Reishi Mushroom

 Ganoderma lucidum (also known as lingzhi, “the mushroom of immortality”)

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Health Benefits Summary

  • Boost the immune system
  • Cancer support
  • Chemotherapy support
  • Fight inflammation
  • Skin health
  • Nerve support
  • Stress management
  • Brain & Cognitive Health
  • Anti-diabetes benefits
  • Improve liver health
  • Heart health, Blood pressure & Cholesterol
  • Rich in Antioxidants
  • Organ health
  • Overall wellbeing 
  • Anti-allergy effect
  • Thrombosis (blood clot) prevention
  • Antiviral
  • Anti-aging
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Altitude sickness
  • Stomach ulcers
  • Herpes pain
  • Parts used – The above-ground part and portions of the below-ground parts are used as medicine.
  • Properties & Actions – anticoagulant, immunomodulator, antihistamine, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral.
  • Phytochemical compounds -triterpenoids, polysaccharides (Ganoderic acids A, B, C, and D) and peptidoglycans, peptides, antioxidants like ergothioneine, reduced glutathione, lucidenic acid B, danodermanontriol, complete proteins, coumarin, mannitol, lactones, alkaloids, steroids, and nucleotides.

Detailed Health Benefits

  • Immune support – Support a healthy immune system. It acts as an immunostimulant for people with HIV or cancer. The beta-glucans (complex sugars) in Reishi stimulate the immune system to prevent infections. They boost the immune system by activating macrophages and killer T cells. With aging, our immune system declines in a process called immuno-senescence. A weakened immune system encourages deadly infection and disease. Scientists have confirmed that the medicinal mushroom reishi contains pharmacologically active compounds that boost the immune system and help defend against age-induced immune decline. Reishi’s immune-modulating effects may be beneficial for people with HIV infection.
  • Cancer support – Reishi reinforces the membrane of cancerous cells to prevent them from spreading further in the body, leading to the death of cancer cells. It has the ability to shrink tumors by promoting interferon production. Beta-glucans in Reishi slow down the growth of tumor cells and stop them from metastasizing. It prevents new blood vessel growth in the area of cancer cells, which is essential as cancer cells need a steady blood supply to grow. Reishi contains essential oils, known as triterpenes, that may also inhibit the development and metastasis of tumors.
  • Chemotherapy support – Reisi promotes post-chemo recovery; reduces side effects & may help to enhance the effectiveness of the anti-cancer medication. Reishi also alleviates chemotherapy-induced nausea and improves the efficacy of radiation therapy. 
  • Inflammation – Reishi Mushroom is a potent anti-inflammatory and adaptogen that helps modulate and support the healthy activation of pro-inflammatory pathways and mediators. Reducing inflammation in the body greatly improves and supports overall healthy brain function.
  • Skin health – Reishi improves skin tone & texture. The antioxidant properties of Reishi help to combat pigmentation. Antioxidants like ergothioneine and reduced glutathione prevent premature aging and free radical formation. They also enhance skin protection. The immune-boosting adaptogenic benefits alleviate redness and irritation resulting in a soothed calm skin. Reishi mushroom deeply hydrates the skin due to their humectant properties, decreasing fine lines and wrinkles. Reishi inhibits the melanin-producing enzyme tyrosinase which is helpful in fading acne scars and reducing skin pigmentation and discoloration.
  • Nerve support – Reishi mushroom helps to alleviate stress, nervousness, insomnia, and fatigue. It is an adaptogen herb that helps the body combat stress, and at the same time protects the body against the negative effects of long-term stress. Reishi mushrooms may decrease anxiety and depression as well as improve the quality of life in people suffering from certain medical conditions. People with neurasthenia (characterized by physical and mental exhaustion) show improvement in aches, pain, feelings of irritability, and other symptoms that goes with it. Taking Reishi daily lowers the odds of depression due to high levels of vitamin B12, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds. The amino acid ergothioneine is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent that might help with depression. Inflammation has been linked to depression.
  • Stress management – The active compounds polysaccharides and triterpenoid in Reishi are responsible for lowering stress levels. Reishi mushroom also manages stress levels by nourishing and calming the central nervous system and promoting relaxation. Reishi helps support the function of the adrenal glands. These secrete cortisol, which is a hormone that helps the body respond to stress. Reishi Mushrooms boost the function of adrenal glands because it positively affects the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal). HPA axis is a major component of the homeostatic response. It is an intricate, yet robust, neuroendocrine mechanism that mediates the effects of stressors by regulating numerous physiological processes, such as metabolism, immune responses, and the autonomic nervous system With the improvement in adrenal glands, you can experience better cortisol regulation. Cortisol is a hormone that helps the body to respond to stress. This means more cortisol in times of stress, but less cortisol release during non-acute stress. In most cases, stress hormones like cortisol are essential to our survival, but too much over a long period can burn out the neurotransmitters by damaging the receptor sites. This depletes our serotonin and dopamine levels. When our feel-good happy hormones (serotonin and dopamine) are wiped out, this leads to increased feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression.
  • Brain & Cognitive Health – Reishi is therapeutic for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, and may also protect the brain from seizures, and improve quality of life. It helps boost memory and brain health by decreasing the activation of pro-inflammatory pathways such as PGE2 and TNFa which are linked to neurodegenerative disease and depression. Reishi mushroom also inhibits the formation of amyloid-beta plaque that causes neurodegenerative disease.
  • Anti-diabetes benefits – Reishi adjusts insulin sensitivity, reduces blood sugar levels, and promotes healthy pancreas function. It reduces blood sugar levels, possibly by inhibiting an enzyme that produces glucose. Reishi may also prevent or halt kidney complications in type 2 diabetes.
  • Improve liver health – Reishi mushroom spores promote liver cell regeneration, which improves the liver’s ability to remove toxins from the body. It lowers the GOT & GPT levels (a fatty liver causes elevated levels). It assists in the treatment of hepatitis B.
  • Heart health, Blood pressure & Cholesterol – Reishi regulates blood pressure (improves diastolic value), improves blood circulation & increases blood flow of the coronary artery. It treats clogged arteries and helps to balance good cholesterol and decreases reduces bad cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. Triterpenes & beta-glucans may reduce total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol.
  • Rich in Antioxidants – Reishi has antioxidant properties that reduce the risk of disease and premature aging.
  • Organ health: It slows the degeneration of cells, tissues & organs.
  • Overall wellbeing: Reishi enhances the body’s natural healing abilities, and promotes immune system strength.
  • Anti-allergy effect: Reishi helps to suppress over-active allergen production, inhibiting histamine release. It can improve the body’s oxygen supply, which is essential for people suffering from chronic and allergic asthma.
  • Thrombosis (blood clot) prevention: Has natural anticoagulant properties.
  • Antiviral – Reishi fights viral infections such as the flu (influenza), swine flu, and avian flu; lung conditions including asthma and bronchitis.
  • Anti-aging – Aging is the reduction in the structure and function of our cells. Reishi mushroom is a superior longevity tonic throughout history with potent anti-aging benefits. Reishi is known as the “divine mushroom of immortality” and historically, its consumption was only reserved for the royal family. The anti-aging benefits of Reishi strengthen vitality, replenish Qi energy, nourish the blood, restore Jing essence, and support the heart, kidneys, liver, and brain which all contribute to promoting one’s wellbeing and extending lifespan. prevents tissue cell and organ degeneration; prevents senility, maintaining a youthful constitution
  • Altitude sickness – Reishi Acclimatization is a major pathophysiological concern during ascent to high altitude and may cause mortality in unacclimatized individuals. Reishi has therapeutic potential for inducing rapid acclimatization and preventing mountain sickness. Conclusively, the present study based on Ganoderma lucidum extracts intends to fill the lacunae behind the development of nontoxic therapeutic agents for controlling high altitude-related maladies.
  • Stomach ulcers – The polysaccharides in Reishi have anti-ulcer properties that accelerate ulcer healing.
  • Herpes pain – Contains natural anti-inflammatory properties. The properties of Reishi make it a great anti-inflammatory and one of the most powerful natural antioxidants that exist. Reishi is antimicrobial, antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral. It regulates the immune system and helps the body to heal. It has been shown to effectively treat HSV-1 and HSV-2, shingles, HIV, and influenza when taken internally. 

