitake was added to immune cells, it was proven that there is an increase in cell multiplication, the production of substances (cytokines) that activate and strengthen the response of other immune cells increases, phagocytosis (the ability to engulf and destroy particles, including bacteria, viruses...) increased in phagocytes, cell cytotoxicity increases, but also antibody production. In short, it depends on the type of cells that are exposed to Maitake, but all are stimulated. This increases protection against infections and against tumour cells. There are also experiments on animals that show that even the administration of substances suppressing the immune system (immunosuppressants, chemotherapeutics) does not suppress the immune system if Maitake is administered. Immune functions are maintained.

Now it will probably seem strange to you if we write that Maitake also suppresses the immune system. It is necessary to highlight that it suppresses its undesirable activity. We encounter this with allergies and autoimmune diseases.

Anti-allergic effects have been repeatedly confirmed in animal models of allergy. Animals were exposed to an allergen, some took Maitake, some did not. The groups were compared and it was shown that in animals with Maitake, inflammation is reduced, in the case of asthma in the lungs, and also levels of IgE antibodies, which are responsible for the allergic reaction. Experiments were also carried out on mice with allergic dermatitis, i.e. skin inflammation. Even in them, lesions healed, mast cell counts decreased, they are the main players in an allergic reaction and IgE.

It was even confirmed that Maitake can strengthen the effects of corticoids. The same dose + Maitake increases the effect.

The cytokine interleukin 10 participates in the weakening of inflammation of any character. In the presence of Maitake, its production increases. This further suppresses allergies, but also autoimmune reactions. This was confirmed e.g. in experiments on mice and autoimmune hepatitis. When there was even an improvement in the condition of the liver damaged by inflammation and an increase in the number of regulatory T lymphocytes.

You are surely waiting to see if there are also results from some clinical study, i.e. with volunteers. One study included patients with myelodysplastic syndrome. During it, there is a disruption of bone marrow and thus also haematopoiesis, including immune cells, and there is a decrease in immunity. Administering Maitake to 18 patients led to an increase in the number of neutrophils and monocytes, which are cells involved in the early defensive reaction against pathogens.

Also interesting is the fact that Maitake influences stem cells, i.e. cells that are not differentiated, can multiply and mature into various types of mature cells, e.g. muscle, bone, cartilage... After stimulation of stem cells by Maitake, they mainly matured into blood cells. Moreover, it was found that if a bone marrow transplant is performed, Maitake supports the correct attachment of the graft, its acceptance and function. Haematopoiesis is restored faster.

Park HS, Hwang YH, Kim MK, Hong GE, Lee HJ, Nagappan A, Yumnam S, Kim EH, Heo JD, Lee SJ, Won CK, Kim GS. Functional polysaccharides from Grifola frondosa aqueous extract inhibit atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2015 Jan;79(1):147-54.

Kubo, K. & Nanba, H. Modification of cellular immune responses in experimental autoimmune hepatitis in mice by maitake (Grifola frondosa). Mycoscience (1998) 39: 351.

Svagelj M, Berovic M, Gregori A, Wraber B, Simcic S, Boh B. Immunomodulating activities of cultivated maitake medicinal mushroom Grifola frondosa (Dicks.: Fr.) S.F. Gray (higher Basidiomycetes) on peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2012;14(4):377-83.

Kodama N, Murata Y, Nanba H. Administration of a polysaccharide from Grifola frondosa stimulates immune function of normal mice. J Med Food. 2004 Summer;7(2):141-5.

Vetvicka V, Vetvickova J. Immune-enhancing effects of Maitake (Grifola frondosa) and Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) extracts. Ann Transl Med. 2014;2(2):14.

Lee JS, Park SY, Thapa D, Choi MK, Chung IM, Park YJ, Yong CS, Choi HG, Kim JA. Grifola frondosa water extract alleviates intestinal inflammation by suppressing TNF-alpha production and its signaling. Exp Mol Med. 2010;42(2):143-54.

