-IBIS-1.5.0-
rx
food
Maitake (Grifola frondosa)
nutrition
definition
Maitake (Grifola frondosa):
» source:
These mushrooms, often as large as a basketball, grow deep in the mountains of Northeastern Japan.
Harvested in the wild for centuries and held in high regard for their taste and health benefits, these mushrooms have only recently been cultivated successfully as an organic farm product.
» traditional use:
Historically maitake mushrooms have been used for a range of health conditions usually as a tonic herb or as what would in modern parlance be termed an adaptogen. In traditional usage as a food and as a medicinal herb maitake has been used as much to promote health and longevity as to treat specific conditions. Even so, these prized mushrooms have been reputed as highly effective in treating hypertension and various forms of cancer.
» active constituents:
Complex polysaccharides: These structures are common in many adaptogenic herbs (and mushrooms) and are responsible for their ability to function as "immunomodulators". The unique polysaccharides in maitake are among the most powerful to be discovered in various adaptogenic substances. Beta-D-glucan, the primary polysaccharide, is well absorbed with oral administration and has received much attention as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of cancers and HIV infection.
» therapeutics:
Cancer: Research indicates that extracts from the fruiting body of Maitake showed antitumor action against allogenic and syngenic tumors by not only directly activating the various effector cells (macrophages, Natural Killer cells, cytotoxic T cells, etc.) to attack tumor cells, nut also by potentiating the activities of various mediators including lymphokines and IL-1 to enhance cellular immune functions and to prevent a decrease of immune functions in the tumor-bearing host (Nanba, H, Hamaguchi, A, Kuroda, H. Chem Pharm Bull 1987,35:1162-1168; Yamada, Y, Nanba, H, Kuroda, H .Chemotherapy 1990;38:790-796; Nanba, H. J Naturopathic Med. 1(4):10-15)
HIV (Nanba, H. Abstract, VIII International Conference on AIDS, 1992.)
Hypertension (Adachi, K, Nanba, H, Otsuka, M, and Kuroda, H. Chem Pharm Bull 1988,36:1000-1006)
Diabetes mellitus (Kubo, K and Nanba, H. Mushroom Biology and Mushroom Products. Royce (ed.) Penn State Univ.:1996.)
Obesity
Hypercholesterolemia: Research found ability to alter lipid metabolism by inhibiting both the accumulation of liver lipids and the elevation of serum lipids. (Nanba, H. , Kubo, K. Alternative Therapies September 19961(5):62-66)
» dosage:
3-7 g as supplement per day
form: as a food or tea, traditionally; also as a capsule or tablet
The fruit body of maitake is higher in the desired polysaccharides than is the mycelium.
» toxicity:
No side effects have been reported with the use of maitake in typical doses.
» contraindications:
None known.
» interactions:
None known.
Footnotes
Adachi, K, Nanba, H, Otsuka, M, and Kuroda, H. Blood Pressure-Lowering Activity Present in the Fruit Body of Grifola frondosa (Maitake). Chem Pharm Bull 1988,36:1000-1006.
Hobbs, Christopher. Medicinal Mushrooms. Santa Cruz, CA: Botanica Press, 1996, p. 110-115.
Nanba, H. Activity of Maitake D-fraction to Inhibit Carcinogenisis and Metastasis. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. September 30, 1995:243-245.
Kubo, K and Nanba, H. Anti-Diabetic Mechanism of Maitake (Grifola frondosa). Mushroom Biology and Mushroom Products. Royce (ed.) Penn State Univ.:1996.
Nanba, H, Antitumor activity of orally administered D-fraction from Maitake mushroom(Grifola frondosa). J Naturopathic Med. 1(4):10-15.
Nanba, H, Hamaguchi, A, Kuroda, H. The chemical structure of an antitumor polysaccharide in fruit bodies of Grifola frondosa (maitake). Chem Pharm Bull 1987,35:1162-1168.
Nanba, H. Immunostimulant activity in in-vivo and anti-HIV activity in vitro of 3 branched b-1-6-glucans extracted from maitake mushrooms (Grifola frondosa). Abstract, VIII International Conference on AIDS, 1992.
Yamada, Y, Nanba, H, Kuroda, H. Antitumor effect of orally administered extracts from fruit body of Grifola frondosa (maitake).Chemotherapy 1990;38:790-796.
Nanba, H. , Kubo, K. The Effect of Maitake Mushroms on Liver and Serum Lipids. Alternative Therapies September 19961(5):62-66.