Beta Glucan

Background

Ganoderma lucidum is a medicinal fungus belonging to the order Polyporus, generally refers to the genus Ganoderma, which includes more than 200 different species. They are mainly distributed in China, Taiwan and Japan. G. lucidum usually grows in the place with high humidity and dim light, such as the roots of rotting trees. Since G. lucidum only grows in certain species, the wild G. lucidum becomes scarce. Besides, the quality of the wild G. lucidum is hard to control. Therefore, most of the G. lucidum products currently on the market are produced by artificial cultivation.

G. lucidum has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2000 years. It is one of the most famous Chinese medicines. According to the scientific researches, G. lucidum contains numerous active compounds, including more than 140 triterpenes and rich polysaccharides. "Compendium of Materia Medica" records that G. lucidum can be used for liver disease, cough, palpitation, loss of appetite and insomnia. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that G. lucidum has the effects on promoting immune system, preventing cardiovascular diseases and improving neurasthenia. Such evidence leads G. lucidum to a new level. In addition, since it is hard to obtain G. lucidum fruit body with stable quality, G. lucidum mycelium with stable quality produced by submerged cultivation has gradually become one of the most popular health products.

小故事介紹

灵芝为多孔菌目中的药用真菌，一般泛指灵芝属，其包含两百多种不同的灵芝品种，主要分布于中国、台湾及日本地区。灵芝一般生长在湿度较高且光线昏暗的环境中，例如腐烂树木的根部。目前野生的灵芝已相当稀少，只能在特定的树种上发现，且其质量也不容易控制，因此，目前市面上所见之灵芝大部分皆为人工培养出来的。

灵芝在中医上的使用已达2000年之久，是中国传统中草药中最负盛名的一种，根据科学研究显示，灵芝含有种类相当繁多的活性物质，其中包括140多种的三萜类与丰富的多醣体。在”本草纲目”中记载，灵芝具有治疗肝脏疾病、咳嗽、心悸、食欲不振及失眠等功效，而近年来，灵芝也陆续被证实在促进免疫系统、预防心血管疾病及改善神经衰弱方面皆有疗效，使灵芝受到许多人的青睐。此外，由于质量稳定的灵芝子实体取得不易，利用液态培养生产之质量稳定的灵芝菌丝体也渐渐成为现代人的保健圣品之一。

Background

Inonotus obliquus, which is also known as Chaga, is a fungus belonging to the family Hymenochaetaceae. They are mainly distributed in the areas of 40o ~ 50o north latitude, such as North America, Russia, North Korea, North Europe and China. I. obliquus only grow on Betula platyphylla. The appearance of I. obliquus fruit body presents as a black clump. Owing to its strong vitality, once I. obliquus parasitizes the B. platyphylla, it will continuously absorb the nutrients from the hosts until they die. This special growth mode is similar to that of human cancer cells, giving I. obliquus the name of “cancer of B. platyphylla”.

The active compounds in I. obliquus are mainly polysaccharides, phenolic and triterpene. Since 16th century, I. obliquus has been extensively used in several regions, including Russia, North Europe, Finland and Poland. It can be used for treating malignant tumors, heart disease, diabetes and other diseases, and has no significant side effects. In 1955, The Medical Academy of Science in Moscow, a precursor of First Moscow State Medical University, has even declared I. obliquus as an anti-cancer substance. On the top of that, in the past few decades, studies have also demonstrated that I. obliquus has the effects on anti-virus, preventing high blood pressure, anti-oxidative and promoting immune system. Such evidence literally makes I. obliquus a superstar in the field of health foods.

