IMMUNOSTIMULATION BY EXTRACTS OF THE FUNGUS, G. IUCIDUM

A CHINESE TRADITIONAL HERBAL DRUG, LING ZHI CAO, IS PREPAREDFROM RARE FUNGI, GANODERMA SPP. THE USE OF LING ZHI CAO FOR VARIOUS AILMENTS (E.G., TREATEMENT AND PREVENTION OF MALIGNANT TUMORS, CHRONIC HEPATITIS, ARTHRITIS, BRONCHITIS AND ASTHMA) IS WELL DOCUMENTED AND PRACTICED IN CHINA, KOREAAND JAPAN. ONE OF THE PROPOSED MODES OF GANODERMA'S EFFICACYIS THE STIMULATION OF THE HOST IMMUNE SYSTEM. ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF THE PRINCIPAL IMMUNOSTIMULANT AGENTS FROM GANODERMA COULD LEAD TO POTENTIALLY VALUABLE PROPHYLAXES AND/OR CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AGENTS FOR TREATING NOT ONLY CERTAIN TYPES OF MALIGNANT TUMORS BUT ALSO HOST-MEDIATED IMMUNOLOGICAL DISORDERS (E.G., RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND AIDS). GANODERMA LUCIDUM, ONE OF THE MOST TREASURED MUSHROOMS IN THE ORIENT HAS BEEN CHOSEN FOR A THOROUGH PHYTOCHEMICAL STUDY IN RESPECT TO IMMUNOSTIMULATION POTENTIAL. THREE RESEARCH AREAS ARE PROPOSED: (1) PHYTOCHEMICAL FRACTIONATIONOF G. LUCIDUM FRUITING BODIES AND MYCELIA, (2) IN VIVO AND IN VITRO ANALYSIS OF THE HOST IMMUNORESPONSE TO G. LUCIDUM AND (3) CULTIVATION OF G. LUCIDUM.