There is an old saying that "there are ginseng in the north and maple in the south". The "maple" refers to Dendrobium officinale, one of the traditional precious Chinese medicinal materials.
Dendrobium officinale is known as the "national treasure" of Chinese medicine. It can replenish the five internal organs, prolong life, resist oxidation, resist inflammation, enhance immunity, regulate metabolism, promote cell regeneration and repair, lower blood sugar and even fight cancer [1]. The "Shennong Bencao Jing" also lists Dendrobium officinale as a holy medicine with the effect of "lightening the body and prolonging life".
However, the price of Dendrobium officinale has risen sharply in recent years. Depending on the quality, the price of Dendrobium officinale generally ranges from a few hundred yuan to thousands of yuan per catty, and some wild ones even reach tens of thousands of yuan!
How to eat and use this precious "immortal grass" to maximize the effect? Some scientists have wondered if Dendrobium officinale can achieve a "1+1>2" effect if it is used in combination with other "complementary" anti-aging substances?
Recently, scholars from Jiangnan University published an article[2], which achieved a "combination of the old and the new", making the traditional Chinese medicine Dendrobium officinale and the "anti-aging star" spermidine "collide".
The active ingredients of Dendrobium officinale mainly include polysaccharides, alkaloids, amino acids, etc. Among them, Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOP) accounts for 36.3%, which is its main active ingredient. In other words, most of the efficacy of Dendrobium officinale depends on it[3]!
Studies have shown that as the main active ingredient of Dendrobium officinale, Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide generally exerts anti-aging effects by regulating the immune system and intestinal microbiota[4].
In order to better play the role of anti-aging and life extension, researchers have found a "complementary" other half for it - spermidine.
Compared with Dendrobium officinale, spermidine, as a polyamine, can regulate the self-cleaning and repair of cells, and regulate the body's perception of nutrition[5], from exerting anti-aging, enhancing muscle mass and improving metabolism. The two have different "tracks" and their own characteristics in the mechanism of action. They work through different pathways.
So, if Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide and spermidine are used together, one is a traditional Chinese medicine and the other is an anti-aging star. I wonder what effect will the "collision" produce? Let's wait and see.
In order to explore the best combined dose, the researchers set two concentrations based on the initial effective concentration: Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOP) is DOP-L (125 mg/L) and DOP-H (250 mg/L); spermidine (Spd) is Spd-L (14.5 mg/L) and Spd-H (29.0 mg/L), and each substance is selected from the two doses, and "paired" in pairs.
Different combinations after successful "pairing" also play different degrees of role, mainly reflected in the three aspects of lifespan, resistance and movement of nematodes.
Lifespan extended by 40%: the life extension effect is the hard truth
The median survival time of the control group, DOP-L group, DS-LL group and DS-LH group was 15, 17, 20 and 20 days respectively, while that of the DOP-H group, DS-HL group and DS-HH group was 18, 20 and 21 days respectively.
Compared with other groups, the high-dose DOP and Spd combination group (DS-HH) had the most significant effect on improving lifespan, extending the median lifespan of nematodes by 40%!
The body is stronger and the resistance is greatly improved
Resisting the invasion of harmful substances is also an important ability for organisms to maintain healthy aging. For example, the ability to resist oxidation is very important, and oxidative imbalance can cause a variety of aging-related diseases [6].
Under the stimulation of reactive oxygen, nematodes will die due to oxidative damage, and the time when half of the nematodes cannot hold on is the "median survival time", which represents the ability of nematodes to resist oxidative stress. Compared with the control group's 4.5 hours, the DS-HH and DS-HL groups performed the best, lasting for 8 hours, nearly doubling!
In addition to common oxidative stress, heat stress is also an important factor affecting the lifespan of nematodes, which can reflect the ability of nematodes to adapt to the environment. Consistent with the results of oxidative stress, the DS-HH and DS-HL groups showed the best anti-heat stress effect.
Full of vitality, greatly improved athletic ability
Nematodes that have eaten a high dose of the "DS combination" not only live longer and have "toughness", but also become full of vitality! Compared with other groups, the DS-HH group showed the most significant improvement in the number of body bends and head swings, indicating that the vitality of nematodes eaten with high doses of DOP+Spd has greatly increased!
Good metabolism, less fat, and lighter body
The study found that compared with the single medication and the control group, the lipid accumulation of nematodes treated with DS combination was significantly reduced.
Moreover, in mice with impaired metabolism caused by a high-fat diet, DS combined treatment reduced the weight, blood sugar, triglycerides, harmful low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol levels of the mice, and far exceeded the effect achieved by taking the drug alone!
Based on the above results, the high-dose combination of DOP+Spd (DS-HH) seems to be the best combination to maximize the anti-aging effect.
Since the DS combination is so effective in regulating lipid metabolism, the researchers wanted to start from metabolism and further decipher the secret of DOP and Spd to prolong life.
The study found that many metabolites changed under the action of the drug. Among them, the researchers carefully selected the "representatives" with significant changes and found that these metabolites that changed were mostly related to lipid metabolism, nucleotides and energy metabolism.
Changes in lipid, nucleotide and energy metabolism are closely related to the aging process. Disorders in lipid metabolism can easily lead to a series of aging-related diseases, such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, fatty liver, etc.; while nucleotide and energy metabolism are crucial to the function of cell mitochondria, so strengthening nucleotide and energy metabolism can fight aging and prolong life [7].
