Shiitake Mushrooms
The shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) has been consumed as food for centuries, and has recently garnered attention for it’s medicinal and therapeutic properties. The mushroom contains bioactive compounds like lentinan (beta-glucan) and AHCC, which have been studied for there therapeutic benefits.
Research has focused on the potential of shiitake extracts to boost the immune system, help in cancer treatment, fight viral infections, improve heart health, and provide other benefits. While Shiitake is traditionally considered an gourmet edible mushroom, it’s medicinal properties should not be underestimated.
How does Shiitake work?
Research suggests that many of the benefits of shiitake extracts work via it’s modulation of the immune system. This is primarily done by increasing the activity of natural killer cells and T cells. They may also help in cancer treatment by improving the effectiveness of chemotherapy, reducing negative side effects, and enhancing the quality of life in cancer patients. Other potential benefits include improving heart health by reducing triglyceride levels and antioxidant status, as well as improving the gut-microbiome
Lentinan
Lentinan is polysacharide (beta-glucan) that is thought to be responsible for the majority of health benefits of Shiitake. It has been used as part of conventional medicine in parts of Asia. Much of the research conducted on Lentinan and Shiitake is not included in this website as they are in Japanese or Chinese Journals. More research would be useful to fully understand the mechanisms of action and to determine the optimal dosages and treatment durations for different conditions.
Shiitake Clinical Trials
| Year | Species | Study Name | Number of Participants | Fungal-Derived Treatment | Dosage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Immunological Analysis and Clinical Effects of Intraabdominal and Intrapleural Injection of Lentinan for Malignant Ascites and Pleural Effusion | 16 | Lentinan | 4 mg/week intracavitary injection |
| 1992 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Enhanced Production of Interleukin 1 and Tumor Necrosis Factor by Peripheral Monocytes After Lentinan Administration in Patients with Gastric Carcinoma | 10 | Lentinan | 2 mg intravenously |
| 1992 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Enhanced Induction of Lymphokine-Activated Killer Activity After Lentinan Administration in Patients with Gastric Carcinoma | 15 | Lentinan | 2 mg intravenously |
| 1998 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Eosinophilia and Gastrointestinal Symptoms After Ingestion of Shiitake Mushrooms | 10 | Fruiting Body | 4000 mg/day |
| 1998 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | A Placebo-Controlled Trial of the Immune Modulator, Lentinan, in HIV-Positive Patients: A Phase I/II Trial | 98 | Lentinan | 10, 5, 2, or 1 mg/day |
| 1999 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | The preoperative administration of lentinan ameliorated the impairment of natural killer activity after cardiopulmonary bypass | 25 | Lentinan | 2mg/day intravenously |
| 2002 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Effects of a Mushroom β-glucan on the Treatment of Prostate Cancer | 62 | β-glucan extract | ≈1000mg/10kg BW |
| 2006 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Efficacy of Lentinan Combined with Chemotherapy in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer | 81 | Lentinan | – |
| 2008 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Clinical Application of a Combination Therapy of Lentinan, Multi-Electrode RFA and TACE in HCC | 78 | Lentinan | 500 mg/day |
| 2010 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Dietary Administration of Mushroom β-glucans in Patients with Early Stage Prostate Cancers Managed Expectantly: A Phase II Study | 74 | AHCC (β-glucan extract) | 4500 mg/day |
| 2010 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Efficacy of Orally Administered Superfine Dispersed Lentinan (β-1,3-Glucan) for the Treatment of Advanced Colorectal Cancer | 80 | SDL (Superfine dispersed lentinan) | 15 mg/day |
| 2011 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Supplementation with a Soluble Beta-Glucan Exported from Shiitake Medicinal Mushroom, Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Singer Mycelium: a Crossover, Placebo-Controlled Study in Healthy Elderly | 42 | Lentinan | 2.5 mg/day |
| 2011 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Lentinan prolonged survival in patients with gastric cancer receiving S-1-based chemotherapy | 68 | Lentinan | – |
| 2011 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Efficacy of Orally Administered Lentinula edodes Mycelia Extract for Advanced Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients Undergoing Cancer Chemotherapy- a Pilot Study | 8 | β-glucan extract | – |
| 2011 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Efficacy and Safety of Orally Administered Lentinula edodes Mycelia Extract for Patients Undergoing Cancer Chemotherapy: A Pilot Study | 7 | β-glucan extract | 1800 mg/day |
| 2011 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Combination therapy with lentinan improves outcomes in patients with esophageal carcinoma | 50 | Lentinan | 1 mg |
| 2011 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Clinical observation of thermotherapy combined with thoracic injection of lentinan in treatment of cancerous hydrothorax of patients with lung cancer | 60 | Lentinan (β-glucan extract) | – |
| 2011 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Testing a Low Molecular Mass Fraction of a Mushroom (Lentinus edodes) Extract Formulated as an Oral Rinse in a Cohort of Volunteers | 90 | Fruiting Body Extract | – |
