Bioactive ingredients
Ergon – The Tumor and Kidney Specialist
- Antitumor – Antitumor Effects of Sclerotium Extracts
- Diuretic – Urine-producing properties
- Electrolyte regulation – balancing sodium (Na) and potassium (K) levels
- Nephroprotective – Kidney-protecting effect
D-Mannitol – The Diuretic
- Diuretic – Urine-producing effect
- Antibacterial – Antibacterial effect against chlamydia
Polyporusterone A and B – The Skin and Bone Specialists
- Strengthening – Strengthens bones and fingernails
Polyporusterones A–G – The Antioxidants
- Antioxidant – Antioxidant properties
- Antitumor – Antitumor properties
Acetosyringone – The Hair and Water Regulator
- Diuretic – Urine-producing effect
- Hair Growth – Hair Growth-Promoting Effect
Ideal K/Na ratio (5:1) – The electrolyte balancer
- Sodium-Potassium Balance – Supports sodium-potassium balance despite its diuretic effect
Polysaccharides – The Immunomodulators
- β-1,3/1,6-glucans from the sclerotium
- Antioxidant – Strong antioxidant effect
- Antitumor – Tumor-inhibiting properties
- Immunostimulant – Boosts the immune system
- Antiviral – Effective against hepatitis B
Biotin (Vitamin B7) – The Hair and Nail Vitamin
- Higher content – Higher content than other medicinal mushrooms
Triterpenes – The Free Radical Scavengers
- Antioxidant – Neutralizes free radicals
- Immune-boosting – Boost the immune system
- Diuretic – Urine-producing effect
Ergosterol – The Mineralizer
- Diuretic – Urine-producing effect
- Mineralization – Promoting hair and bone mineralization
Aquaporin Regulation – The Water Channel Controller
- Aquaporin Expression – Regulates the expression of aquaporins (AQP1, AQP2, AQP3) in the renal medullary cortex
- Diuretic effect – helps eliminate excess water and sodium
Nutritional Profile – The Essential Nutrients Package
Macronutrients:
- Dietary fiber: 47%
- Crude protein: 8–16.8%
- Ash: 4–7%
- Carbohydrates: 0.5%
Main chemical components:
- Polysaccharides: 78.2%
- Steroids: 16%
Therapeutic Applications
Diuretic effect – The kidney cleanser
Strong diuretic effect – Several clinical studies and animal experiments report a strong diuretic effect without side effects
Kidney diseases:
- Pyelonephritis
- Glomerulonephritis
Prevention and Treatment of Kidney Stones:
- Acid reduction – Reduces the acidity of urine
- Elevated citrate levels – Increases the concentration of citrate in the urine
- Crystallization inhibition – Inhibits the crystallization of calcium salts and thus prevents the formation of kidney stones
Edema and lymphatic flow disorders:
- Venous insufficiency
- Circulatory and lymphatic congestion
- Worsening due to prolonged standing or sitting
Renal fibrosis:
- Damage Prevention – Prevention of Kidney Damage in Animal Studies
- Fibrosis Relief – Relieved subsequent renal fibrosis
- Improved kidney function
High blood pressure:
- Blood pressure reduction – Clinical and preclinical studies have demonstrated a blood pressure-lowering effect
- Hypertensive kidney disease – Particularly effective for hypertensive kidney disease with edema
Liver Diseases – The Liver Protector
Hepatitis B:
- Boosting the immune system – PUPS strengthens the immune system by inhibiting the replication of the hepatitis B virus
- Phagocytosis activation – Increases the phagocytic activity of macrophages
- Immune Cell Activation – Activates immune cells
Clinical success in hepatitis B:
- Monotherapy – PUPS monotherapy reduced HBV DNA and inhibited viral replication
- Combination therapy with vaccine – showed a negative conversion rate for HBsAg, HBeAg, and HBV DNA
- Combination therapy with interferon-α – Significantly improved treatment efficacy
- TCM Combination – Demonstrated superior efficacy compared to the control group
Hepatitis C:
- Treatment support – PUPS injections and tablets are commonly used in China to treat hepatitis C in combination with antiviral medications
Cirrhosis of the liver:
- Treatment of Ascites – Effective for Liver Cirrhosis with Ascites
Hair Growth Promotion – The Hair Activator
Alopecia areata:
- Promoting hair growth – Particularly effective for alopecia areata
- Hair Strengthening – In-vivo studies report effective strengthening of brittle hair