Judging from the results, DS is indeed the best combination
When DOP and Spd were used alone, they showed a "complementary and consistent" effect. They both enhanced lipid metabolism and nucleotide and energy metabolism, but the metabolites regulated by each were different. It can be said that they "showed their magic" on the road to anti-aging.
After using the drug, the levels of some polyunsaturated fatty acids that improve fat metabolism increased, and the levels of some "harmful" metabolites such as palmitic acid also decreased; and the expression of substances related to nucleotide metabolism also improved, such as guanosine monophosphate (GMP) that constitutes RNA and adenosine involved in nucleotide and energy metabolism.
Moreover, compared with the single-drug group, the effect of the DS combination is their integration and amplification: the DS combination regulates more metabolites, not just "1+1=2", but a real "1+1＞2"!
As can be seen from the results, the DS combination regulates more metabolites (the yellow area expands), and consistent with previous findings, the DS combination mainly regulates lipid metabolism. Among them, the biggest differences are glycerol triphosphate, linoleylglycerol, and docosapentaenoic acid, which are closely related to lipid metabolism.
Secondly, compared with the group taking the drug alone, the DS combination can also increase y-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and other factors that improve brain vitality and promote the expression of factors related to cell signaling.
Not only that, the DS combination also increases the level of NAD+, which is crucial for aging, and the level of its precursor NMN rises sharply!
Therefore, the DS combination is the "golden partner" for improving metabolism, which can greatly enhance metabolism in all aspects, especially lipid metabolism, thereby helping the body resist aging.
Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide and spermidine, one is a traditional medicine and the other is an anti-aging star, but they can form a "golden combination", prolonging life and regulating metabolism. Sure enough, "complementary and consistent" is the perfect match!
It seems that if we take Dendrobium officinale and supplement spermidine at the same time, we may get a better anti-aging effect! So, how should we eat it?
Dendrobium candidum
Dendrobium candidum polysaccharide is the decisive active ingredient of Dendrobium candidum, and we can take Dendrobium candidum directly. As a traditional Chinese medicine, it can be eaten in many ways, such as fresh, decoction, tea, wine, paste, and meals.
The common dosage of dried Dendrobium candidum is 6-10g, and the dosage of fresh Dendrobium candidum is 15-30g. Fresh Dendrobium can be chewed directly or taken orally in decoction.
In addition, Dendrobium candidum can be taken daily by slicing and making tea, soaking in wine, or washing, chopping or smashing it to make soup, porridge and other food supplements.
Nowadays, there are also many supplements of Dendrobium candidum on the market, such as food-grade Dendrobium candidum polysaccharide extract, Dendrobium candidum powder, original pulp, granules, and processed health foods, etc., with a wide variety of types. Paipai consulted about the dosage of 80% Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide, which is generally 1g/time, preferably 2-3 times a day.
As for other types of products, you need to look at their respective recommended dosages, and also rely on your own keen eyes to carefully distinguish the authenticity!
Spermidine
Spermidine can be supplemented through daily dietary supplements and supplements [5]. There is no consensus on the recommended intake of spermidine, but referring to the many spermidine supplements currently on the market, the general recommended intake is 20-30mg/day.
Reference
[1] Xu, X., Zhang, C., Wang, N., Xu, Y., Tang, G., Xu, L., & Feng, Y. (2022). Bioactivities and Mechanism of Actions of Dendrobium officinale: A Comprehensive Review. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2022(1), 6293355. doi:https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/6293355
[2] Duan, H., Yu, Q., Ni, Y., Li, J., Yu, L., Yan, X., & Fan, L. (2024). Synergistic anti-aging effect of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide and spermidine: A metabolomics analysis focusing on the regulation of lipid, nucleotide and energy metabolism. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 278. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.135098
[3] He, Y., Li, L., Chang, H., Cai, B., Gao, H., Chen, G., . . . Yan, Y. (2022). Research progress on extraction, purification, structure and biological activity of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharides. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9.
[4] Li, M., Yue, H., Wang, Y., Guo, C., Du, Z., Jin, C., & Ding, K. (2020). Intestinal microbes derived butyrate is related to the immunomodulatory activities of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 149, 717-723. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.01.305
[5] Muñoz-Esparza, N. C., Latorre-Moratalla, M. L., Comas-Basté, O., Toro-Funes, N., Veciana-Nogués, M. T., & Vidal-Carou, M. C. (2019). Polyamines in Food. Frontiers in Nutrition, 6.
[6] Hajam, Y. A., Rani, R., Ganie, S. Y., Sheikh, T. A., Javaid, D., Qadri, S. S., . . . Reshi, M. S. (2022). Oxidative Stress in Human Pathology and Aging: Molecular Mechanisms and Perspectives. Cells, 11(3). doi:10.3390/cells11030552
[7] Grozio, A., Mills, K. F., Yoshino, J., Bruzzone, S., Sociali, G., Tokizane, K., . . . Imai, S.-i. (2019). Slc12a8 is a nicotinamide mononucleotide transporter. Nature Metabolism, 1(1), 47-57. doi:10.1038/s42255-018-0009-4
[8] Zou, D., Zhao, Z., Li, L., Min, Y., Zhang, D., Ji, A., . . . Wu, X. (2022). A comprehensive review of spermidine: Safety, health effects, absorption and metabolism, food materials evaluation, physical and chemical processing, and bioprocessing. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 21(3), 2820-2842. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12963
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