Inoue A, Kodama N, Nanba H. Effect of maitake (Grifola frondosa) D-fraction on the control of the T lymph node Th-1/Th-2 proportion. Biol Pharm Bull. 2002;25(4):536-40.

Wu JY, Siu KC, Geng P. Bioactive Ingredients and Medicinal Values of Grifola frondosa (Maitake). Foods. 2021;10(1):95. Published 2021 Jan 5. doi:10.3390/foods10010095

Maitake in the fight against cancer

Today, although a cancer diagnosis in many cases does not mean a death sentence, a large number of people still die from it. Treatment procedures are very demanding for the body and can damage it. Ways are therefore being sought to treat patients effectively and gently at the same time. Maitake has anti-tumour potential.

Most often, anti-tumour effects are tested directly on tumour cells, to which Maitake is added and it is observed how the cells react to it. Cells of colon, breast, lung, sarcoma, leukaemia, stomach, liver, lung cancer... react by stopping their multiplication. And what is more, they die. Processes are triggered in them that lead to apoptosis, a type of cell death.

Thanks to positive results on cell cultures, research is also being carried out on animals, mainly rodents, that have cancer. Some are administered Maitake and some are not. Administering the mushroom always led at least to the tumour not growing further, often it even shrank. Maitake and its components act directly on the tumour, and they also support the immune system in the fight against cancer. On a mouse model of colon cancer that metastasises to the lungs, it was confirmed that Maitake also reduces metastasis. Mice with Maitake had fewer or no metastases. It turned out similarly in the case of melanoma.

There are also results of clinical studies. One of them comes from 1997 and 165 patients with various types of cancer in stage III and IV participated in it. Some patients were administered D-fraction in addition to standard anti-tumour therapy with mitomycin. This combination increased the success of treatment by up to 28%. This treatment had the best results for breast, bone and stomach carcinoma.

In another study, it was evaluated that MD-fraction has an influence on the condition of patients who are undergoing chemotherapy. You surely know the answer. Yes, Maitake accelerated the regeneration of the organism after chemotherapy and also reduced its undesirable effects. There was a reduction in the occurrence of nausea, vomiting and hair loss. Moreover, the activity of the immune system was maintained.

Louie B, Rajamahanty S, Won J, Choudhury M, Konno S. Synergistic potentiation of interferon activity with maitake mushroom d-fraction on bladder cancer cells. BJU Int. 2010 Apr; 105(7):1011-5.

Degen M, Alexander B, Choudhury M, Eshghi M, Konno S. Alternative therapeutic approach to renal-cell carcinoma: induction of apoptosis with combination of vitamin K3 and D-fraction. J Endourol. 2013 Dec;27(12):1499-503.

Masuda Y, Murata Y, Hayashi M, Nanba H. Inhibitory effect of MD-Fraction on tumor metastasis: involvement of NK cell activation and suppression of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 expression in lung vascular endothelial cells. Biol Pharm Bull. 2008 Jun;31(6):1104-8.

Kodama N, Komuta K, Nanba H. Can Maitake MD-fraction aid cancer patients? Alt Med Rev. 2002;(7)3:236-9

Mayell M. Maitake extracts and their therapeutic potential – A review. Alt Med Rev, 2001;6(1)

Kodama N, Murata Y, Asakawa A, Inui A, Hayashi M, Sakai N, Nanba H. Maitake D-Fraction enhances antitumor effects and reduces immunosuppression by mitomycin-C in tumor-bearing mice. Nutrition. 2005;21(5):624-9.

Alexander B, Fishman AI, Eshghi M, Choudhury M, Konno S. Induction of cell death in renal cell carcinoma with combination of D-fraction and vitamin C. Integr Cancer Ther. 2013;12(5):442-8.

Kodama N, Komuta K, Nanba H. Effect of Maitake (Grifola frondosa) D-Fraction on the activation of NK cells in cancer patients. J Med Food. 2003 Winter;6(4):371-7.

