History Of The Reishi Mushroom
Other Common Names: Ling chih, Ling zhi, Mannentake, Ganoderma Lucidum
Western culture has often frowned on mushrooms, even fearing the
small innocuous forest growth. The French prize their truffles, but
even truffles and other edible fungi and mushrooms are not as highly
valued or show as much potential as a species of mushrooms called Ling
Zhi or Reishi.
Reishi mushrooms are polypore mushrooms. Mushrooms are the fruiting
body and reproductive structure of a higher order fungus organism, much
like an apple is the fruit of an apple tree. The actual mushroom "tree"
is a fine thread-like network called mycelium. This mycelium is for the
most part subterranean, living in soil, logs and other organic litter.
Unlike green plants, which produce many of their own nutrients by
photosynthesis, mushrooms primarily get their nutrients from dead
organic matter or soil. Mushrooms and their mycelium are nature's
original recyclers. Without them, the planet surface would be piled
high with dead, decaying material.
Mushrooms rise out of the mycelium when the right nutrients are
amassed and the right environmental conditions are present. Mushrooms
release spores at maturity. The wind spreads them and when they land on
the right spot, the cycle starts over again.
Known as reishi or mannentake to the Japanese and Ling Zhi to the
Chinese, G. lucidum is renown for its medicinal properties. Reishi
often is associated with health and recuperation, longevity, wisdom,
and happiness. It is believed that certain triterpenes and
polysaccharides may account for the multiple activities of Reshi. Thus,
considerable time and effort has gone into the isolation and
characterization of these compounds.
Reishi is a basidiomycete, lamellaless fungus belonging to the
family of polyporaceae. In nature, it grows in densely wooded mountains
of high humidity and dim lighting. It is rarely found since it
flourishes mainly on the dried trunks of dead plum, guercus serrata or
pasonia trees. Out of 10,000 such aged trees, perhaps 2 or 3 will have
reishi growth, therefore it is very scarce indeed.
Relatively rare and undiscovered in the West, Reishi and other
mushrooms have been revered as herbal medicines for thousands of years
in Japan and China. Emperors of the great Chinese dynasties and
Japanese royalty drank teas and concoctions of the mushroom for
vitality and long life. The ancient Taoists were constantly searching
for the elixir of eternal youth, and Reishi was believed to be among
the ingredients.
In ancient time, reishi in medicine was considered so auspicious
that its medical efficacy has been attested to in the oldest Chinese
medical text (presumed to be over 2,000 years old). The book, which is
known in Japan as "Shinnoh Honsohkyo", is now accepted as being the
original textbook of Oriental medical science. In it, 365 kinds of
medicines are classified and explained. The medicines are basically
classified into 3 categories: 120 of them are declared to be "superior"
medicines, another 120 are classified as "average" medicines, and the
remaining 125 are placed in the "fair" category. The "superior"
medicines are called "God's Herbs" and they are for perpetual youth and
longevity - the medicines of the legendary wizards. The "average"
category medicines are those which can be taken as a tonic, and those
in the "fair" category are taken to remedy specific ailments. One must
be careful about the volume taken of the "average" and "fair" category
medicines, and should never take them continuously. However, the book
states that for "superior" medicines, any amount can be taken as
desired on a continuous basis with no unfavorable effects. Of the
superior medicines listed in the text, reishi was rated number one.
Although Ganoderma and its derivatives are not pharmaceuticals and
have not undergone rigorous clinical trials to be tested against
cancer, there is abundant in vitro, animal and indirect clinical
evidence to support its supplemental use in cancer. Standardization in
bioactive polysaccharide content and dosages will be necessary to
assure its rational use, and clinical trials in select cancers with
defined endpoints will confirm its efficacy.
Former heart surgeon Dr. Fukumi Morishige, a leading authority on
vitamin C in Japan, reports that when Reishi and vitamin C are combined
the results against cancer and other diseases are far better than when
Reishi is ingested. This is because the vitamin makes the
polysaccharides more accessible to the immune system.
Reishi has long been known to extend life span, increase youthful
vigor and vitality. It also promotes good blood circulation by
eliminating thrombi in the blood streams. As a result, the person feels
renewed vitality. Deterioration of mind and body is arrested. Reishi is
indeed a herb with multiple applications.
Chemopreventive effects of plant polysaccharides [Aloe barbadensis Miller (APS), Shiitake.html">Lentinus edodes (LPS),
Ganoderma lucidum (GPS) and Coriolus versicolor (CPS)] were compared
using in vitro short-term screening methods associated with both
initiation and promotion processes in carcinogenesis. In induction of
glutathione S-transferase activity, GPS was found to be the most
effective among plant polysaccharides. These results suggest that some
plant polysaccharides produced both anti-genotoxic and anti-tumor
promoting activities in in vitro models and, therefore, might be
considered as potential agents for cancer chemoprevention.
Conclusively, clinical observations have indisputable proof of
reishi's efficacy against cholesterosis, arteriosclerosis,
hypertension, fatty liver, hemorrhoid, tooth-infections, obesity and
various problems that arise from high serum cholesterol level
compounded by a lack of blood circulation. Reishi is also recognized to
have some effect in cases of stroke, cerebravascular accident, coronary
insufficiency, myocardial infarction, phlebitis etc. - problems that
arise directly from arterial blockage. Furthermore, it is found to be
effective in treatment of typical dermatitis, bronchitis asthma,
allergy rhinitis, chronic hepatitis etc. - problems related to allergic
reactions. Reishi inhibits thrombi to facilitate medication absorption;
it also has an additive effect that strengthens the prostate gland
situated between the bladder and the urinary tract. It has the same
effect on the early stage of diabetes mellitus. Bladder infection is
accompanied by the usual thrombi formation. Treatments with reishi
arrest the latter thus eliminating complications within a short period.
