Cardiovascular and hypercholesterolemia effects

CHAPTER 8 ADDITIONAL MEDICINAL PROPERTIES Synopsis Extracts from many medicinal mushrooms have long been used for a wide range of ailments in traditional Chinese medicine. Modern scientific and medical studies are increasingly supporting many of these health claims. The main areas of medical studies include blood pressurelowering, cholesterol lowering, liver protective, antifibrotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-microbial activites. While the role of medicinal mushrooms in immunomodular and anti-cancer activities represents the dominating theme of this report, it is important to recognise that many of these mushrooms also show other quite significant medical properties, such as blood pressurelowering, cholesterol lowering, liver protective, antifibrotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-viral and other anti-microbial activities (Ooi and Liu, 1999; Ooi; 2000, Wasser and Weis, 1999a, b, Hobbs, 1995; Gunde-Cimerman, 1999). Only a brief resume will be given here of the extensive additional medical properties of certain medicinal mushrooms which have been supported by recent scientific and medical studies.