小故事介紹

白桦茸又名为桦褐孔菌，为绣革孔菌科中的一种药用真菌，主要分布于北纬40o ~ 50o的温带气候，如北美洲、俄罗斯、北欧、韩国及中国等地区。白桦茸只会生长在白桦树上，其子实体呈现黑色块状，由于白桦茸的生命力极强，一但其寄生于白桦树之上，便会持续吸取宿主的养分，直至宿主枯萎。这种犹如人类癌细胞一般的生长方式，也让白桦茸有着”桦树之癌”的名称。

白桦茸的活性成分主要为多醣体、酚类化合物及三萜化合物。早在十六世纪，俄罗斯、北欧、芬兰及波兰等民间地区就已广泛利用白桦茸于治疗恶性肿瘤、心脏病、糖尿病等疾病，且皆无明显之严重副作用，在1955年时，莫斯科医学院更是宣布白桦茸为抗癌物质，以此奠定了其在药用真菌中的重要地位。在过去几十年中，对白桦茸药理活性的研究也如雨后春笋般地出现，其陆续被证实具有抗病毒、预防高血压、抗氧化及促进免疫力等功效，使白桦茸成为医药及保健食品中的一颗巨星。此外，在质量稳定的白桦茸子实体取得不易的现今，利用液态培养生产之质量稳定的白桦茸菌丝体也渐渐在保健食品中崛起。

Background

Hericium erinaceus is an edible mushroom belonging to family Hericiaceae. Because of its appearance looks like a monkey’s head, it is also known as monkey head mushroom. H. erinaceus is mainly distributed in North America, Europe and Asia. As the previous royal palace food, H. erinaceus is commonly found in traditional Chinese delicacies. In addition, H. erinaceus is a high-protein, low-fat food and the taste similar to meat, it is very popular among vegetarians.

In addition to being used as general edible mushroom, H. erinaceus is also widely used as medicinal mushrooms. H. erinaceus is rich in active compounds which including polysaccharides, erinacines, hericenones and more than 16 amino acids. In traditional Chinese medicine, H. erinaceus is often used to invigorate the spleen and stomach and treat symptoms such as indigestion and insomnia. In recent years, scientists have identified an active compound from the mycelium of H. erinaceus, Erinacines A, which is a small compound that can easily cross the blood-brain barrier. This active compound can provide protection to nerve cells, and effectively improve neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

小故事介紹

猴头菇为齿菌科中的一种食用真菌，因其子实体圆而厚实且外型酷似猴子的头而得名，主要分布于北美洲、欧洲及亚洲。猴头菇作为曾经的王宫贵族食品，常见于中国传统的名贵佳肴之中。此外，因猴头菇属于高蛋白、低脂肪的食品，且口感近似肉类，作为肉品的替代，也广为素食主义者喜爱。

猴头菇除了作为一般食用菇蕈外，作为药用菇蕈也广为人知。猴头菇含有丰富的有效活性成分，包含多醣体、猴头菇素 (Erinacines)、猴头菇酮 (Hericenones) 及超过16种以上的胺基酸。在传统中医中，猴头菇常用于健脾养胃、治疗消化不良及失眠等症状，而在近几年来，科学家发现液态培养之猴头菇菌丝体中含有猴头菇素A (Erinacines A)，此种活性物质能够通过血脑屏障 (blood–brain barrier) 到达大脑，并对大脑神经细胞提供保护，可以有效推迟及改善神经退化性疾病，如阿兹海默症及帕金森氏症。

Background

Cordyceps sinensis is a fungus belonging to genus Ophiocordyceps, usually parasitizes in the larvae of Hepialidae. They are mainly distributed in alpine regions of China, Nepal and Bhutan. The spores of C. sinensis parasitize worms and continuously absorb the nutrients from them. When winter comes, the hosts will die because their bodies are full of hyphae, and their internal tissues and shells will combine with the hyphae to form a hard mycelium. Once spring comes, the mycelium will continue to grow and eventually generate a rod-shaped fruiting body from the head of the worm, resulting in half of it being insects and half being plants. The term "winter worm, summer grass" is also derived from its special growth mode.

Cordyceps sinensis, which is rich in polysaccharides, proteins, nucleotides and mannitol, is the top medicine in traditional Chinese medicine. “Compendium of Materia Medica” records that C. sinensis can be used to treat coughs, respiratory disorders and kidney disorders. Recently, studies have also shown that C. sinensis is effective in immune regulation, improving sports performance and increasing strength. Given that C. sinensis have high health value and is difficult to collect, its price on the market is always high. Therefore, the mycelium produced by the submerged cultivation, which has similar nutritional value to the fruit body of C. sinensis, has attracted more and more attention from the market.

