A short-term clinical experiment for ten HIV patients in Thailand was conducted in order to examine the effects of "Micronized Lingzhi", a Ganoderma lucidum extract preparation from a Japanese supplier, as an immunological drug that can be oral administered. The results showed that Lingzhi mushroom at the present formulation does not have appreciable benefits for HIV patients. Although the crude Lingzhi extracts are ineffective in the medical treatment of HIV patients, the medical effects of the individual active ingredients of this mushroom should be tested. In Vitro studies demonstrated that an extracts from G. lucidum was an effective immnorestorer in mild to moderately immuno-suppressed individuals. This might be due to the way it changes T cell phenotypes or enhances T cell activity. Proper selection of patients for medical tests is therefore essential in order to guarantee favorable clinical studies.

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The relation between the increase in water potential (ψ) of the culture and the increase of fruit body yield was investigated in sawdust-based cultures. The fruiting of Lentinula edodes in sawdust-based culture was dependent on the availability of culture ψ. Cultures having high ψ resulting from long incubation time produced strong first breaks. Although L. edodes mycelium was capable of significant growth at substantial water deficits, fruit body induction and production required higher levels of moisture.

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The artificial cultivation of Schizophyllum commune, which could produce fibrinolytic enzyme, was investigated. Schizophyllum commune produced a good yield of fruit bodies on a sawdust substrate. As a carbon source, monosaccharides proved to produce better growth than either disaccharides or polysaccharides. Organic nitrogen added to the substrate supported a better mycelial growth than inorganic nitrogen. The mushroom grew successfully on a medium using peptone as a nitrogen source. Thiamin was essential for mycelial growth and the addition of riboflavin stimulated the growth. Optimum temperature for fruiting was estimated to be at 15℃, however, the mycelia could grow well up to 35℃. The pH range between 7 and 11 was the most favorable for mycelial growth. The first flush at 14 days after the treatment of fruiting induction yielded about 10% of the corresponding wet weight of the spawned substrate which was composed of beech sawdust with rice bran.

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