Radiation and chemotherapy are common and mainstay treatments for cancer patients. But they are also usually associated with some toxicity and side effects in most of the patients. Ganoderma (Lingzhi) is considered as a major kind of complementary/alternative medicine and used to prevent the adverse effects caused by radiation and chemotherapy. This chapter reviewed the protective effects of Ganoderma (Lingzhi) on radiation and chemotherapy, including the preventive effects on myelosuppression, intestinal injury, nephrotoxicity, cardiovascular toxicity, and other side effects. Both basic researches and clinical studies of Ganoderma (Lingzhi) in preventing side effects induced by radiation and chemotherapy were reviewed.
Keywords: Ganoderma; Intestinal mucosal immune; Lingzhi; Myelosuppression; Polysaccharide peptides; Polysaccharides.