Fast Facts on Yunzhi
The Complimentary and Proven Role of Yunzhi in Immunotherapeutic Application
Cancer is the leading cause of death in Hong Kong. Cancer of the lung, liver, stomach and colon are the most common forms of cancer in Hong Kong, while the incidence of breast cancer in Hong Kong is rising.
Cancer patients undergoing standard western medical therapy such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy face severe and debilitating side effects such as hair-loss, nausea, pain, and depleted immunity. These side-effects reduce the patient’s quality of life and often mean the patient is unable to complete their full course of therapy.
Medications to boost the immune system in response to these side-effects are available; however, they are required to be injected in a hospital room. In addition, the prohibitive cost of these treatments means that only the most seriously ill patients receive the immuno-stimulants.
As a result, alternatives have been sought for years to provide an oral self-administration option that could be made available to all cancer patients and improve their chance of completing or even stepping up their therapy.
Integrated TCM Cancer Treatment
Integrated TCM Cancer Treatment (ITCT) combines the aggressiveness of the conventional therapies with the immune system enhancing capability of the TCM. Clinically, it reduces the undesirable side effects of the radiation and chemotherapy and increases the effectiveness of the conventional therapies. It also improves the quality of life as well as increases the survival time.
The Chinese have been integrating cancer treatment for the past 60 years. Using conventional and Chinese traditional medicine, this integration has evolved into a sophisticated hybrid of medicine that has generated a great deal of well-designed research demonstrating that the use of combined care can improve outcomes for patients with cancer.
Yunzhi extract is widely used as an supplement to surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy
Yunzhi in Traditional Chinese Medicine
The scientific name for the medicinal mushroom, Yunzhi, is Coriolus Versicolor (CV).
Yunzhi extract has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to strengthen the body’s immune system and fight various severe diseases and infections. Many recent scientific research and clinical trials have proven that Yunzhi extracts help to stimulate the immune system so that the body is better able to fight the growth of undesirable cells.
Yunzhi and Immunotherapeutic Application
Yunzhi is an effective supplement to people with cancers in various stages of development:
· In the early stages of malignant tumour, Yunzhi extract may help to prevent abnormal cells from forminga solid aggregate.
· After surgery, Yunzhi extract can help to stimulate the immune system to destroy residual undesirable cells and avoid infection
Where radiation or chemotherapy is used, Yunzhi extract can strengthen the body. (radiation and chemotherapy can damage not only the immune system itself, but also the blood-forming system and other parts of the body).
Research Supporting Yunzhi’s Established Role in Immunotherapy
Since 1980, there have been scientific research reports released on Yunzhi’s established role in immunotherapy. A summary of the results indicate that Yunzhi:
· Increases the production of antibodies, complements various cytokines such as interleukin (IL-2, IL-6), interferons and tumour necrotic factors.1,2
· Increases the cytotoxic activity of lymphocytes to undesirable cells.1,3,4
· Restores the depressed immunological responsiveness caused by tumour burden or chemotherapy back to normal levels.5
· Enhances host/patient resistance to bacterial and fungal infections.2
· Inhibits the growth of undesirable cells.6
· Alleviates the adverse effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.7
· Improves both immune and health status in cancer patients.7
· Improves the overall quality of life of cancer patients.3
· The five year survival rate of cancer patients who took Yunzhi is 8% higher than those who didn’t.8
Oncozac: New-generation Yunzhi with Proven, Enhanced Efficacy Features Five Major Advancements over Other Yunzhi Products
Advanced absorption – Oncozac is highly water soluble, meaning it is readily absorbed by the body when administered orally to provide optimal results.
Absorbable Peptidoglucan – Oncozac is the only Yunzhi product that contains Absorbable Peptidoglucan (APG), which is proven to stimulate white blood cells, bone marrow cells and macrophages to boost immunity.
Higher potency due to optimized extraction and processing methods – A unique extraction method and sophisticated freeze-drying process is used in the production of Oncozac so active ingredients— especially APG — are not damaged and can be most effectively extracted from Yunzhi. These production advances have boosted the efficacy of Oncozac. Oncozac contains the highest possible concentrations of active components.
Standardisation and quality assurance – as well as testing to verify the presence of APG, Oncozac undergoes immunological testing at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s School of Pharmacy to ensure that every batch is equally efficacious. Oncozac is also tested by SGS (HK) Ltd. to guarantee its safety.