| 2012 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | The Anticaries Effect of a Food Extract (Shiitake) in a Short-Term Clinical Study | 30 | Fruiting Body Extract | – |
| 2012 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | The Effect of Lentinan Combination Therapy for Unresectable Advanced Gastric Cancer | 39 | Lentinan | 2 mg |
| 2013 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Efficacy of Oral Administration of Lentinula edodes Mycelia Extract for Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Postoperative Hormone Therapy | 20 | β-glucan extract | 1800 mg |
| 2014 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Dietary Supplementation with Rice Bran Fermented with Lentinus edodes Increases Interferon-\u03b3 Activity without Causing Adverse Effects: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Study | 80 | Mycelliated Substrate | 3000 mg/day |
| 2015 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults | 52 | Fruiting Body | 5 or 10 g/day |
| 2016 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Randomized phase III study of S-1 alone versus S-1 plus lentinan for unresectable or recurrent gastric cancer | 309 | Lentinan | 2 mg/body |
| 2016 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Polysaccharide from Lentinus edodes for Integrative Cancer Treatment: Immunomodulatory Effects on Lymphocyte Population | 7 | AHCC (β-glucan extract) | 300 mg/day |
| 2016 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Improvement of QOL and Immunological Function With Lentinula Edodes Mycelia in Patients Undergoing Cancer Immunotherapy: An Open Pilot Study | 10 | Randomized phase III study of S-1 alone versus S-1 plus lentinan for unresectable or recurrent gastric cancer | 1800 mg/d |
| 2016 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Chemo-Immunotherapy Using Lentinan for the Treatment of Gastric Cancer with Liver Metastases | 12 | Lentinan | 2 mg |
| 2016 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | A phase II study of a combination treatment of alternate-day S-1 and lentinan as first-line chemotherapy for unresectable or recurrent gastric cancer | 37 | Lentinan | 2 mg/body |
| 2017 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Lentinula edodes mycelia extract plus adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer patients: Results of a randomized study on host quality of life and immune function improvement | 47 | β-glucan extract | 1,800 mg/day |
| 2018 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Immunomodulatory Effect of Lentinan on Aberrant T Subsets and Cytokines Profile in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients | 73 | Lentinan | 4 mg/day |
| 2018 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Clinical effects of lentinan combined with budesonide inhalation in treating acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease under mechanical ventilation | 72 | Lentinan | 0.5 g |
| 2018 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Lentinan combined with cisplatin and paclitaxel in the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer with ascites | 212 | Lentinan | – |
| 2019 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | An open label trial of a standardized extract of cultured Lentinula edodes mycelia (ECLM) in children with refractory epilepsy | 18 | β-glucan extract | 0.6 g/day |
| 2020 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | S-1 Plus Leucovorin and Oxaliplatin in Combination with Lentinan as First-line Therapy in Patients with Metastatic Gastric Cancer | 12 | Lentinan | – |
| 2020 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | A Quality-of-Life Study in Healthy Adults Supplemented with Lentinex\u00ae Beta-Glucan of Shiitake Culinary\u2212Medicinal Mushroom, Lentinus edodes (Agaricomycetes) | 63 | Lentinan | 1-2 mg |
| 2020 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Modulation of T Regulatory and Dendritic Cell Phenotypes Following Ingestion of Bifidobacterium longum, AHCC\u00ae and Azithromycin in Healthy Individuals | 40 | AHCC (β-glucan extract) | – |
| 2021 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Preventing Recurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Curative Hepatectomy With Active Hexose-correlated Compound Derived From Lentinula edodes Mycelia | 29 | AHCC (β-glucan extract) | 1000 mg |
| 2021 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Modulation of human intestinal microbiota in a clinical trial by consumption of a \u03b2\u2010d\u2010glucan\u2010enriched extract obtained from Lentinula edodes | 52 | Fruiting Body Extract | 3.5 g/day |
| 2021 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Lentinan Combined with (125)I Brachytherapy for Recurrent Ovarian Cancer | 160 | Lentinan | – |
| 2021 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Effects of Shiitake Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom, Lentinus edodes (Agaricomycetes), Bars on Lipid and Antioxidant Profiles in Individuals with Borderline High Cholesterol: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial | 68 | Fruiting Body | – |
| 2023 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Safety and efficacy of lentinan nasal drops in patients infected with the variant of COVID-19: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial | 70 | Lentinan | 100 mg/day |
| 2023 | Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) | Efficacy of Lentinula edodes Mycelia Extract on Chemotherapy-Related Tasted Disorders in Pancreatic Cancer Patients | 98 | AHCC (β-glucan extract) | – |
Want to try the therapeutic benefits of Shiitake?
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