Meet The Reishi Mushroom: The “Mushroom of Immortality” aka Ganoderma Lucidum.
My first encounter with Reishi
I first encountered the mushroom of immortality (what a cool nickname!) in LA. When I was living there I went to a Tea art show by Wu De on Melrose in Hollywood, and there were a couple of amigos outside putting drops of something under their tongues.
They didn't tell me what it was at the time, and I didn't try it then because I thought it was acid, but I later discovered that it was a Reishi tincture which is an alcohol extract of the Reishi mushroom.
The alcohol extracts and then delivers the beneficial properties of Reishi.
What cool idea, instead of fast-tracking synthetic sweeteners and stimulants to your blood stream you deliver a potent dose of Reishi (or other herbs for that matter, and I'm not talking about marijuana–yet).
IMPORTANT: That's definitely not to say drink it to get drunk, no. Read on to find out what this mushroom is about. Plus, when you see the price and bottle size, you will understand more.
Years later of experimenting with Reishi, both drinking the cracked cell spores (in hot water) and the tinctures, I am very happy to say I'm a huge fan.
Even the NHS in the UK are speaking highly of the Reishi mushroom:
"Mushroom supplement could be one way to tackle obesity. The mushroom extract can alter the composition of bacteria in the gut" (all references at the bottom of this page)
This is how Reishi may benefit you:
1) Lower inflammation, support the immune system and calming
2) Antiviral, antibacterial and anti-fungal (always useful right?)
3) Fight allergies and asthma (it's the triterpenes that help).
4) Help protect against viruses and infections.
5) Defend against tumor growth and cancer.
(The science and journals are linked at the bottom of this page)
Reishi has thousands of years of use:
Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) is perhaps the most popular and oldest of all medicinal mushrooms, its use dating back to 2000 years ago in Asia.
Also known as “Ling Zhi” in Chinese, these mushrooms are dubbed as the “Mushroom of Immortality” because of its reputation for restoring vitality and improving longevity of humans.
Rieshi is fascinating to look at too. It's kind of shaped like a flying saucer and colored deep reddish brown (depending on the variety). And when wet, reishi mushrooms look like they're varnished because of its smooth upper surface.
Reishi mushroom grows on a wide variety of trees, and are most often found on hardwood trees like oak and plum trees.
Sometimes they grow on tree stumps, close to the soil, and on soil covering tree roots.
The Emperor and Reishi:
Wild Reishi mushrooms are rather rare, and historically, anyone who found one was supposed to give it to the emperor for a reward!
Imagine that, Reishi was/is so prestigious in the East that if you found one your duty was to give it to the EMPEROR.
This rarity is also why in the past only the rich and influential of China had access to it–unless of course you didn't give it to the Emperor ;)
Now, because Eastern medicine is becoming more and more popular in the west people have began farming Reishi, and so now even us ordinary people (not emperors) can fairly easily obtain this wonderful mushroom.
But be warned, not all Reishi is created equally.
The terroir of the are or farm greatly influences the chemical make-up (and thus potency) of the Reishi.
Find a reliable and trusted source so you don't waste your money. I personally enjoy Wild and farmed Reishi.
Dragon Herbs on Reishi:
The name “Reishi” generally refers to a few very closely related species of woody mushroom, of which Ganoderma lucidum is the most important from a tonic herbal perspective. The names “Reishi” and “Lingzhi” literally mean “Supernatural Fungus.
How does Reishi mushroom work:
Reishi mushrooms work mainly as an immune system modulator. They work to restore and fine tune the immune system.
This means Reishi might be a good choice for those with autoimmune disorders, because Reishi mushroom is very good in normalizing the immune response of the body.
Fascinating notes on Reishi:
- Reishi mushroom may promote liver regeneration.
- Natural killer cells in Reishi may work to remove mutated cells from the body. (It is also a good source of antioxidants)
- Reishi mushroom may promote the production of nerve growth factor, which is essential for a healthy brain.
- Studies suggest that it may be highly therapeutic for people with neurodegenerative disorders such a Alzheimer’s and dementia.
- Reishi may also positively affect cholesterol levels in the body.
(All references are at the bottom of this page).
Reishi is known as a tonic herb
Reishi is what's known as a tonic herb. Tonic herbs are herbs that promote health and healthy aging through regular consumption. When I can get it I consume Reishi every day.
According to Dr Axe, Reishi mushroom may offer protection against and be useful for conditions like:
• inflammation
• fatigue (including chronic fatigue syndrome)
• frequent infections (urinary tract, bronchitis, respiratory infections, etc.)
• liver disease
• food allergies and asthma
• digestive problems, stomach ulcers and leaky gut syndrome
• tumor growth and cancer
• skin disorders
• autoimmune disorders
• diabetes
• viruses, including the flu, HIV/AIDS or hepatitis
• heart disease, hypertension, high blood pressure and high cholesterol
• sleep disorders and insomnia
• anxiety and depression
Dr Axe also notes that Reishi mushroom may be useful for conditions like:
• hepatitis
• hyper-cholesterolemia
• diabetes
• bronchitis
• neoplasm
• immunodeficiency
• leukopenia
• cancer
• atherosclerosis
• haemorrhoids
• hypertension
• chronic fatigue
• insomnia
• dizziness caused by neurasthenia
(Source at bottom of blog post on Reishi).
If you found this interesting, and want to now know about CHAGA MUSHROOM I think you will love this blog post too. Or if you're in the UK and fancy a little shopping, we have fantastic Reishi Fruiting body and Reishi Spores available in the ENRICHD SHOP
References for Reishi Mushroom:
Anti-tumor effects of Ganoderma lucidum (reishi) in inflammatory breast cancer in in vivo and in vitro models.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23468988
Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) Inhibits Cancer Cell Growth and Expression of Key Molecules in Inflammatory Breast Cancer
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3201987/
Chapter 9 Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi or Reishi)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92757/
The dual roles of Ganoderma antioxidants on urothelial cell DNA under carcinogenic attack.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18550308
Triterpenes from the Spores of Ganoderma lucidum and Their Cytotoxicity against Meth-A and LLC Tumor Cells
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/cpb1958/48/7/48_7_1026/_article
Neuroprotective effect of preadministration with Ganoderma lucidum spore on rat hippocampus
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0940299310002332
Protective effects of Ganoderma lucidum spore on cadmium hepatotoxicity in mice.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22659462
Reishi, Ling Zhi: ‘Mushrooms of Immortality’
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-stamets/reishi-mushrooms_b_2200808.html
What You Should Know About Reishi Mushroom
http://acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=32841
Mushroom supplement could be one way to tackle obesity
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2015/06June/Pages/Mushroom-supplement-could-be-one-way-to-tackle-obesity.aspx
Guide to Reishi Mushrooms
http://www.reishi.com/research.htm
Reishi or Ling Zhi (Ganoderma lucidum)
http://dixonnetworkingassociates.org/files/reishi.pdf