Effect of medicinal mushrooms on CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts of HIV-infected patients.

[adreno]

Effect of immunomodulating and antiviral agent of medicinal mushrooms (immune assist 24/7) on CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts of HIV-infected patients.

Adotey G, et al.

Int J Med Mushrooms. 2011;13(2):109-13.

Science Laboratory Department, Accra Polytechnic, Accra, Ghana.

Abstract

Immune enhancement through the use of natural products is a potentially valuable therapeutic modality in HIV-infected people, especially those who are not good candidates for aggressive ARV therapy. One such immune enhancement, a medicinal mushroom product from the United States, is Immune Assist 24/7. In this study the effect of Immune Assist 24/7, which is a naturally derived immune-modulating and antiviral agent, on CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts was evaluated in 8 HIV-infected patients at the Sunyani Regional Hospital (Ghana). The subjects were administered three tablets of 800 mg Immune Assist 24/7 once daily (2.4 g/day) and peripheral blood samples were drawn at baseline, day 30, and day 60, and the CD4+ count measured. The study revealed that Immune Assist 24/7, used as a sole therapeutic agent without additional ARV drugs, significantly increased CD4+ T-lymphocyte populations in all of the patients. In one patient, the CD4+ T-lymphocyte count went from 4 at the baseline, to 170 cells in 60 days, representing an increase of more than 4000%. In another patient, the CD4+ count went from 88 to 470 cells within the same period. Even in the patients with the highest CD4+ counts of around 800, there was a significant elevation in the CD4+ count noted. This study did not deal with the effect of Immune Assist 24/7 on other immune parameters such as CD3+ T-lymphocyte count, natural killer cells count, or viral load among HIV-infected patients. These initial results are promising, and indicate the potential value of further evaluating the effects of Immune Assist 24/7 on other immune parameters and viral load among HIV patients, administered either as a sole therapeutic agent, as an adjuvant with standard ARV therapy, or in comparison with standard ARV therapy alone.

PMID 22135886

 

[adreno]

Some information from the manufacturer:

"IMMUNE-ASSIST Daily Formula is a completely unique and new type of dietary supplement. It contains a combination of more than 200 different polysaccharides, derived from the enzymatic breakdown of complex organic plant material from six different species of medicinal mushrooms. These include Agaricus blazei, Cordyceps sinensis hybrid, Lentinula edodes (shiitake), Grifola frondosa (maitake), Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi), and Coriolus versicolor. Immune-Assist contains 500 mg per vegetarian capsule and is made in America using only USDA-certified organic materials.

Immune-Assist is similar to other mushroom-based polysaccharides in that it is formulated through an enzymatically-activated process whereby complex cross-linked polysaccharides from vegetable sources are converted to biologically active immunomodulators composed of simpler sugars (such as arabinose and xylose). However, Immune-Assist offers significant advantages. While Immune-Assist contains simple polysaccharides, it also contains more complex polysaccharides, including cross-linked beta mannans and beta-glucans, and hetero-polysaccharides which combine both alpha-bound and beta-bound monosaccharides in the same molecule. These complex polysaccharide compounds are not found in earlier-generation, bran-based supplements like AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound). This is the reason Immune-Assist shows such a greater range of immuno-modulation bioactivity than AHCC and other bran-based supplements.

Immune-Assist contains not only arabinoxylane, but also lentinan, grifolan (Dr. Nanbas original Maitake D-Fraction), PSK and PSP, and active hemicellulose correlated compound (AHCC). There is about three times more arabinoxylane per dose of Immune-Assist than there is in MGN3, and four times more AHCC than in the ImmPower brand of AHCC.

Immune-Assist truly is a new and unique immune-boosting supplement. It has been tested in a number of different clinical trials. The results of one clinical trial indicate that mixed polysaccharides of medicinal mushrooms protect the hematopoietic (i.e., blood formation) function of bone marrow, induce the action of the digestive tract, boost the immunity of the cells, and increase the activity of the NK cells, LAK cells, and the ratio of Th to Ts cells. It has been tested as an adjunct to conventional therapy for cancer, for hepatits B, for alcoholic liver disease, and presently is being tested for HIV and for hepatits C. Results have been positive in all of these studies."

http://www.integratedhealth.com/hpdspec/immune-assist-daily-formula.html

Did anyone try this?

 

[adreno]

BioBran argues they have the better product:

http://www.biobran.org/comparisons/immune-assist.html

 

[xrunner]

I tried MGN3 for about three months and couldn't tell the difference.
I tried shiitake, reishi, maitake and cordyceps for almost a year and had no improvement, confirmed by no changes in immune markers including nk cells.
However, cordyceps was good at raising my stamina.
Reishi was the best sleep inducer I ever tried (of the countless I did). It also raised stamina, sense of well being and took away most pains including sciatica but as long as I took it. It was also great as a quick fix for seizure-like episodes (as good as benzos).

 

[adreno]

Thanks for posting your experiences, xrunner.

 

[shogun4836]

Thanks for sharing the info. Very Useful.