Yun Zhi has been Chinese medicine since acient times. There is a record in the Compendium of Materia Medica by Li Shi Zhen of the Ming dynasty: "The black and green Yun Zhi are beneficial to one's spirit and vital energy and strengthen one's tendon and bone. If Yun Zhi is taken for a long time, it will make one vigorous and live long". With the development of science and technology in modern times, there are an increasing number of people trying to extract its effective ingredients and make it into medicinal products.
In 1979, Northeast China Teachers University was the first to extract from teh fruitbodies of wild Yun Zhi some glucan, whose molecular weight is greater than one million Dalton. The pharmacological research proves that it has a great effect of raising the rate of transformation of lymphocytes, increasing the number of the formations of rosette and promoting the change to the negative of the antigen at the surface of B-type hepatitis. In 1990, it was manufactured by the Northeast China Chang Chun Pharmaceutical Factory. The name of the product is Heparin of Yun Zhi (Yun Zhi Gan Tai). Type of dose: to be drunk with hot water. The main curatvie functions: B-type hepatitis, chronic and active hepatitis and metastatic hepatitis.
In 1991, Zhang Zhi Ying extracted from fermented mycelia and mash intracellular and extracellular polysaccharide respectively. The chemical composition of the former is glucan and that of the latter is heteropolysaccharide. Deng Wen Long et al formally proved that IPPV can raise the phagocytic function of the netlike endotheliocytic (RES) system, raise the half-value of hemolysin (HC50) of mice, resist the atrophy of the thymus of tumor-bearing mice and the delayed hypersensitive reaction caused by cyclophosphamide, but it cannot resist the lowering of the WBC due to the use of cyclophosphamide and has no inhibitory function of sarcoma-180 and Ehrlich ascites.
The IPPV has been manufactured by No.5 Chong Qing Pharmaceutical Factory. The name of the product: Yun Xing (IPPV of Yun Zhi). The main curative functions: chronic B-type hepatitis.
In 1983-1993 Professore Qing-yao Yang et al extracted a protein bound polysaccharide from the deep layer cultivated mycelia of Cov-1 strain of Yun Zhi. The polysacharides consist of 6 kinds of monosaccharides: glucose, mannose, galactose, xylose, arabinsoe and rhamnose and they are connected with a small molecular protein-polypeptide. (It is named polysaccharopeptide, abbreviated as PSP). Through the analysis by means of the nuclear magnetic resonance, and chromatic and mass spectra, it has been discovered that the polysaccharides of PSP are mainly connected by alpha 1-4, alpha 1-2 and beta 1-3 glycosidic bonds. The pharmacological research proves that pSP can obviously raise the IL-2 and the contents of interferons (alpha and gamma) of a normal organism, raise the phagocytic function and promote the growth of T lymphoctyes. Besides, PSP can resist the inhibitory fucntion of WBC, IL-2 and the delayed hypersensitive reaction (DTH), resist the atrophy of the thymus of animals due to tumor-bearing and increase the low contents of IgG, serum hemolysin (HC50) and complement C3. It has been proved by 485 cases of random, double-blind division of groups: PSP can obviously improve the symptoms of tumorous patients such as poor appetite, weariness and triedness, dry mouth and throat, and pains, raise the mark of Karnofsky evaluation, IL-2 content and NK cell activity and change the ratio of CD4+ and CD8+. The total effective rate was 82.96%. In June 1993, PSP was ratified and evaluated by the Chinese Ministry of Public Health and got the certificate of New Drug of the Second Type of Chinese Medicine.
At present, there are Yun Zhi polysacchariude capsule of Nanjing, Laoshan Pharmaceutical Factory and Yun Zhi Jun capsule of No.3 Chinese Pharmaceutical Factory. They are all extracted from bigasse culture of the fungi of Yun Zhi. Their main curative function is to cure chronic B-type hepatitis. The Yun Zhi polysaccharide capsule of Shanghai Xing Gang Pharmaceutical Factory and Yun Zhi Gan Tai are all extracted from the fruitbodies of wild Yun Zhi.