小故事介紹

冬虫夏草为线虫草属中的一种真菌，通常寄生于鳞翅目蝙蝠蛾科昆虫的幼虫体内，主要分布于中国、尼泊尔及不丹的高海拔地区。虫草菌的孢子在寄生进幼虫体内后，会持续吸取幼虫养分并生长，直至幼虫死亡。到了冬季，幼虫会因体内充满菌丝而死亡，其体内组织及外壳会与菌丝结合成坚硬的菌丝体。待春天来临时，菌丝会继续开始生长，最后从幼虫的头部长出棒状的子实体，并形成半边为虫体，半边为植物的景象。”冬虫夏草”一词也是源自于其特殊的生长方式。

冬虫夏草含有丰富的多醣体、蛋白质、核苷酸及甘露醇，为传统中药之上药，与人参及鹿茸齐名。在本草纲目中记载，冬虫夏草可用于治疗咳嗽、呼吸系统疾病及肾脏疾病。而近年来，随着科学研究的进步，越来越多的活性成分被鉴定出来，并揭露其在免疫调节、改善运动表现及提升精力方面皆有效果。因冬虫夏草有着极高的保健营养价值，且野生子实体的采集难度高，使其在市面上的价格始终居高不下。因此，利用液态培养方式量产与冬虫夏草子实体有相近营养价值之菌丝体即越发受到市场重视。

Background

Antrodia cinnamomea, a medicinal mushroom endemic to Taiwan, is a fungus belonging to the family Fomitopsidaceae. Because of its bright orange appearance and high health value, Antrodia cinnamomea is also known as the “Ruby in the forest”. Antrodia only grows in the trunk of Cinnamomum kanehirae. However, with C. Kanehirae being listed as a conservation plant, wild Antrodia has almost disappeared from the market. At present, most of the Antrodia on the market are generated by artificial woods cultivation. But, since C. kanehirae woods are quite rare and it often takes more than one year to grow fruit bodies, Antrodia is still a very precious health food.

Until now, more than 78 compounds have been identified in Antrodia cinnamomea, which are mainly triterpenoids, polysaccharides and quinones. Furthermore, as more researchers have devoted themselves to the research of it, more than 300 related scientific papers have been published. Studies have shown that both the fruit body cultured from wood and the mycelium cultured in solid or liquid state have been found to have multiple pharmacological effects, including anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory, liver-protecting, anti-viral, anti-allergic, neuroprotective and anti-cancer. Given its wide range of pharmacological effects, Antrodia is also used as a natural supplement for adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

小故事介紹

牛樟芝为多孔菌科薄孔菌属的一种真菌，是台湾特有的药用菇蕈，因其橘红色的亮丽外观与极高的保健价值，更有”森林中红宝石”的美名。牛樟芝只会生长在台湾特有的常绿阔叶大乔木牛樟树 (Cinnamomum kanehirai) 树干内中空的心材上，而在牛樟树已被列为保育植物的现今，野生的牛樟芝也几乎消失在市场上。目前市面上的牛樟芝多为人工椴木培养，但由于牛樟椴木相当稀少，且牛樟芝往往需要1年以上才能生长出子实体，因此让牛樟芝显得十分珍贵。

目前牛樟芝中已被鉴定出的化合物已达78种以上，主要为三萜类 (terpenoids)、多醣体 (polysaccharides) 及醌类 (Quinone)。而近年来随着越多的研究者投入牛樟芝的研究中，相关的文献发表已超过300篇。根据研究显示，不论是椴木培养的子实体或是固态及液态培养的菌丝体，皆被发现具有抗氧化、抗发炎、保肝、抗病毒、抗过敏、降三高、保护神经及抗癌等特性。鉴于其有着广泛的药用生理活性，牛樟芝也常用作辅助化学治疗及放射治疗的天然补充品。