Efficacy and Safety of Oral Antrodia cinnamomea Mycelium in Mildly Hypertensive Adults: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Clinical Study

Authors: Chin-Chu Chen, I-Chen Li, Ting-Wei Lin, Hsiao-Ling Chang, Wen-Hsin Lin, You-Cheng Shen

Journal: European Journal of Integrative Medicine

Study Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study

Participants: 41 patients with mild hypertension (systolic blood pressure between 130 and 179 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure between 85 and 109 mmHg)

Trial Length: 8 weeks, with a 2-week follow-up

Intervention:

• Treatment group: Three capsules per day containing 420 mg of Antrodia cinnamomea (AC) mycelium
• Placebo group: Three capsules per day containing 420 mg of starch

Outcome Measures:

• Systolic blood pressure (SBP)
• Diastolic blood pressure (DBP)
• Anthropometric measures (body weight, body mass index, body fat percentage)
• Lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein)
• Blood biochemical values (fasting blood glucose, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase)
• Plasma renin activity
• Safety assessment

Summary:

The study investigated the efficacy and safety of oral AC mycelium in mildly hypertensive adults. The results showed that the AC mycelium group had significantly lower SBP and DBP compared to the placebo group after 8 weeks of treatment. There were no significant changes in anthropometric measures, lipid profile, or blood biochemical values between the two groups, except for reduced plasma renin activity in the AC mycelium group. No adverse events or abnormal laboratory findings were reported. The study concluded that AC mycelium is a safe and effective alternative treatment for mild hypertension.