Wang, Xue, Qu, Yidi, Zhang, Yongfeng et al. · Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2018 · DOI
This study tested whether a medicinal mushroom called Sarcodon imbricatus could reduce fatigue in mice with chronic fatigue syndrome. The mushroom extract improved the mice's exercise ability, reduced tiredness, and boosted the body's natural antioxidant defenses—systems that protect cells from damage.
ME/CFS pathophysiology involves mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress; this study provides preclinical evidence that a natural polyphenol-rich fungus may address these core mechanisms. If validated in human trials, Sarcodon imbricatus could offer a food-based adjunct approach to managing fatigue and post-exertional malaise.
This animal study does not establish efficacy, safety, or appropriate dosing in humans with ME/CFS. The mouse CFS model may not fully recapitulate human disease pathophysiology, and antioxidant benefit in mice does not guarantee clinical improvement in patients. Correlation between antioxidant markers and symptom relief does not prove causation.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Wang, Xue, Qu, Yidi, Zhang, Yongfeng, Li, Shaopeng, Sun, Yiyang, Chen, Zepeng, et al. (2018). Antifatigue Potential Activity of <i>Sarcodon imbricatus</i> in Acute Excise-Treated and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Mice via Regulation of Nrf2-Mediated Oxidative Stress.. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9140896
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-wang-2018-antifatigue-potential,
author = {Wang, Xue and Qu, Yidi and Zhang, Yongfeng and Li, Shaopeng and Sun, Yiyang and Chen, Zepeng and Teng, Lirong and Wang, Di},
title = {Antifatigue Potential Activity of <i>Sarcodon imbricatus</i> in Acute Excise-Treated and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Mice via Regulation of Nrf2-Mediated Oxidative Stress.},
journal = {Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1155/2018/9140896},
note = {PubMed: 30050662},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wang-2018-antifatigue-potential},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wang-2018-antifatigue-potential
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