Now I tabulate the main Yun Zhi products produced in China as follow:
| Name of Product Items compared | Yun Zhi Tang Tai Jiao Nang (PSP) | Yun Zhi Gan Tai Jiao Nang (PSP) | Yun Zhi Duo Tang Jiao Nang (CVP) | Yun Zhi Jun Jiao Nang | Yun Zhi Duo Tang Jiao Nang | Yun Zhi Bao Nei Duo Tang (Yun Xing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Researcher | Institute of Fungi, Shanghai Teachers University | Norhteast Teachers University | Edible Fungi Research Institute, Shanghai Agricultural Academy of Science | Sichuan Antibiotics Research Institute | ||
| Manuf. Factory | Shanghai Xin Kang Pharmaceutical Factory | Changchun Pharmaceutical Factory | Shanghai Xin Gang Pharmaceutical Factory | Shanghai No.3 Chinese Drug Manuf. Factory | Nanjing Laoshan Pharmaceutical Factory | Chong Qing No.5 Pharmaceutical Factory |
| Name of drug | Anti-cancer immunizing agent | Immunomodulatory | Immunomodulatory | Immunomodulatory | Immunomodulatory | Immunomodulatory |
| strain | Cov-1 | mixed | mixed | no special strain | no special strain | no special strain |
| raw material | deep layer cultivated mycelia | wild fruitbody | wild fruitbody | sugar cane baggasse culture | sugar cane bagasse culture | deep layer cultivated mycelia |
| Pharmacological effect (publicly reported) | inhibit the synthesis of nucleic acid of Ehrlich ascites cells, and inhibit cells of Sarcoma-180, P388, human nose, pharynx, stomach and lung cancers, lymphoma monocytic leukemia, etc. from accretion (Note 1) | can't inhibit the accretion of Sarcoma-180 and Ehrlich cells (Note 2) | ||||
| Adaptable diseases | For cancers of lung, digestive system and breast, PSP when combined with chemo- and radiotherapy, can markedly decrease toxic and side reactions, raise curative effects, prolong life, improve immune system and raise quality of life. | metastatic hepatitis B, hepatitis, chronic acute hepatitis, chronic bronchitis | same as Yun Zhi Gan Tai | chronic virus hepatitis | chronic hepatitis B, liver cancer, senile low Immunofunctions | chronic hepatitis B, pathogenic liver cancer, senile low immunofunction, uropathic infection |
| Old drug certificate number | approved number (81) 130423 of Jilijng hygienic drug | approved No. (1988) 103 of Shanghai hygienic drug | approved No. (87) 3612-1 of Suzhou hygienic drug | approved No. (85) 1-426 of Zhong Qing hygienic drug | ||
| Inspection and evaluation of new drugs | In 1990 PSP and its capsules evaluated and inspected by Public Health Ministry as the first grade drug, through random, double- blind clinical test, got the new drug certificate of the ministry: No.2-32, 1993 and hygienic drug certificate No.2-33, 1993 | approved No. (1992), 2026-051 of Shanghai hygienic drug | ||||
| Domestic evaluation | In 1987, evaluated as reaching the advanced international level in "Scientific Research Evaluation Meeting" presided over by Shanghai High Education Bureau, and awarded a silver medal in the "No.3 National Invention Exhibition". In 1992, awarded the golden medal in "No.4 National New Technology and Products Fair". | |||||
| Domestic evaluation | In 1987, evaluated as reaching the advanced international level in "Scientific Research Evaluation Meeting" presided over by Shanghai High Education Bureau, and awarded a silver medal in the "No.3 National Invention Exhibition". In 1992, awarded the golden medal in "No.4 National New Technology and Products Fair". | |||||
| International evaluation | American National Cancer Research Center has put PSP on record (Note 3) as fungous anticancerous substance. Canadian Dr. T. Willard reported that the pharmacological effect of PSP is 4 times as high as that of PSK (Note 4). In June 1993, U.S. Chinese Medical Association and National Society of Oriental Medicine Conferred the "Distinguished Achievement Award" |