Winter 2001 Issue — Agaricus Blazei Mushroom providing support for a healthy immune system

Melissa C. Northway

Director Atlas World USA

Suppliers of US grown Agaricus blazei as a raw material, capsule and extract form.

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There is an old Chinese and Japanese proverb that states, "medicines and foods have a common origin." Mushrooms are good examples of foods that health-conscious people can enjoy. Mushrooms are a typical source of physiologically active compounds that have been studied for the development of some natural medicines. Mushrooms have also been used as both food and medicine since very early times (Zhuang and Mizuno 1999).

For over 3,000 years, medicinal mushrooms have been an integral part of traditional Asian culture. These treatments were intended to prevent and cure diseases, as well as maintain a healthy immune system. A large number of mushroom derived compounds, both cellular components and secondary metabolites, have been shown to affect the immune system and could be used to treat a variety of disease states (Wasser and Weis, 1999).

One such medicinal mushroom, Agaricus blazei, is among the most popular medicinal mushrooms in Japan. Agaricus blazei, known in Japan as Himematsutake or Kawariharatake, in China as Gee Song Rong (translated from Himematsutake) or Brazilian mushroom, and in Brazil as mushroom of God (Cognumelo de Deus) or mushroom of the Sun (Cognumelo do Sol). It is also simply known as ABM (Agaricus blazei Murill).

In 1965, Dr Takatoshi Furumoto, a Japanese immigrant living in Brazil, collected an unusually delicious mushroom and later sent the spores back to Japan. These mushrooms, once growing abundantly in the wild in the region of a small Brazilian village named Piedate, are popular among locals who appear to have low incidence of cancer and other geriatric health problems (Huang, 1997).

Biomedical importance

Medicinal mushrooms have a long history of use in folk medicine. Mushrooms useful against cancers of the stomach, esophagus, lungs, etc., are known in China, Russia, Japan and Korea, as well as the United States and Canada. There are approximately two hundred species of mushrooms that have been found to markedly inhibit the growth of different kinds of tumours (Wasser and Weis, 1999).

It was recorded that mushrooms have significant pharmacological effects or physiological properties, such as regulation of biorhythm, cure of various diseases, and prevention and improvement of life threatening diseases such as cancer, cerebral stroke, and heart diseases. It is also being confirmed that mushrooms have effective substances for decreasing blood cholesterol and could have hypolipidemic, antithrombotic, hypertensive and other applications (Wasser and Weiss, 1999).

Japanese researchers recognised the pharmacological properties of Agaricus blazei very early on. In 1980, a number of organizations, including the Japanese Cancer Association and the Japanese Pharmacological Society published their results of their research into the mushroom's anti-cancerous properties.

Dr Shobo Shibata, Dr tetsuo Ikegawa, Dr Takashi Mizuno and many others have made contributions to pharmacological studies on Agaricus blazei, showing that it is rich in immune-boosting and anti-tumour polysaccharides, primarily beta (1,3) and (1,6) glucans. For more details see (Huang, 1997; Mizuno, 1999; Stamets 1999, 2000).

Polysaccharides, Beta 1, 3/1, 6 Glucans and macrophage Cells

Your immune system basically consists of several lines of defence that exist exclusively to seek out and destroy foreign bacteria and viruses in your system which may potentially cause anything from the common cold to cancer. When your immune system is weak or declines with age you become more susceptible to illness. Rather than use drug therapy exclusively to fight these viruses, medical science is concentrating on ways to strengthen the body's natural defence systems.

Mushrooms contain Polysaccharides, which are chains of sugar molecules formed together to make larger sugars, and have been shown to activate the immune system.

Beta 1, 3/1, 6 Glucans is a naturally derived polysaccharide, which has been intensively studied since the 1950's for its anti-tumour and immuno-stimulating properties. In order to understand the benefit of the Beat 1, 3/1, 6 Glucans molecule, it is important to understand the macrophage cell and its mechanism of action.

The macrophage cell is a single-cell organism designed to identify and destroy any abnormal cells it finds in the human body. These cells do an excellent job of ridding the body of these harmful cells, but only when they are motivated to do so. This is where the polysaccharide Beat 1, 3/1, 6 Glucans becomes important. Beta Glucans molecules stimulate these macrophage cells into action. This is why Beta Glucans has become so important to the immune system. They serve as a "wake-up" call to the fundamental macrophage immune force.

The Agaricus blazei contains the polysaccharide Beta Glucans. Although other mushrooms contain Beta Glucans, the Agaricus blazei mushroom has one of the highest concentration levels of this critical molecule. Researchers have isolated a number of immune system enhancing and anti-cancer, anti-tumour fractions from Agaricus mushrooms with immunity effects include Beta 1, 3/1, 6 Glucans, polysaccharide-protein complex (ATOM) and RNA-Protein complexes. As discussed above, the immunity enhancing effects are due to the stimulation of the body's macrophage cells. The Agaricus blazei also stimulates the production interferon and interleukin (proteins produced by the body in response to viruses), and NK (Natural Killer) cells. NK cells are called white cells and their function is to kill tumour cells. The NK cells come from the bone marrow and enter the blood circulatory systems. They are the first lines of defence against cancer.

Key players

Global production of Agaricus blazei has been limited as it can only be grown in unique climatic conditions similar to those in its native Piedate Mountains, with wide variances of temperatures and an average humidity of 80%. Economically acceptable artificial cultivation has been difficult, and while outstanding pharmacological properties have been found, securing raw materials to supply market demand has been a major problem.

Now, as a result of many years of research, Atlas World and Sylvan Bio products, a Pennsylvania based supplier of mushroom seed and other mushroom products, have succeeded in cultivating this medicinally important mushroom. Atlas World and Sylvan have made a commitment to its customers, through research, quality assurance and technical support.

Atlas World USA, in conjunction with Sylvan, has developed a product called Agaricus Bio, composed entirely of the Agaricus blazei mushroom, and which has been found to be effective in strengthening the bodies' immune system. Research conducted by dry mamdooh Ghoneum, at the King Drew Medical Center, UCLA. Found the Agaricus mushroom increases the total number of immune cells within the body and also makes natural killer cells more powerful (Ghoneum, 1995).

In the United States, medicinal mushrooms are becoming more mainstream as consumers are experiencing their positive health benefits. In Japan, millions of people take Agaricus blazei as a proactive way to maintain health, making it the most popular mushroom supplement in Japan. Now the benefits of this unique mushroom can be enjoyed beyond Asia.

In Europe, SiberHegner & Co. Ltd, Switzerland, will be responsible to cover the European market with Atlas's Agaricus under the brand Atlas Agaricus(TM).

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