- Nail Strengthening – Strengthening Weak Nails
- Improvements in Osteoporosis – Progress in the Treatment of Osteoporosis
Complementary Cancer Treatment – The Cancer Fighter
Bladder cancer:
Recurrence prevention:
- Reduction in recurrence rates – Human studies report reduced recurrence rates
- Protection against carcinogens – Protection against carcinogen-induced bladder cancer in animal studies
Improvements in BCG therapy:
- Increased Efficacy – Enhanced Efficacy of the BCG Vaccine for the Treatment of Bladder Cancer
- Reduction of Side Effects – Reduced Side Effects in Vivo
Inhibition of cell growth:
- HPP Effect – Inhibition of the Growth and Progression of Bladder Cancer Cells In Vitro by Homogeneous Polyporus Polysaccharide (HPP)
In vitro cytotoxicity:
- Methanol extract – Cytotoxic against human gastric carcinoma cells
- Ergon Effect – Effective against colon, cervical, liver, and stomach cancer cells
Improvement in treatment outcomes:
- Response rates – Improved treatment outcomes and response rates
- Survival rates – Increased survival rates
- Quality of Life – Improved quality of life for patients with leukemia, lung cancer, and liver cancer
Reduction in mortality:
- Lung cancer – 80–90% reduction in the risk of mortality and the hazard ratio for lung cancer (unpublished retrospective cohort study)
Side effects of chemotherapy:
- Hair Loss – Reduces chemotherapy-induced hair loss
- Appetite – Improves appetite
- Weight gain – Promotes weight gain
- Mindfulness – Enhances mental alertness
- Leukopenia – Reduces leukopenia
- Cachexia – Reduces cachexia in rats
Infectious Diseases – The Infection Fighter
Urinary tract infections:
- Chlamydia – Lower Urinary Tract Infections Caused by Chlamydia
- Urinary Tract Infection – Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections
- Prostatitis – Treatment of Prostatitis
Antibacterial effect:
- Bacteria – Effective against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis
- Fungi – Effective against Candida tropicalis, Fusarium graminearum, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae
HIV:
- Rapid effect – Various authors claim the treatment has a rapid effect against the virus
- Recovery rates – Higher recovery rates
- CD4+ improvement – Increases CD4+ lymphocyte count
Traditional uses
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) – A Time-Tested System of Medicine
Natural immune stimulant
Sclerotium extracts are used to treat various types of cancer:
- Lung cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Liver cancer
- Colon cancer
- Breast cancer
- Leukemia
- Lymphosarcoma
Traditional indications:
- Edema
- Frequent urge to urinate
- Jaundice
- Diarrhea
- Vaginal discharge
- Bladder infections and other urinary tract infections
- Prostate infections
- Respiratory infections, viruses, and the flu
Li Shi-chen’s Compendium of Materia Medica: P. umbellatus “opens the pores and channels of the skin and muscles, including the sweat glands; it treats gonorrheal swelling, beriberi, leukorrhea, urinary disorders during pregnancy, fetal swelling, and difficulty urinating”
TCMFormulas Containing P. umbellatus – Combination Therapies
Immunomodulation:
- Lung-cleansing and detoxifying decoctions for immune modulation
Liver fibrosis:
- Improvement in liver fibrosis in patients with cirrhosis
Breast cancer treatment:
- Reducing the side effects of breast cancer treatment
Cancer treatment:
- Apoptosis of gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo
- Apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells
Skin care:
- Acne treatment – Inhibits the 5α-reductase activity of testosterone and exhibits antimicrobial activity against Propionibacterium acnes
- Anti-aging and Skin Care – Antioxidant, cell-activating, collagen-synthesis-promoting, and moisturizing effects of β(1→6)/β(1→3)-glucans
Safety considerations
Common side effects:
- Arthralgia (joint pain)
- Allergic reactions
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Vaginal bleeding
- Gastrointestinal reactions
Rare serious side effects:
- Anaphylactic shock
- Other systemic issues
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