Maitake Grifola frondosa (also known as hen-of-the-woods, maitake (舞茸, “dancing mushroom”) in Japanese, ram’s head or sheep’s head) is a polypore mushroom that grows at the base of trees, particularly old growth oaks or maples. It is typically found in late summer to early autumn. It is native to China, Europe, and North America… Wiki.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grifola_frondosa
- Maitake (Grifola frondosa) has been used for its antiviral action and to treat diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and obesity. Maitake has been studied for treating cancer, HPV, Alzheimer’s and as an immune booster. There is research suggesting that maitake mushrooms may help in the protection against various cancers and the compound gaining most of the attention is called D-Fraction. It is a polysaccharide with the ability to enhance certain immune system cells, such as macrophages, helper T cells, and cytotoxic T cellsso they all work together to attack tumor cells.
- Anti Cancer Anti Tumour properties – Studies of maitake demonstrated antitumor effects (16), enhanced bone marrow colony formation, reduced doxorubicin toxicity (11), and inhibited tumor metastasis in vitro (13). In murine models, orally administered extracts promoted maturation of hematopoietic cells to functionally active myeloid cells and enhanced peripheral blood leukocyte recovery following chemotoxic bone marrow injury (17); and protected against cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression (33). A novel polysaccharide, MZF, was shown to induce dendritic cell maturation and enhanced antitumor response (20); a Selenium-enriched polysaccharide enhanced the antitumor activity of 5-Fu (30); and a combination of polysaccharides and vitamin C was reported to induce apoptosis and autophagy in human hepatoma cells (31). Maitake also enhanced interferon activity against bladder cancer cells (18) and alleviated inflammation associated with inflammatory bowel disease (19).
- Showing to help in the fight against Diabetes – Research is looking at the maitake mushroom extracts ability to inhibit alpha-glucosidase, an enzyme that breaks down starch and simple sugars to glucose. By inhibiting this enzyme, glucose absorption slows down in the body. Maitake mushroom naturally contains alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. Many of the oral anti-diabetic drugs are alpha-glucosidase inhibitors.
- Contributes to Heart Health – Beta glucan in maitake can help reduce cholesterol, improving overall cardio vascular health and artery functionality. This helps to lower your risk for heart disease. The polysaccharides in maitake can reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol without affecting your triglyceride or HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
- Antioxidants and Immune Support – Antioxidants isolated from maitake mushroom have been shown to be effective against the hydroxyl radical and the superoxide radical. These molecules may play a critical role in several diseases, such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and myocardial infarction. Maitake mushroom has naturally occurring antioxidants, including its phenols, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, and α-tocopherolwhich aid in protecting the body against oxidation and diseases associated with oxidation.
Published Studies for Maitake Mushrooms:
Maitake D-Fraction: Apoptosis Inducer and Immune Enhancer
https://www.lawankanker.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Apoptosis-inducers.pdf
Neurite outgrowth stimulatory effects of culinary-medicinal mushrooms and their toxicity assessment using differentiating Neuro-2a and embryonic fibroblast BALB/3T3
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3852280/
A Maitake (Grifola frondosa) polysaccharide ameliorates Alzheimer’s disease-like pathology and cognitive impairments by enhancing microglial amyloid-β clearance
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2019/ra/c9ra08245j#!
Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Effects of the Grifola frondosa Natural Compound o-Orsellinaldehyde on LPS-Challenged Murine Primary Glial Cells. Roles of NF-κβ and MAPK
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34071571/
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2019/ra/c9ra08245j
Antitumor activity of orally administered maitake α-glucan by stimulating antitumor immune response in murine tumor
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28278221/
Griflola frondosa (GF) produces significant antidepressant effects involving AMPA receptor activation in mice
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6130584/
B-glucans from Grifola frondosa and Ganoderma lucidum in breast cancer: an example of complementary and integrative medicine
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5973856/
Can maitake MD-fraction aid cancer patients?
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12126464/
Antitumor activities of Grifola frondosa (Maitake) polysaccharide: A meta-analysis based on preclinical evidence and quality assessment
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34271115/
A comparative study on the structures of Grifola frondosa polysaccharides obtained by different decolourization methods and their in vitro antioxidant activities
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2019/fo/c9fo01511f
B-glucans from Grifola frondosa and Ganoderma lucidum in breast cancer: an example of complementary and integrative medicine
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5973856/
Immunostimulatory and antioxidant activities of the selenized polysaccharide from edible Grifola frondosa
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fsn3.2764?af=R
Immune-enhancing effects of Maitake (Grifola frondosa) and Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) extracts
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4202470/
Glycans and Glycosaminoglycans as Clinical Biomarkers and Therapeutics – Part B
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/grifola-frondosa
Chapter Eleven – The biological activities of the antitumor drug Grifola frondosa polysaccharide
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1877117319300316
Antitumor, Anti-inflammatory and Antiallergic Effects of Agaricus blazei Mushroom Extract and the Related Medicinal Basidiomycetes Mushrooms, Hericium erinaceus and Grifola frondosa: A Review of Preclinical and Clinical Studies
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7285126/
Production of Polysaccharide by the Edible
Mushroom, Grifola frondosa
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.4489/MYCO.2003.31.4.205
A Maitake (Grifola frondosa) polysaccharide ameliorates Alzheimer’s disease-like pathology and cognitive impairments by enhancing microglial amyloid-β clearance
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2019/ra/c9ra08245j#!
Nerve growth factor-inducing activity of Hericium erinaceus in 1321N1 human astrocytoma cells
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18758067/
Immune Modulation From Five Major Mushrooms: Application to Integrative Oncology
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4684115/
Anticancer Activities of Mushrooms: A Neglected Source for Drug Discovery
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/15/2/176/htm
Medicinal Mushrooms: Bioactive Compounds, Use, and Clinical Trials