Agaricus Blazei

Agaricus blazei · Agaricus subrufescens · Agaricus brasiliensis · Himematsutake

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Immune support¹ Chemotherapy-related symptoms² Quality of life in cancer care^{2, 3} Chronic hepatitis B liver enzymes⁴ Insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes⁵ Cytokine levels in Crohn's and colitis⁶	Mushroom allergy⁵ Active or prior liver disease⁷ Hormone-sensitive cancers⁵

Agaricus blazei (also called Agaricus subrufescens or Himematsutake) is an edible mushroom native to Brazil, cultivated in Japan and used as extracts, teas, and capsules, with immune modulation via natural killer cell activity as the proposed driver⁵. People take it for immune support, as an adjunct during cancer care, for liver function in chronic hepatitis, and for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. Typical patients are those in oncology or hepatology settings seeking complementary options³.

Human research is limited to about a dozen small trials, mostly in cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, and allergy. In gynecological cancer patients on chemotherapy, a 2004 controlled study found higher natural killer cell activity and fewer treatment-related side effects². In elderly women, a 2012 randomized trial found no effect on inflammatory cytokines⁸. In chronic myeloid leukemia, a 2025 network pharmacology and cell-line study of an Agaricus blazei fraction found suppression of a growth-signaling pathway; no human trial has tested it. Products listing Agaricus blazei are mostly capsules, with some powders and liquids; see Form comparison.

The most consequential caution is hepatic: case reports describe severe liver damage and two deaths from fulminant hepatitis in cancer patients taking the extract, with recurrence on rechallenge⁹. Health Canada lists a practitioner consultation before use in pregnancy, breastfeeding, and diabetes¹⁰.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

26 sources, 20 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources