[Lotus]

I'm not done with Reishi:

In the last few years, the use of herbal therapies in alternative medicine has increased. Although the number of cancer patients using herbal dietary supple- ments is not exactly known, the evidence of the increasing use of dietary supplements in cancer treatment is reported.

Most prostate cancers initially depend on androgens for their growth. Therefore, they can often be controlled by various therapies that block the synthesis of androgens, their conversion to the active form dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or the function of the AR.

Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) is part of the herbal mixture PC-SPES, which showed activity against hormone refractory disease in prostate cancer patients. Extracts of PC-SPES demonstrated estrogenic effects and decreased growth of hormone sensitive as well hormone-insensitive prostate cancer cells. In light of the results, these effects might be related not only to anti-cancer effects of G. lucidum (Reishi) but also to anti-androgen effects. Since excessive 5 alpha-reductase activity has been proposed to be a possible contributing factor in prostate cancer development or progression, the development and progression of prostate cancer may also be affected by diets containing inhibitors of 5 alpha reductase. So to understand how Reishi benefits 5 ar, you have to look at cancer research.

However, the major barrier to therapy is the eventual progression of the disease to what appears to be an androgen-independent stage. Two mechanisms have been proposed for the development of androgen-independent prostate cancers. The first mechanism is based on increased androgen receptor signaling caused by mutations in the AR that allow it to be activated by ligands other than DHT or by signaling pathways induced by a tyrosine kinase receptor, such as Her/2neu . The second mechanism is based on activation of growth-enhancing pathways that function independent of the AR, thus overcoming the growth inhibition caused by anti-androgen therapies, e.g. Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi mushroom).

Ganoderma lucidum exerts its effect on cancer cells by multiple mechanisms and may have potential therapeutic use for the prevention and treatment of cancer.
Introduction

The popular edible mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) has been widely used for the general promotion of health and longevity in Asian countries. The dried powder of Ganoderma lucidum was popular as a cancer chemotherapy agent in ancient China. Ganoderma lucidum inhibits constitutively active transcription factors nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) and AP-1, which resulted in the inhibition of expression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor uPAR. Ganoderma lucidum also suppressed cell adhesion and cell migration of highly invasive breast and prostate cancer cells, suggesting its potency to reduce tumor invasiveness. Thus, Ganoderma lucidum clearly demonstrates anticancer activity in experiments with cancer cells and has possible therapeutic potential as a dietary supplement for an alternative therapy for breast and prostate cancer. However, because of the availability of Ganoderma lucidum from different sources, it is advisable to test its biologic activity.


Abstract
In humans, 5 alpha-reductase is involved in the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Triterpenoids isolated from ethanol extracts of Ganoderma lucidum (Fr.) Krast (Ganodermataceae) inhibited 5 alpha-reductase activity. The presence of the C-3 carbonyl group and of the C-26-alpha, beta-unsaturated carbonyl group was characteristic of almost all inhibitors isolated from G. lucidum.

5alpha-reductase inhibitory effect of triterpenoids isolated from Ganoderma lucidum.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16462054


Structure-activity relationship for inhibition of 5alpha-reductase by triterpenoids isolated from Ganoderma lucidum.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16962782


Ganoderma lucidum inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells PC-3
http://www.spandidos-publications.com/ij...3/abstract

Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi mushroom) for cancer treatment.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22696372

Ganoderma lucidum suppresses motility of highly invasive breast and prostate cancer cells.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12408995

Ganoderma lucidum inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells PC-3.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1506733

Androgen receptor-dependent and -independent mechanisms mediate Ganoderma lucidum activities in LNCaP prostate cancer cells.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17786330