USP Verified Mark - In July 2009, a locally-developed Chinese medicinal ingredient, freeze-dried coriolus versicolor extract (commonly known as Yunzhi extract), has successfully passed the stringent requirements of USP’s Dietary Ingredient Verification Programme (DIVP) and was awarded the distinctive USP Verified Mark. In other words, the ingredient’s manufacturing procedures and quality control are consistent with the standard operating procedures. The company’s manufacturing system and monitoring procedures are up to the GMP standard. This is important in confirming the ingredient meets requirements for acceptable limits of contamination; as well as its safety and purity.
Each Oncozac oral capsule contains highly concentrated 340 mg Yunzhi extract equivalent to 3.4 g of dried natural and wild Yunzhi.
The significant breakthroughs made in developing advanced extraction and production technologies have been registered with the U.S. Patent Office.
Background Information on Cancer
Cancer is a disease of the body's cells. Cells in all the tissues and organs of the body constantly grow and divide to replace old and damaged cells to maintain the health of the body. Normally, all cells divide and reproduce themselves in an orderly and controlled manner. In cancer, however, some cells keep dividing without proper control, forming a tumour. In leukaemia, too many white blood cells are produced.
Sometimes cancer cells break away from a tumour and travel to other parts of the body through the bloodstream or lymphatic system. When the cancer cells reach other parts of the body they may settle and start to develop into new tumours. These are known as secondary cancers or metastases.
Background Information on Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy
Chemotherapy
· Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to destroy cancer cells (including leukaemias and lymphomas).
· Chemotherapy may be used alone to treat some types of cancer. Sometimes it can be used together with other types of treatment such as surgery, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, or a combination of these.
· Chemotherapy drugs interfere with the ability of a cancer cell to divide and reproduce itself. As the drugs are carried in the blood, they can reach cancer cells all over the body.
· The chemotherapy drugs are taken up by dividing cells, including some normal cells, which may cause unpleasant side effects. However, healthy cells can usually repair the damage caused by chemotherapy but cancer cells cannot and so they eventually die.
Radiotherapy
· It has long been known that radiation can damage human cells - and radiotherapy harnesses that power to treat cancers.
· Ionizing radiation can penetrate tissue, and alter the part of the cell which regulates its growth and reproduction. Non-cancerous cells can recover from this damage, while cancer cells cannot.
· There are two types of radiotherapy - delivered from outside the body by a machine, and using radioactive implants placed inside the body.
· The principal use of radiotherapy is to tackle solid tumours found in just one location, for example skin, brain, breast or uterine cancers.
· Although radiotherapy alone can cure many cancers, in other cases the radiotherapy is given after surgery over the surrounding area to "mop up" any remaining cells which have spread from the original cancer site.
· If there is a suspicion or firm evidence that cells could have spread further afield, then chemotherapy may be the preferred option.
· References
1) CHU K.K.W., Ho. S.S.S. Chow A.H.L. Coriolus versicolor: a medicinal mushroom with promising immunotherapeutic values. J Clin. Pharm. 2002; 42(9): 976-84.
2) Tsukagoshi S, Hashimoto Y, Fugii G, Kobayashi H, Nomoto K, Orita K: Krestin (PSK). Cancer Treatment Rev., 1984; 11:131-55.
3) Chu K.K.W., Chow A.H.L. “Preparation and standardization of immunomodulatory peptide-linked glucans with verifiable oral absorbability from Coriolus Versicolor”, United States Patent filing.
4) Cancer and the Immune System: The Vital Connection http://www.cancerresearch.org/immintro.html
5) Sagakami H, Aoki T, Simpson A, Tanuma S: Induction of immunopotentiation activity by a protein-bound polysaccharide, PSK. Anticancer Res., 1991, 11:993-1000.
6) Hayakawa K, Mitsuhashi N, Saito Y, Takahashi M, Katano S, Shiojima K, Furuta M, Niibe H: Effect of Krestin (PSK) as adjuvant treatment on the prognosis after radical radiotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Anticancer Res., 1993, 13: 1815-20.
7) Nakazato H, Koike A, Saji S, Ogawa N, Sakamoto J: Efficacy of immunochemotherapy as adjuvant treatment after curative resection of gastric cancer. Lancet, 1994; 343L 1122-6.
8) Research conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
