A double-blind clinical study of Rokkaku Reishi essence in women

Abstract

A double-blind, randomized and placebo controlled study was carried out to examine the anti-aging efficacy and safety of Rokkaku Reishi in 22 overweight Japanese women (46.5±7.9 years old, BMI 26.8±2.7) consisting of 11 in the Analyte Group and 11 in the Placebo Group. Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and neutral fat values in the blood, which had been checked as background factors of the subjects, were mismatched, significantly higher respectively in the Analyte Group than in the Placebo Group. Evaluation of efficacy for lipid profiles was inevitable. In the Analyte Group the values of Hematocrit (-3.5%) and γ-GTP (-15.0%) significantly declined while HbAlc (2.3%) and K (5.4%) significantly increased after supplementation. The rate of increase of HbAlc in the Analyte Group was significantly higher than that in the Placebo Group. NK-cell activity showed no difference pre- and post-supplementation in either group. Oxidative-stress markers showed no significant difference pre- and post-supplementation for either group. A Common questionnaire on physical symptoms showed that the categories “Coughing and sputum” and “Grey hair” significantly declined after supplementation in the Analyte Group while no difference was found in the Placebo Group. For skin age scores measured using a Roboskinanalyzer, the scores for the categories “Noticeable pores”, “Large noticeable pores” and “Dusky noticeable pores” were significantly lower in the Analyte Group compared to the Placebo Group. A significant correlation was found between 8-OHdG in terms of its level, creatinine-corrected value and generation rate, and the number of “Noticeable pores”. No adverse reaction was found during the study. These results suggest that the four weeks supplementation of Rokkaku Reishi showed favorable effects on skin condition.