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ABSTRACT: Antrodia camphorata (AC) is a unique mushroom of Taiwan that has been used for centuries as a traditional medical treatment for a variety of ailments from alcoholic dysfunction, hepatitis, and liver cirrhosis. Recently, a variety of compounds have been isolated from AC which appears to have many medicinal properties. Recent studies have shown extracts and other preparations from AC have anti-cancer , hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory properties, anti-hepatitis B virus actions, and vaso-relaxant, antioxidant and antihypertensive activities. This review presents the scientific basis for the above medicinal claims for AC.
KEY WORDS: Anti-apoptotic, Anti-cancer, Anti-oxidant, Antrodia, Cardio-protective, Urinary Bladder Protection
INTRODUCTION
History
Antrodia Comphorata (AC) is a fungal parasite which lives and grows on the inner cavity of the endemic species Cinnamomum kanehirae (Bull camphor tree) Hayata (Lauraceae). The host plant, Bull camphor tree, is a large broad-leaved evergreen tree which only grows in Taiwan (Chang and Chou, 1995). Antrodia camphorata is also known as Antrodia cinnamomea or Taiwanofungus camphoratus; thus AC is used as the abbreviation for all three names. AC is a unique mushroom of Taiwan which was historically used by the aborigines as a traditional prescription for the discomforts caused by alcohol drinking or illness (Wu et al., 1997). In the 38th year of Chien-Lung years (1773 A.D.) during the Ching Dynasty a renowned doctor Wu Sa came from Zhang Zhou, Fukienand reclaimed Yi Lan, North-East of Taiwan with his followers. He found that the aborigines suffered from headaches, hepatitis, and liver cirrhosis because of frequent alcohol consumption. AC was used as a remedy for weariness, detoxification and other kinds of illness, and people would carry it all the time for those reasons. Wu Sa applied the aborigines'experiences to medical fields such as pain relief, anti-oxidation, improvement of hepatitis and cirrhosis, and tumor inhibition of cancer cases. Ku is a Chinese common name meaning mushroom; Chih means a famous Ganoderma-like fungus. AC was first published and identified as a new ganoderma species, Ganoderma camphoratum, by Zang and Su (Zang and Su, 1990). However, according to fruiting-body morphology and cultural characteristics, this fungus has been given the name of AC (Wu et al., 1997; Chang and Chou, 2004a). In 2004, based on a phylogenetic analysis from large ribosomal subunit sequences of...