Botany:
Ganoderma lucidum
Other Ganderma spp. may also be therapeutic but lack the traditional use.
“Gano-derma” translates as “shiny-skin” which is an accurate description of the look of this mushroom.
Common Names:
Reishi
Ling Zhi
Mushroom of Immortality
Divine Mushrom
Spirit Plant (Spirit in this context refers to Shen in TCM)
Energy & Taste:
Slightly warm, astringent, bitter
Chemistry:
Immune boosting polysaccharides and triterpenes
Method of Preparation:
The polysaccharides benefit from a long decoction.
A more involved method is tincturing the mushroom to extract triterpenes, then using the marc in a long decoction to extract the ploysaccharides. Combine the menstruum and decoction for a more complete extraction. The 20-25% alcohol content should preserve this combination well.
Traditional Uses:
A heavily researched mushroom with 1000+ citations on pubmed.gov
Nourishing, detoxifying, adaptogenic, shen tonic, diffusive
Strengthens deep immunity, often used in cancer prevention and treatment
A premier Shen tonic
Ideal for the general state of excess stress of modern life
Overall tonic for the heart and circulatory system
Provides a deep and gradual increase in energy that supports long life
It has a regulating, balancing effect on many systems so it is used as part of auto-immune programs
Hepato-protective and rejuvenating to the liver
Quality & Cost:
When reishi was only wildcrafted, it was prohibitively expensive and available only to the ruling classes of China. In recent years, it is being cultivated and good quality is now readily available and affordable. The whole mushroom is preferred. Sliced or cut & sifted is sometimes offered as these forms store better in the warehouse.
Duanwood Reishi is the ultimate in top quality but the average consumer will rarely see this for sale.
Most of the Reishi on the market today is average to good quality.
Combinations:
An herb with a wide range of uses, Reishi can be combined with appropriate adaptogens to achieve the desired result
Use with Astragalus and Ashwagandha for deep immune support
The Plant Profiles are brief materia medica summaries of plants encountered during plant walks or introduced during class on our longer programs. They are presented here to help students organize plant info on an ongoing basis. Although the Profiles are not meant to be comprehensive, they are offered here to the public in the hope that others find these pages useful.
