Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi or Ling Zhi) Health Benefits

Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi or Ling Zhi) fruitbodies. Source: www.factoidz.com/images/user/26598.jpg

Ganoderma lucidum or Reishi (in Japan) Ling Zhi, Ling Chu Ling Chih (in China and Korea) is one of the most important medicinal mushrooms in the Oriental Medicine. In the Asian folk medicine it was used for thousands of years in treating heart disease, diabetes, high altitude sickness, sexual impotency, chronic fatigue syndrome, hepatopathy, chronic hepatitis, nephritis, hypertension, arthritis, neurasthenia, insomnia, bronchitis, asthma, and gastric ulcers. Hot water extract of this fungus had a tremendous effect on the above listed ailments therefore along time has been popularly named “herb of immortality”, or “10000 year mushroom [Mannentake in Japan]” and left it’s ‘fingerprint’ on the culture of Asian countries. In China Ling Zhi is know from the time of the first Chinese emperor Shihuangdi from the Ch’in Dinasty (221-207 BCE), later on during the Yuan Dynasty (1280-1368) Ling Zhi was widely present in art (painture, carpet designs, sculptures, etc.) symbolizing great health, luck,  longevity and immortality.

Man holding Ganoderma
by Chen Hongshou (1598-1652)

Today this fungus has a well known reputation all over the world and according to some authors is considered to have therapeutic properties superior to Gingseng therefore it was called “the King of therapeutic herbs”. Modern research on this fungus revealed that its fruitbody and mycelium contains over 400 biologically active substances including steroids, alkaloids, lactones, polysaccharrides and triterpenes that show strong pharmacological effects. 

Currently this fungus is worldwide available as extracts or powders part of various products (dietary supplements, soap, tooth paste, tonic drinks, wine, tea, coffee, etc). Reishi may be injected as a solution of powdered spore, it may be served as a soup, syrup, tea, tablets, capsules, tincture, or bolus (powdered medicine in honey).

Reishi is also used as an antidote for ingestion of poisonous mushrooms: dried Reishi (120-200g) is decocted in water and given as a drink 3-5 times daily.

Preparation: traditionally Reishi is prepared as a hot water extract; however this is less potent than other types of extracts currently available on the market. Another type of extract is made when using a type of solvent such as alcohol (known as tincture). Some authors consider that mixing hot water extract with alcohol extract is more potent (because it mixes the polysaccharides extracted by hot water with triterpenes extracted by alcohol), while others consider some other types of extracts to be more efficient. More information on extracts you'll find reading Make Your Own Mushroom Extract.

Brief description: basidiomes annual, eccentrically or laterally stipitate, coriaceous to wood hard with the pilei mostly fun shaped or reniform, sometimes dimidiate on the upper surface covered by a thin red-orangish to dark-red laccate crust. The lower surface is white cream at first, turning brown when injured bearing pores. Flesh is fibrous, cream to reddish-brown. Stipe is smooth, up to 15 cm long and the same color as rest of the fruitbody. Spores are ganodermoid type, (10-)11-13 x 7-8,5 μm.  

Ecology: grows on a wide variety of deciduous type of fallen wood. Often grows on the roots of trees. It is rather rare on conifers. Produces white rot.  

Varieties: there are 6 varieties of Ganoderma lucidum (blue, red, yellow, white, black, and purple) of which the most frequently used is the red type due to its superior therapeutical effect. Each type it is known to have a different taste and therapeutic potency. The extracts resulted from this fungus are sour (blue type), bitter (red type), mild (yellow type), salty (black type) or spicy (purple type).

Edibility: this fungus cannot be eaten because it is harder than your shoes.

Cultivation: Currently Reishi is widely cultivated for therapeutic purposes. 

References

Smith J. E. Rowan N. J. and Sullivan R. 2001. Medicinal Mushrooms: Their Therapeutic Properties and Current Medical Usage with Special Emphasis on Cancer Treatments Cancer Research UK, p. 28.

Soo T. S. 1996. Effective dosage of the extract of Ganoderma lucidum in the treatment of various ailments. In Mushroom Biology and Mushroom Products; Royse, Ed,; The Pennsylvania State University, 177-185.

Stamets P. 2000. Growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms, 3rd edn. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press.

Ţura D., Zmitrovich I. V., Wasser S. P., Spirin W. A., and Nevo E. 2011. Biodiversity of Heterobasidiomycetes and non-gilled Hymenomycetes (former Aphyllophorales) of Israel. A.R.A. Gantner Verlag K.-G., Ruggell, 566 pp.

Wasser S. P. 2005. ‘Reishi or Ling Zhi (Ganoderma lucidum)’, Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements, Pp. 603-622.

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