| Size | 60 capsules |
|---|---|
| Natural Product Number | 80054574 |
Vitazan Professional’s Coriolus Versicolor is a hot water–extracted medicinal mushroom formula standardized to contain 40% polysaccharides (500 mg per capsule). Hot-water extraction is critical in obtaining a high-quality and effective mushroom product, and is the traditional Asian method of extraction. In the whole mushroom, polysaccharides are bound by indigestible cell wall comprised of chitin; chitin must be dissolved through hot water in order to gently release the medicinal components, the mushroom polysaccharides. Conversely, grinding the mushroom may cause damage to the long-chain polysaccharides and fails to remove the indigestible chitin (fibre), limiting the amount of therapeutic constituents that can be fit per capsule. Standardization ensures that the final product contains a consistent amount of polysaccharides to allow delivery of a therapeutic dose.
Coriolus versicolor is also known as Trametes versicolor as its older name, and as Yun Zhi in Chinese. Its English name is “Turkey tail,” which aptly describes its appearance. The active constituents in Coriolus have been identified as proteoglycans (peptides with polysaccharides attached) with a beta‑1,4‑glucan structure. Polysaccharide K (PSK) and polysaccharide peptide (PSP) are two water-soluble polysaccharide-protein complexes; PSK contains approximately 35% polysaccharide and 28–35% protein. Mushroom polysaccharides interact with receptors on the surfaces of cells to mediate specific functions. Polysaccharides from Coriolus have been shown to stimulate NK-cell function, potentially increasing anticancer immune surveillance, and improve other aspects of immune function as well, increasing neutrophils and CD4 counts, and decreasing immunosuppressive acidic protein (IAP) levels.
Coriolus is the most thoroughly researched of the medicinal mushrooms, and especially in the area of cancer. The primary use of Coriolus has been as an adjuvant therapy in patients with cancer, in particular, in patients with colorectal, stomach, esophageal, lung, or breast cancer. In Japan, Coriolus has been widely used in cancer therapy for over 30 years. Studies in the literature suggest improvements in immunological and hematological function, decreased toxicity from chemotherapy, lengthened remission, and improved survival time.
Description
Suggested Use
Adults: Take 1 capsule three times daily with food or as directed by your health-care practitioner.
Duration of use: For best results, use for a minimum of 3 months and up to 9 months.
Cautions and warnings:
Cautions and warnings: Consult a health-care practitioner prior to use if you suffer from an immune system disorder (e.g. Crohn’s disease, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, HIV/AIDS, etc.); if you are taking immunosuppressants; if you have diabetes; if you are taking prescription medication; or if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. May cause dark-coloured stool and darkening of the fingernails.
Note: Product is sensitive to humidity and heat; keep in a cool, dry place.
Ingredients
| Each vegetable capsule contains: | |
|---|---|
| Coriolus versicolor (Trametes versicolor) extract, 40% polysaccharides | 500 mg |
| Hot-water extraction. | |
| Other ingredients: Vegetable magnesium stearate in a non‑GMO vegetable capsule composed of vegetable carbohydrate gum and purified water. | |
Human Trials of Coriolus Versicolor as an Adjuvant Cancer Therapy
| Study Design | Outcomes |
Colorectal Cancer (CRC) | |
| RCT of 205 patients with CRC treated with chemotherapy of tegafur-uracil (UFT). Of these, 68 also received treatment with PSK. | 5-year disease-free survival was higher in the group treated with adjuvant PSK, 76 v. 55%. |
| RCT of 205 patients with stage II-III CRC treated with chemotherapy of tegafur-uracil (UFT). Of these, 68 also received treatment with 3 g/d PSK for 2 years. | PSK increased 5-year disease free survival from 58% to 73%, and reduced recurrence by 43% and mortality by 40%. PSK decreased immunosuppressive acidic protein (IAP) levels and increased natural killer (NK) cells compared with the controls. |
| Controlled trial of 446 patients with CRC treated with oral 5‑fluoruracil alone or with 3 g/d PSK intermittently for 10 courses. | Survival to cancer was significantly higher in the PSK group compared to those who received chemotherapy alone. |
Stomach Cancer | |
| RCT of 21 patients with advanced gastric cancer, randomized to receive either tegafur-uracil (UFT) alone or with 3 g PSK orally daily for at least one year following resection surgery. | The 3-year overall survival was 62.2% in the PSK group and 12.5% in the control group. After surgery, CD57+ T cells, a known poor prognostic factor, decreased significantly in the PSK group compared to the control. |
| Study of 751 patients who underwent curative resection were treated with or without adjuvant PSK. | The 5-year survival rate of the PSK group was 67%, while that of the non‑PSK group was 61%. This effect appeared to be due to improved immune function. |
Lung Cancer | |
| Study of 225 patients with non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated by radiation therapy. A selection of patients were treated with adjuvant PSK long term, 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off. | 5-year survival rates of patients with stages I–II and stage III disease, treated with PSK, were 39 and 26%, respectively, while survival for patients not treated with PSK were 17 and 8%. |
| Systematic review reported data from Japanese- and Chinese-language RCTs (Liu 1993, Liu 1999, Ikeda 1986, Nishiwaki 1990). | Decreased duration of bone marrow suppression following chemotherapy; Increased WBCs, platelets, hemoglobin, neutrophils, NK cell activity, and CD4 counts; Stabilized body weight, improved performance status; Improved tumor related symptoms: fatigue, poor appetite, nausea and vomiting, pain, night sweats, insomnia. |
Breast Cancer | |
| 227 stage I–II breast cancer patients with vascular invasion in the tumor and/or in the metastatic lymph node were randomized to treatment with standard chemotherapy, chemo + levamisole, or chemo + PSK. | There was a trend favouring the combination of chemo plus PSK for disease-free survival or overall survival. |
| 967 patients with ER+ or ER− breast cancer who had undergone surgery were treated with standard chemo (adjusted to receptor status) plus 1) tamoxifen in ER+ patients or 2) PSK in ER− patients. | PSK extended survival in stage II, ER− patients with breast cancer. |
