Green Tea & Reishi

Harry Hirsute · � #1 � 09-04-2007, 09:14 PM

Quote:

1: Int J Oncol. 2007 Apr;30(4):963-9.Links

Combined effect of green tea and Ganoderma lucidum on invasive behavior of breast cancer cells.

Thyagarajan A, Zhu J, Sliva D.

Cancer Research Laboratory, Methodist Research Institute, E504, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.

Epidemiological studies have suggested that consumption of green tea may decrease the risk of a variety of cancers. In addition, mushroom Ganoderma lucidum has been used for the promotion of health, longevity and treatment of cancer in traditional Chinese medicine.

In the present study we show that extract from green tea (GTE) increased the anticancer effect of G. lucidum extract (GLE) on cell proliferation (anchorage-dependent growth) as well as colony formation (anchorage-independent growth) of breast cancer cells. This effect was mediated by the down-regulation of expression of oncogene c-myc in MDA-MB-231 cells.

Although individual GTE and GLE independently inhibited adhesion, migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells, their combination demonstrated a synergistic effect, which was mediated by the suppression of secretion of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) from breast cancer cells.

Our study suggests the potential use of combined green tea and G. lucidum extracts for the suppression of growth and invasiveness of metastatic breast cancers.

Reishi and Green Tea Extracts and Breast Cancer

Harry Hirsute · � #2 � 04-08-2008, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Extracts from reishi mushroom and green tea shows synergistic effect to slow sarcoma

Both the reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum; Lingzhi) and green tea have long held a place in traditional medicine in China and other Asian countries, for the general promotion of health and long life and for the treatment of specific diseases. More recent scientific studies have confirmed that both enhance the body�s immune functions and hold the potential for treatment and prevention of many types of cancer.

Now a new study by Chinese scientists found that combining the active ingredients in the mushroom and the tea creates synergetic effects that inhibited the growth of tumors and delayed the time of death in mice with sarcomas.

Yan Zhang, of Pharmanex BJ Clinical Pharmacology Center in Beijing, reported the results of two studies at Experimental Biology 2008 in San Diego on Tuesday, April 8. The presentation was part of the scientific program of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).

Reishi grows in damp, sunless mountain areas and was once a rare commodity. Today Reishi, like green tea polyphenols, is manufactured as an extract. Zhang and her colleagues examined products sold as ReishiMax and Tegreen, made by Utah-based Nu Skin Enterprises.

ReishiMax contains high concentrations of the active components in the mushroom itself and cracked spores of the mushroom, including polysaccharides (13.5 percent) and triterpenes (6 percent), and Tegreen is almost completely (98-99 percent) made of tea polyphenols.

In the first study, designed to look at cancer treatment, mice were first injected intraperitoneally with sarcoma cells and then were given either low, medium or high dosages of ReishiMax or low, medium, or high dosages of a combination of ReishiMax and Tegree.

A control group received neither product. All mice died of sarcoma development after treatment for 28 days. But treatment with the combination of reishi and green tea extracts delayed the animals� death within the first 12 days after sarcoma injection, compared to the animals receiving only ReishiMax.

In the second study, designed to look at cancer prevention, groups of healthy mice were given either low, medium or high dosages of ReishiMax or low, medium, or high dosages of a combination of ReishiMax and Tegreen. A control group received neither product.

After receiving the specified treatment for 14 days, mice were given a suspension of sarcoma cells subcutaneously, while the treatments were continued. On day 28, the sarcoma tumors under the skin were recovered from the mice and weighed. The tumor weight was reduced by 45 percent with the combination therapy, but in a much lesser degree with only the Reishi, compared to tumors in mice receiving no treatment, further confirming the synergy of the two together.

Senior author of the paper, Dr. Jia-Shi Zhu of Pharmanex research Institute in Provo, Utah, says these findings suggest the therapeutic values of the combined use of the substances in both cancer prevention and adjuvant treatment.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releas...-efr033008.php

Petals · � #3 � 01-23-2009, 06:45 PM

Wow...very interesting study. I've been reading about Ganoderma's (Reishi's) effect on the RAS oncogene but had not seen that particular study. I wonder which is more effective as a preventative...Reishi tea from whole mushroom (which is what I do) or supplements?

Harry Hirsute · � #4 � 01-24-2009, 04:44 PM

Welcome to the forum, Petals.

I think making reishi tea would be a very good vehicle for the active components of reishi. It's my understanding that many of the medicinal reishi extracts are made via hot water extraction.

Quote:

Because mushrooms contain chitin which locks up medicinal components, preparations of lingzhi are unlikely to be medicinally active unless there has been a prolonged hot water extraction.[citation needed] Simply tincturing the mushroom in ethanol or powdering it and encapsulating it makes preparations that are essentially inert and may account for some of the inconsistency in research results.

Lingzhi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Petals · � #5 � 01-24-2009, 06:15 PM

Thank-you Harry for the info and also the kind welcome. It sounds like tea is the way to go. I was lucky enough to find an amazing Chinese pharmacy in my city...very modern looking place but with all the traditional medicines. The Naturopath there showed me how they brew the tea in China with certain other spices and Chinese dates. I buy the whole mushroom from her and she cuts it for me. About a palm full of Reishi and four dates to about 7 cups of water...this goes into my crockpot where I let it boil for several hours until it reduces down to about 5 cups which lasts a couple of days. Not an exact science by any means and not an enjoyable cup of tea....very bitter stuff but with amazing health properties. I'm also a great fan of Matcha though it never occured to me to mix the two. Reishi's properties are greatly improved when taken with vitamin C so perhaps that explains it's success as a combo with green tea?

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