WHITE BEECH (BUNAPI): FUNCTION AGAINST ARTERIOSCLEROSIS
A scientific, clinical study was conducted to investigate the effect of White Beech (Hypsizygus marmoreus) , Maitake (Grifola frondosa) , and King Trumpet (Pleurotus eryngii) mushrooms on arteriosclerosis in mice. The as of yet unpublished study was a collaboration of the Pharmaceutical Dept. of Shizuoka State University, Japan; the Environment and Science Laboratory of Shuzuoka State University, Japan; and Hokuto Corporation, Japan.
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The study tested mice with arteriosclerosis whose ApoE level was deficient. The study was conducted over a 10 week period on 6 week old mice. The mice were fed standard feed rations amended with the addition of 3% (by weight) of dried powder of White Beech, Maitake or King Trumpet for the 10 week study. The control group was fed standard feed rations. At the end of 10 weeks, the density of serum cholesterol and serum litoglycelide was measured. The area of arteriosclerosis around the heart and main artery was measured by dissecting the mice, removing their hearts and main artery from the heart to the abdomen, making cross sections of the artery, taking digital micrographs (x40) of 6 sections, and adding up areas of arteriosclerosis focus for sum total. The study confirmed that the addition of white beech, king trumpet, and maitake dried powder to feed ration of the mice significantly reduced the density of serum cholesterol and area of arteriosclerosis focus as compared to control group. The area of arteriosclerosis focus was reduced by 74% by White Beech, 55% by King Trumpet and 52% by Maitake as compared to control group. The density of serum cholesterol was of mice fed White Beech was significantly less than control group. |
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KING TRUMPET: EFFECT ON LIVER FUNCTION AND
SERUM CHOLESTEROL LEVELS
A scientific clinical study was conducted to investigate the effect of the addition of King Trumpet mushroom powder to feed rations rats on their liver function and the excretion of cholesterol. The as of yet unpublished study was collaboration of the Medical Department of Shinsyu Univeristy, Japan and Hokoto Corporation, Japan.
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The study was conducted on 4 week old rats over the course of 6 months. The study compared a Control group fed standard feed rations, a High Cholesterol group fed standard feed rations plus 1% cholesterol and a group fed standard feed rations plus 1% cholesterol plus 5% dried King Trumpet mushroom powder. At the end of the 6 month study period, the GOT and GPT levels in the blood of the rats in each test group was measured and the livers of all the rats were removed for pathological tissue studies.
The High Cholesterol group showed GOT blood levels of 121.7 iu/l and GPT levels of 301 iu/l. The group fed 1% cholesterol plus mushroom powder show significantly lower levels of both GOT and GPT, 101.0 iu/l and 251 iu/l respectively.
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Pathological tissue studies of the livers of the rats in the test groups confirmed that the liver cells had more fats and narrow spacing in High Cholesterol group than in Control group. The group fed High Cholesterol plus mushroom powder had liver tissue with nearly the same fat and spacing as Control group.
It is thought that the high levels of fiber in King Trumpet mushroom powder promoted the discharge of cholesterol by the liver and inhibited the absorption of cholesterol.
MAITAKE: EFFECT ON SKIN FUNCTION DECLINE CAUSED BY STRESS
A scientific study was conducted to investigate the effect of the addition of Maitake powder to the feed rations of mice on functional decline of skin caused by stress. The yet unpublished data was a collaboration of the Pharmaceutical Department of Shizuoka Univeristy, Japan and Hokuto Corporation, Japan.
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The skin is an organ that is easily influenced by many stresses which may cause functional declines such as rough skin or skin lesions such as atopic dermatitis. This study used hairless mice whose skin in similar to human skin. This test animal is often used in cosmetic research and for testing of medicines used for external applications. The stress method was “ crammed breeding stress”; i.e., putting 5 mice in a cage one-quarter the size of a standard cage. This type of stress is thought to be comparable to mental stress in humans.
The test was conducted over a 1 week period on 6 week old hairless (HOS:HR-1) female mice.
There were 3 groups tested:
Control Group: Normal breeding, Normal feed rations
Contract Group: Crammed breeding, Normal feed rations
Maitake Group: Crammed breeding, Normal feed rations plus 5% dried Maitake powder
The amount of blood flow to the back surface skin of each the mice in each group was measured on the 4th and 7th day of the stress test and then checked daily for recovery for 4 days after mice removed from stress. The amount of blood flow to surface skin is correlated to the recovery ability of skin and is construed as an effective guideline for evaluation of cosmetics and skin medicine applied externally in humans.