Wang Y, Shen X, Liao W, Fang J, Chen X, Dong Q, Ding K. A heteropolysaccharide, L-fuco-D-manno-1,6-α-D-galactan extracted from Grifola frondosa and antiangiogenic activity of its sulfated derivative. Carbohydr Polym. 2014;101:631-41.

Wu JY, Siu KC, Geng P. Bioactive Ingredients and Medicinal Values of Grifola frondosa (Maitake). Foods. 2021;10(1):95. Published 2021 Jan 5. doi:10.3390/foods10010095

Diabetes

Diabetes is a serious disease, which, if not under control, can cause a number of complications over the years. Many of them significantly shorten life expectancy. High levels of sugar damage blood vessels and thus increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, damage to the retina, kidneys... there is damage to nerves, the immune system and healing. While in type I diabetes the cause is damage to the pancreas and a decrease in insulin production, in the case of type II diabetes, insulin resistance is also involved. This is a state where there is enough insulin in the organism, sometimes even an excess, but the cells do not react to it. It therefore looks as if insulin is missing.

A large number of studies verifying anti-diabetic effects have been carried out with Maitake. It turns out that the SX-fraction is particularly effective, which increases the transfer of sugar into cells, thereby reducing its concentration in the blood and the cells use it as a source of energy. The SX-fraction also strengthens insulin production. Other polysaccharide and protein fractions also have glycaemia-lowering effects, and they also restore cell sensitivity to insulin. It is also important that Maitake reduces the activity of the enzyme alpha-glucosidase, which breaks down polysaccharides into simple sugars, thereby increasing glycaemia. Reducing its activity is therefore desirable. Ergosterol and ergosterol peroxide had the strongest activity against this enzyme.

It is also necessary to mention that Maitake also modulates the composition of intestinal microflora. By adjusting it, it is possible to "remove" diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

In an interesting experiment on rats, the protective function of Maitake on the kidneys of diabetic animals was also proven. If some of the rats with diabetes received 200 mg/kg of Maitake, or polysaccharide mixtures, there was a decrease in glycaemia, and kidney functions also improved. In untreated rats, there was damage and deterioration of kidney function. The protective effect of Maitake was given by a reduction in oxidative stress and inflammation.

S. F. Gray] Konno S et al. Anticancer and hypoglycemic effects of Polysaccharides in edible and medicinal Maitake mushroom [Grifola frondosa (Dicks.: Fr.). Int J Med Mushr 4:3

Shen KP, Su CH, Lu TM, Lai MN, Ng LT. Effects of Grifola frondosa non-polar bioactive components on high-fat diet fed and streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic mice. Pharm Biol. 2014:1-5.

Su CH, Lu TM, Lai MN, Ng LT. Inhibitory potential of Grifola frondosa bioactive fractions on α-amylase and α-glucosidase for management of hyperglycemia. Biotechnol Appl Biochem. 2013 Jul-Aug;60(4):446-52.

Lei H, Zhang M, Wang Q, Guo S, Han J, Sun H, Wu W. MT-α-glucan from the fruit body of the maitake medicinal mushroom Grifola frondosa (higher Basidiomyetes) shows protective effects for hypoglycemic pancreatic β-cells. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2013;15(4):373-81.

Wu JY, Siu KC, Geng P. Bioactive Ingredients and Medicinal Values of Grifola frondosa (Maitake). Foods. 2021;10(1):95. Published 2021 Jan 5. doi:10.3390/foods10010095

Chen Y, Liu D, Wang D, Lai S, Zhong R, Liu Y, Yang C, Liu B, Sarker MR, Zhao C. Hypoglycemic activity and gut microbiota regulation of a novel polysaccharide from Grifola frondosa in type 2 diabetic mice. Food Chem Toxicol. 2019 Apr;126:295-302. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2019.02.034.

