Smina et al. (2011) showed that triterpenes extracted from G. lucidum have anti-oxidative properties in vitro and can reduce oxidative damage by directly scavenging free radicals generated in the cell [61]. In addition, administration of triterpenes to mice increased the activities of anti-oxidant enzymes and reduced radiation-induced oxidative DNA damage in mice splenocytes [61, 62]. The ability of triterpenes to scavenge free radicals and enhance innate antioxidant enzymes indicates that triterpenes are a highly efficient anti-oxidant.