AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound) is derived from the hybridization of several subspecies of medicinal mushroom, cultivated in Japan and then produced from a specialized manufacturing process. Other mushroom extracts to consider include Reishi supplement and Cordyceps supplement.

Active Hexose-correlated Compound ( AHCC ) is a mushroom extract that has been tested as an immune enhancing, liver protective and anti-cancer agent. AHCC was developed in Japan in 1989, and most of the studies with this compound have been conducted in Japan. For more AHCC information by a reliable source.

Studies in mice show AHCC supplementation:
Enhances resistance to infection, including influenza.
Enhances natural killer cell activity
Protects the liver from injury induced by toxic or anti-cancer agents.
May have potential as an immune enhancing agent in the therapy of opportunistic infections.
Reduces breast cancer metastasis in mice when combined with chemotherapy agents.

Studies in humans show AHCC mushroom extract
Has protective effects on the liver in cases of liver injury, cirrhosis, or hepatitis.
Improves the prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

New studies
Cancer - 25 patients in the advanced stages of head and neck cancer. Patients were administered 3 grams every morning 3 days prior to chemotherapy. Results showed that AHCC is safe to administer and helps cancer patients with side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs.

Flu - Randomized controlled trial with 29 subjects. Subjects were administered 3 grams/day. Results showed that cellular responses were enhanced, especially in the elderly subjects.

Liver - A double blind placebo controlled study of 30 male subjects with non-viral chronic and abnormal liver function. Administered 1 or 3 grams/day. Results showed a significant decrease in several elevated liver enzymes.

Liver - Randomized, double-blinded, placebo control trial conducted with 39 patients. Results showed the AHCC could stabilize elevated liver enzyme (ALT) levels in patients with viral Hepatitis C and established safety at a high dose of 6g/day.

Case study - Patient with Pheochromocytoma took 3 grams per day. Results showed that AHCC greatly reduced bone marrow damage.

AHCC Dose
Many of the studies in humans have used doses of AHCC of about 3 grams a day.

How is AHCC made?
AHCC is an extract of mycelium, obtained through the long-term cultivation of several types of basidiomycetes medicinal mushrooms including Shiitake. After undergoing enzymatic decomposition, concentration, and freeze-drying, AHCC is obtained from the cultured liquid. Active components of AHCC include glucans and an oligosaccharide.

AHCC studies, infection benefit
Study Concludes AHCC Enhances Resistance To Infection
Results of a National Space Biomedical Research Institute study conducted at Morehouse School of Medicine suggest that oral administration of Active Hexose Correlated Compound AHCC can increase resistance to infection. The purpose of this study was to determine if AHCC could ameliorate or prevent the deleterious effects of hindlimb-unloading on resistance to infection and immune response. Results of this study suggest that oral administration of AHCC improves the overall condition of the host resulting in increased resistance to infection. In this present study, AHCC was orally administered to mice to determine if the treatment could decrease immunosuppression and mortality of mice maintained in the hindlimb-unloaded model infected with the bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae, a common bacteria that effects people with weakened immune systems. The results showed that administration of AHCC by gavage for one week (1g/kg body weight) prior to suspension and throughout the ten-day suspension period yielded significant beneficial effects for the hindlimb-unloaded group including: 1) decreased mortality 2) increased time to death and 3) increased ability to clear bacteria. The results suggest that AHCC can decrease the deleterious effects of the hindlimb-unloading model on immunity and resistance to infection.

Low-dose supplementation with active hexose correlated compound improves the immune response to acute influenza infection in C57BL/6 mice.
Nutr Res. 2009 Feb;29(2): Nogusa S, Gerbino J, Ritz BW. Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Supplementation with mushroom-derived active hexose correlated compound modulates immunity and increases survival in response to a broad spectrum of acute infections, including influenza virus infection. However, dose-response data are nonexistent. Therefore, the aims of this study were to evaluate AHCC supplementation at various doses and determine the effects of low-dose supplementation on the immune response in a mouse model of influenza virus infection. Our data suggest that the effects of AHCC on the immune response to influenza infection are dose dependent and that low-dose AHCC supplementation improves the response to influenza infection despite no effect on total NK cell cytotoxicity.

Is AHCC a nutrient or an herb?
    A nutrient can be loosely defined as any substance that has a benefit to the body, in this case AHCC can be defined as a nutrient. However, more precisely, AHCC is a mushroom extract.

AHCC symposium
The 16th International AHCC Research Symposium was held in Sapporo, Japan on July 26th, 2008. The AHCC Symposium hosted by the AHCC Research Association was attended by 300 medical doctors and researchers from around the world. Individuals attending this year's event included representatives from Harvard Medical School, Yale University School of Medicine and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
   A recently completed study from researchers at Colorado State University supported by the Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has demonstrated that AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound) enhances host resistance by boosting protective immune responses specific to the West Nile Virus

Would the occasional use of yohimbe herbal extract  influence the effectiveness of ahcc in terms of immunity effects?
    We doubt this would occur.