[#1993-04] Anti-Hypertensive Effect by the King of Mushrooms, Hiroaki Nanba

Anti-Hypertensive Effect by the King of Mushrooms

Nanba, H

Kobe Women’s College of Pharmacy

The fungi which belong to Basidiomycetes have been used as herbal medicines for a long time. It has been found that shiitake (Lentinus edodes) and mannentake or reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) are effective against essential hypertension. The author was quite curious about the hypotensive action of Maitake (Grifola frondosa), another mushrooom belonging to basidiomycetes. In fact, the finding of this activity was a result of studying the antitumor activity of Maitake. In this study, 3 out of 4 people with essential hypertension have demonstrated significant reduction of their blood pressure by taking 3-5 g of Maitake mushroom daily. Unlike with reishi or shiitake, the hypotensive element in Maitake is ether-soluble, rather than water-soluble.