This mushroom is the source of two well-studied polysaccharide preparations: Lentinan – a cell wall polysaccharide extractable from the fruit-body. LEM – a protein-bound polysaccharide derived from the mycelium. Both compounds have demonstrated anticancer activity. These compounds are increasingly being used to help support immune function in cancer patients during radio and chemotherapy and can prolong survival times in some types of cancer. An immense amount of literature has been, and continues to be, accumulated on these compounds mostly in the Orient but increasingly so in Western scientific and medical journals. These studies are focusing on: Anti-cancer effects Immune regulatory effects Anti-viral effects Bacterial and parasitic infections Hepatoprotective and cardiovascular effects Fresh Lentinula edodes and commercial preparations (available as tablets, capsules, or tinctures), are on sale in natural food stores, health shops, select pharmacies, organic markets and certain retailers. Shiitake extracts more often appear in mixtures blended with Reishi, Maitake and others. Key active constituents of Lentinula edodes: Beta-D-glucan (Lentinan) and heteroglucan-protein (LEM) (anti-tumour, immune stimulating) Eritadenine (cholesterol-reducing) Ergosterol (provitamin D-2) RNA fractions (antiviral nucleic acids) 
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