Kou, L., Du, M., Liu, P. et al. Anti-Diabetic and Anti-Nephritic Activities of Grifola frondosa Mycelium Polysaccharides in Diet-Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats Via Modulation on Oxidative Stress. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 187, 310–322 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-018-2803-6

Wu JY, Siu KC, Geng P. Bioactive Ingredients and Medicinal Values of Grifola frondosa (Maitake). Foods. 2021;10(1):95. Published 2021 Jan 5. doi:10.3390/foods10010095

Reduction of fats, cardiovascular diseases and liver damage

High levels of fats are life-threatening. Excess fats are stored in blood vessel walls, in organs, mainly the liver. This leads to their damage. Atherosclerosis and hepatosteatosis develop. This is associated with an increase in blood pressure, heart attacks, brain attacks, damage to liver functions, etc.

Experiments with Maitake have proven that this mushroom can regulate fat metabolism.

In experiments with rats that were fed a high-fat diet and experienced an increase in fat values, administering Maitake led to a decrease in total cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, by up to 80% compared to animals that did not receive Maitake. Moreover, it was possible to find out that in animals with Maitake, the liver weight was lower, i.e. less fat was stored in them and more fats left the body, up to 1.8x.

Blood pressure

The reduction of fats also led in another experiment to a decrease in blood pressure in animals, by up to 15 mmHg.

In another study with mice, in which blood pressure increases during ageing. If they were administered SX and D-fraction, the increase in blood pressure slowed down. There was a limitation of the activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, which regulates blood pressure. The activity of this system was mildly suppressed, so it did not increase blood pressure. Maitake therefore acted the same as drugs against high blood pressure, i.e. ACE inhibitors.

We will mention one more interesting study on rats that were obese, with type II diabetes and an increased fat value. After 35 days of administering Maitake powder, the rats experienced a decrease in blood pressure by up to 20 mmHg. Moreover, the concentration of fats and sugar decreased.

Overweight

Overweight and obesity are linked to high fat levels, type II diabetes and also many diseases, cardiovascular, liver diseases and also diseases of the musculoskeletal system. In an experiment with rats that were fed a high-energy diet, weight increased. If Maitake was also added to the rats' diet, the rats' weight decreased, although they still had the same high-energy diet.

We also have data from a clinical study, in which there were 30 volunteers who suffered from being overweight. Everyone received 200 grams of fresh mushroom and consumed it for 2 months. They did not change anything else in their life, i.e. they did not improve eating habits, they did not include more movement. Even just adding the mushroom led to weight loss in the participating volunteers, and by as much as 12 kg

Liver protection

The liver is an organ essential for life, it has many functions, it detoxifies, metabolic processes take place in it, it synthesises proteins, etc. Its damage occurs under the influence of toxic substances, drugs, alcohol, excessive fat values in the blood, the presence of infections, i.e. e.g. hepatitis B and C and autoimmune diseases.

We have already mentioned that Maitake suppresses the multiplication of hepatitis viruses, thereby helping the liver, just as when it lowers blood fat and sugar values. Moreover, it neutralises free radicals, which also contribute to liver damage. Moreover, it reduces inflammation that arises during liver damage.

If the liver is already damaged, Maitake supports its regeneration.

Kubo K, Nanba H. Modification of cellular immune responses in experimental autoim mune hepatitis in mice by maitake (Grifola frondosa). Mycoscience 1998;39:351-360.

Ohtsuru M . Anti-obesity activity exhibited by orally administered powder of maitake mushrooms ( Grifola frondosa ) [in Japanese]. Anshin . 1992:198-200.

Yokota M . Observatory trial at anti-obesity activity of maitake mushrooms (Grifola frondosa). Anshin . 1992:202-204.

Preuss HG, Echard B, Bagchi D, Perricone NV. Maitake mushroom extracts ameliorate progressive hypertension and other chronic metabolic perturbations in aging female rats.

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