Phellinus Linteus (Sang Huang)

Phellinus linteus (PL), called Sang Huang in Chinese medicine, is a promising natural anti-cancer mushroom.

P. linteus extracts exhibit anti-tumor properties on skin, lung, breast and prostate cancer cells (Sahelian). PL has been reported to inhibit proliferation, colony formation, and migration and adhesion of highly invasive human breast cancer cells (Sliva et al.). PL markedly inhibited the early event in angiogenesis, capillary morphogenesis of the human aortic endothelial cells, through the downregulation of secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor from the breast cancer cells (Sliva et al.).

In addition, an investigation on the preventive mechanisms of mushroom Phellinus linteus against cancers showed PL can suppress cellular events associated with cancer promotion by preventing the inhibition of gap junctional intercellular communication induced by hydrogen peroxide (Cho et al.).

More and more researches are being conducted to study the immune-potentiating and anti-inflammatory properties of P. linteus. Many polysaccharides isolated from mushrooms are considered to be biological response modifiers and have been shown to enhance various immune responses in vivo and in vitro (Sahelian).  

Furthermore, it has been found that PL is not only able to inhibit inflammatory mediators by suppressing redox-based activation in macrophages (Kim et al.), but also to enhance the anti-cancer properties of macrophages (Rafael). Additional reports have been published on cases of “spontaneously” regressed cancers, where the patients reported having used Phellinus linteus by their own choice (Rafael).

Because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, extract P. linteus is being increasingly used to treat a wide variety of disease processes such as oral ulcer, gastroenteric disorder, inflammation, lymphatic disease, other than cancers.