Therapeutic effects of
garlic
Therapeutic Effects of Garlic Powder in the Organophosphate Compound
Poisoning Mouse as a Model of SARS
In 2002, an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) occurred in
Guangdong Province, China, and 800 of 8000 infected people became the victims of
the SARS coronavirus infection. There are very few effective antibiotics or chemi-
cals for the treatment of this virus infection, and patients have to wait over 10 days
for the production of virus-specific antibody to recover from virus-caused infections.
My co-worker, Dr Lu Changlong of the China Medical University, found a novel
biological function in garlic powder, which was effective in detoxifying organoph-
osphate compound poisoning in mice used as a SARS model. This alternative
SARS model shows close similarity on pathohistological findings in lung to those
of the SARS-infected human.
After a week’s administration of 1% garlic powder solution, the organophos-
phate solution was given orally to mice to develop the SARS mimicking disease.
The curative effect induced by the garlic powder was more than that expected and
75% of the garlic powder-fed mice (9/12) recovered from the disease, whereas in
the control group only 8% survived (1/12) (Fig. 4.4).
4.3 Mushroom 87
Fig. 4.4 Therapeutic effects of
garlic powder in response to
organophosphate poisoning used
as a SARS model in mice. An
improved survival rate was clearly
observed in the garlic-treated
group.
The detoxification potency of the organophosphate by garlic powder was prob-
ably due to the chelating activity of garlic powder. This newly found property in
garlic is a very promising complementary therapeutic approach for the treatment
of cases of organophosphate poisoning.
4.3
Mushroom
4.3.1
Introduction
There are over 1500 mushroom species growing in Japan, of which around 300
species are edible. In the autumn, Japanese enjoy harvesting mushrooms, espe-
cially in the mountains, and a variety of mushroom dishes are appreciated at home
and in restaurants. Some of the mushrooms are pickled or dried to use as pre-
served foods for the special occasions, such as at the year end and new year. Re-
cently, biotechnological devices have allowed the cultivation of a variety of mush-
rooms in greenhouses, which means that they are constantly supplied all year
round.
Mushrooms are represented commonly in Japanese folk medicine and have
been used for cancer therapy since ancient times in Japan. However, in Europe and
America, mushrooms are not included as herbal plants, and there are few descrip-
tions of the therapeutic properties of mushrooms in the literature published in
other countries.
Recently, the healing powers of mushrooms, ranging from curing cancer to pre-
venting heart disease, have been reviewed scientifically to lend support to these an-
cient beliefs in the form of reliable evidence. Some Japanese pharmaceutical com-
panies have already developed anticancer medicines, such as Krestin, Lentinan,
and Sizofiranm, which are now being administered clinically to cancer patients in
hospital.
The nonedible toadstool tsukiyotake, which causes most of the mushroom intox-
ication in Japan, also contains antitumor substances. In this section, we look at the
anticancer properties of the edible mushroom maitake (Grifola frondosa) and the
poisonous mushroom tsukiyotake (Lampteromyces japonicus Singer) (Fig. 4.5).
88 4 Bioactive Phytocompounds and Products Traditionally Used in Japan
Fig. 4.5 Maitake mushroom (Grifola frondosa) (left) and poisonous Tsukiyotake
mushroom (Lamterumyces japonica Singer) (right).
garlic
Therapeutic Effects of Garlic Powder in the Organophosphate Compound
Poisoning Mouse as a Model of SARS
In 2002, an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) occurred in
Guangdong Province, China, and 800 of 8000 infected people became the victims of
the SARS coronavirus infection. There are very few effective antibiotics or chemi-
cals for the treatment of this virus infection, and patients have to wait over 10 days
for the production of virus-specific antibody to recover from virus-caused infections.
My co-worker, Dr Lu Changlong of the China Medical University, found a novel
biological function in garlic powder, which was effective in detoxifying organoph-
osphate compound poisoning in mice used as a SARS model. This alternative
SARS model shows close similarity on pathohistological findings in lung to those
of the SARS-infected human.
After a week’s administration of 1% garlic powder solution, the organophos-
phate solution was given orally to mice to develop the SARS mimicking disease.
The curative effect induced by the garlic powder was more than that expected and
75% of the garlic powder-fed mice (9/12) recovered from the disease, whereas in
the control group only 8% survived (1/12) (Fig. 4.4).
4.3 Mushroom 87
Fig. 4.4 Therapeutic effects of
garlic powder in response to
organophosphate poisoning used
as a SARS model in mice. An
improved survival rate was clearly
observed in the garlic-treated
group.
The detoxification potency of the organophosphate by garlic powder was prob-
ably due to the chelating activity of garlic powder. This newly found property in
garlic is a very promising complementary therapeutic approach for the treatment
of cases of organophosphate poisoning.
4.3
Mushroom
4.3.1
Introduction
There are over 1500 mushroom species growing in Japan, of which around 300
species are edible. In the autumn, Japanese enjoy harvesting mushrooms, espe-
cially in the mountains, and a variety of mushroom dishes are appreciated at home
and in restaurants. Some of the mushrooms are pickled or dried to use as pre-
served foods for the special occasions, such as at the year end and new year. Re-
cently, biotechnological devices have allowed the cultivation of a variety of mush-
rooms in greenhouses, which means that they are constantly supplied all year
round.
Mushrooms are represented commonly in Japanese folk medicine and have
been used for cancer therapy since ancient times in Japan. However, in Europe and
America, mushrooms are not included as herbal plants, and there are few descrip-
tions of the therapeutic properties of mushrooms in the literature published in
other countries.
Recently, the healing powers of mushrooms, ranging from curing cancer to pre-
venting heart disease, have been reviewed scientifically to lend support to these an-
cient beliefs in the form of reliable evidence. Some Japanese pharmaceutical com-
panies have already developed anticancer medicines, such as Krestin, Lentinan,
and Sizofiranm, which are now being administered clinically to cancer patients in
hospital.
The nonedible toadstool tsukiyotake, which causes most of the mushroom intox-
ication in Japan, also contains antitumor substances. In this section, we look at the
anticancer properties of the edible mushroom maitake (Grifola frondosa) and the
poisonous mushroom tsukiyotake (Lampteromyces japonicus Singer) (Fig. 4.5).
88 4 Bioactive Phytocompounds and Products Traditionally Used in Japan
Fig. 4.5 Maitake mushroom (Grifola frondosa) (left) and poisonous Tsukiyotake
mushroom (Lamterumyces japonica Singer) (right).
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