Re: AHCC , mushrooms, and the truth.

January 4, 2005

Regarding the inaccurate claim that AHCC is a " mix of mushrooms " , I can not

speculate on the motives of the researchers, but I think they were tricked, just

like everyone else. This will take some explaining but it is instructive as to

how false information is created.

If you supply funding and materials, you can employ a reputable research

institution. In such a case, the institution would do no independent chemical

analysis of its own. This happens all the time.

A recent " article " on AHCC in the magazine " Natural Pharmacy " is full of

linguistic gymnastics and back-tracking, all rolled into one. Sellers of AHCC

must be feeling the heat.

Take the comment that AHCC is made by " the enzymatic modification of products of

hybrids of shiitake and several other kinds of medicinal mushrooms " . What does

that really say?

Or this -- " the production process involves growing the mushrooms with rice bran

in a liquid medium " , and " an alternative name for mushroom-derived AHCC is

arabinoxylane " .

In truth, arabinoxylane is derived only from the cellulose in rice bran, it is

not of fungal origin. You can’t chemically find arabinoxylane in any fungus.

Arabinoxylane was the main active ingredient contained in another immune product

called " Bio-Bran " , also made from the cellulose in rice bran but without the use

of mushroom enzymes. The AHCC " process " was able to be patented because using

mushroom enzymes improved this process of isolating arabinoxylane as an immune

supplement.

Calling AHCC a " mushroom " product because mushroom enzymes are used to help

break down the cellulose is an elaborate distortion.

It’s designed to make people believe they are using medicinal mushrooms when

they are not.

The problems are: 1) AHCC is not as effective as most of the mushroom

supplements, which is why they want people to think AHCC is a mushroom product;

and 2) People using AHCC who would benefit from adding mushroom supplements are

being tricked by this distortion of facts.

Please let me know if you would like to see copies of the original patent and

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