Phellinus Linteus

Phellinus linteus is a type of medicinal mushroom that grows on mulberry trees.

Special Precautions of Phellinus Linteus

• There's some concern that this mushroom may be harmful to people with certain autoimmune disorders. If you have any type of autoimmune disease, make sure to consult your physician prior to taking Phellinus linteus.
• Phellinus linteus may have lots of health benefits, but there are limited clinical studies. Results of animal models and cell culture may not be same in human body. In addition, studies on its side effects are needed.

The benefits of Phellinus Linteus are

Long used in several systems of traditional medicine (such as traditional Chinese medicine), it's thought to stimulate the immune system and protect against illness. Some proponents suggest that Phellinus linteus can also help fight some forms of cancer, including breast cancer and lung cancer. In traditional Chinese medicine, Phellinus linteus is often taken in combination with other medicinal mushrooms (such as reishi and maitake). It contains a number of compounds thought to influence health, including ellagic acid and caffeic acid (two types of natural chemicals with antioxidant effects).

• Cancer : Phellinus linteus shows promise as an alternative anti-cancer agent, according to a report published in Current Medicinal Chemistry in 2008. In their analysis of the available research on Phellinus linteus, the report's authors also found that it may help increase the effectiveness of existing anti-tumor drugs used in treatment of cancer. This research includes a number of preliminary studies showing that extracts from Phellinus linteus may help enhance immune function, curb inflammation, and suppress the growth and spread of cancerous tumors.
  • Prostate Cancer Cells : Researchers from Harvard Medical School demonstrated that LNCaP cells expressing the androgen receptor are highly susceptible to apoptosis in response to treatment with high doses of Phellinus linteus. They also found that caspase 2 is a key target in the determination of the susceptibility of prostate cancer cells to PL-induced apoptosis.
  • Lung Cancer Cells : Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine reported that high doses of Phellinus linteus mushroom could make lung cancer cells to undergo apoptosis in a dose-dependent fashion while low doses of Phellinus linteus mushroom allows the arrest of the cell-cycle. Furthermore, the low dose of Phellinus linteus mushroom was able to synergize with doxorubicin to induce apoptosis in the lung cancer cells.
  • Melanoma Cells : Korean researchers showed that Phellinus linteus significantly inhibited melanoma cell metastasis in mice. In the study, Phellinus linteus directly inhibited cancer cell adhesion to and invasion through the extracellular matrix.
  • Colon Cancer Cells : Phellinus linteus inhibited the proliferation and colony formation of SW480 human colon cancer cells. Flow cytometry analysis showed that Phellinus linteus increased the populations of both apoptotic sub-G1 and G2/M phase.
• Neuroblastoma : Researchers from Korea found that the anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of mycelium extracts of Phellinus linteus on neuroblastoma were associated with a significant induction of the Bax and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21.
• A study of rats in Korea showed that pretreatment with mycelial culture of Phellinus linteus provided protection of the gastric mucosa from ethanol-induced injury by maintaining the mucus barrier. The ulcer was induced by ethanol. Pretreatment with mycelial culture of Phellinus linteus at doses of 20 and 60 mg/kg, led to a significant decrease of bleeding and ulcer index.
• Anti-inflammatory activities. Phellinus linteus showd an anti-inflammatory activity via mediation of HO-1 in an in vitro inflammation model.
• Anti-bacterial activities. Methanol extract and its fractions (CHCl3, n-BuOH and H2O) of the fruit body of Phellinus linteus mushroom showed antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
• Antioxidant activities : Hispidin, antioxidant extracted from the mycelial culture broth of Phellinus linteus, inhibited 22.6 and 56.8% of the super oxide anion radical, 79.4 and 95.3% of the hydroxyl radical, and 28.1 and 85.5% of the DPPH radical at 0.1 and 1.0 mM,respectively.
• Liver Protection : In a study, an ethyl acetate fraction of mycelial culture of Phellinus linteus protected hepatocytes from H(2)O(2)- or galactosamine-induced injury.
• Diabetes : Phellinus linteus may help inhibit the development of autoimmune diabetes (a type of diabetes in which the immune system turns against and destroys cells responsible for producing insulin). In a study published in International Immunopharmacology in 2010, tests on mice demonstrated that polysaccharides (a type of carbohydrate) extracted from Phellinus linteus may help fend off autoimmune diabetes by regulating the expression of cells involved in the immune response.
• Eczema : A study published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 2012 shows that Phellinus linteus may help treat atopic dermatitis (a type of eczema associated with malfunction of the immune system). For the study, scientists examined the effects of Phellinus linteus extract on human cells and on mice. Results revealed that Phellinus linteus may help fight atopic dermatitis by reducing levels of immune cells that play a key role in eczema-related inflammation.