Phytochemical compounds -triterpenoids, polysaccharides (Ganoderic acids A, B, C, and D) and peptidoglycans, peptides, antioxidants like ergothioneine, reduced glutathione, lucidenic acid B, danodermanontriol, complete proteins, coumarin, mannitol, lactones, alkaloids, steroids, and nucleotides.
Polysaccharides have an anticancer effect based on their ability to prevent abnormal blood vessel formation and boost immune system function.
Triterpenes protect the liver, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent platelet clumping that leads to heart attack and stroke, fight allergic responses triggered by histamine, and have anti-cancer properties.
Ganoderma lucidum peptide is a unique protein that has remarkably potent antioxidant characteristics that are still being studied.

Reishi mushroom & autoimmune disease

More research on this subject needs to be done. There are two viewpoints –

  1. Reisi as an Immune Booster – Because reishi mushrooms can boost the immune system response, they may worsen symptoms in people taking immunosuppressant medications to treat conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, or psoriasis.
  2. Reishi as an Immune Regulator – Illnesses such as cancer and viral infections may require an increase in immune function. Allergic reactions and autoimmune diseases call for a down-regulation of the immune system. Reishi mushroom is a true “amphoteric” herb, which can upregulate or downregulate the immune system as needed. Reishi is rich in polysaccharides, immune-modulating proteins, and steroidal saponin glycosides that influence the adrenal-hypothalamic-pituitary axis feedback loop, which regulates inflammation. An amphoteric protein isolated from Ganoderma was shown to be both mutagenic (causing white blood cells to multiply) and immunosuppressive (reducing TNF-alpha and the formation of antibodies) in autoimmune disease. Reishi modulates the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-18 after 24 weeks. This may exert a beneficial immune-modulatory effect in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.