Other clinical tests showed that administering reishi instead of
insulin can reverse blood sugar level back to normal after one year.
The fruit bodies of Ganoderma lucidum have been used for the
prevention and treatment of various diseases in the Orient. Its
antitumor and immune enhancing properties, along with no cytotoxicity,
raise the possibility that it could be effective in preventing
oxidative damage and resulting disease. Using agarose gel
electrophoresis, the potential of Ganoderma lucidum extract as a
radioprotector and antioxidant defense against oxygen radical-mediated
damage was evaluated. The results clearly demonstrate that the
hot-water extract of Ganoderma lucidum shows good radioprotective
ability, as well as protection against DNA damage induced by
metal-catalyzed Fenton reactions and UV irradiation. The data suggest
that Ganoderma mushroom merits investigation as a potential preventive
agent in humans.
Administration of hot water soluble extracts of Ganoderma lucidum
(36 to 72 g dry weight/day) decreased pain dramatically in two patients
with postherpetic neuralgia recalcitrant to standard therapy and two
other patients with severe pain due to herpes zoster infection.
This review highlights some of the recently isolated and identified
substances of higher Basidiomycetes mushrooms origin that express
promising antitumor, immune modulating, cardiovascular and
hypercholesterolemia, antiviral, antibacterial, and antiparasitic
effects.
Medicinal mushrooms have a long history of use in folk medicine. In
particular, mushrooms useful against cancers of the stomach, esophagus,
lungs, etc. are known in China, Russia, Japan, Korea, as well as the
U.S.A. and Canada. There are about 200 species of mushrooms that have
been found to markedly inhibit the growth of different kinds of tumors.
Searching for new antitumor and other medicinal substances from
mushrooms and to study the medicinal value of these mushrooms have
become a matter of great significance. However, most of the mushroom
origin antitumor substances have not been clearly defined. Several
antitumor polysaccharides such as hetero-beta-glucans and their protein
complexes (e.g., xyloglucans and acidic beta-glucan-containing uronic
acid), as well as dietary fibers, lectins, and terpenoids have been
isolated from medicinal mushrooms. In Japan, Russia, China, and the
U.S.A. several different polysaccharide antitumor agents have been
developed from the fruiting body, mycelia, and culture medium of
various medicinal mushrooms (Lentinus edodes,
Ganoderma lucidum, Schizophyllum commune, Trametes versicolor, Inonotus
obliquus, and Flammulina velutipes). Both cellular components and
secondary metabolites of a large number of mushrooms have been shown to
effect the immune system of the host and therefore could be used to
treat a variety of disease states.
As recorded in the oldest Chinese medical text, reishi is the "king
of herbs", the superior herb for perpetual youth and longevity.
Continuous intake will achieve the best results.
Other Common Names: Ling chih, Ling zhi, Mannentake, Ganoderma Lucidum
Western culture has often frowned on mushrooms, even fearing the
small innocuous forest growth. The French prize their truffles, but
even truffles and other edible fungi and mushrooms are not as highly
valued or show as much potential as a species of mushrooms called Ling
Zhi or Reishi.
Reishi mushrooms are polypore mushrooms. Mushrooms are the fruiting
body and reproductive structure of a higher order fungus organism, much
like an apple is the fruit of an apple tree. The actual mushroom "tree"
is a fine thread-like network called mycelium. This mycelium is for the
most part subterranean, living in soil, logs and other organic litter.
Unlike green plants, which produce many of their own nutrients by
photosynthesis, mushrooms primarily get their nutrients from dead
organic matter or soil. Mushrooms and their mycelium are nature's
original recyclers. Without them, the planet surface would be piled
high with dead, decaying material.
Mushrooms rise out of the mycelium when the right nutrients are
amassed and the right environmental conditions are present. Mushrooms
release spores at maturity. The wind spreads them and when they land on
the right spot, the cycle starts over again.
Known as reishi or mannentake to the Japanese and Ling Zhi to the
Chinese, G. lucidum is renown for its medicinal properties. Reishi
often is associated with health and recuperation, longevity, wisdom,
and happiness. It is believed that certain triterpenes and
polysaccharides may account for the multiple activities of Reshi. Thus,
considerable time and effort has gone into the isolation and
characterization of these compounds.
Reishi is a basidiomycete, lamellaless fungus belonging to the
family of polyporaceae. In nature, it grows in densely wooded mountains
of high humidity and dim lighting. It is rarely found since it
flourishes mainly on the dried trunks of dead plum, guercus serrata or
pasonia trees. Out of 10,000 such aged trees, perhaps 2 or 3 will have
reishi growth, therefore it is very scarce indeed.
Relatively rare and undiscovered in the West, Reishi and other
mushrooms have been revered as herbal medicines for thousands of years
in Japan and China. Emperors of the great Chinese dynasties and
Japanese royalty drank teas and concoctions of the mushroom for
vitality and long life. The ancient Taoists were constantly searching
for the elixir of eternal youth, and Reishi was believed to be among
the ingredients.
In ancient time, reishi in medicine was considered so auspicious
that its medical efficacy has been attested to in the oldest Chinese
medical text (presumed to be over 2,000 years old). The book, which is
known in Japan as "Shinnoh Honsohkyo", is now accepted as being the
original textbook of Oriental medical science. In it, 365 kinds of
medicines are classified and explained. The medicines are basically
classified into 3 categories: 120 of them are declared to be "superior"
medicines, another 120 are classified as "average" medicines, and the
remaining 125 are placed in the "fair" category. The "superior"
medicines are called "God's Herbs" and they are for perpetual youth and
longevity - the medicines of the legendary wizards. The "average"
category medicines are those which can be taken as a tonic, and those
in the "fair" category are taken to remedy specific ailments. One must
be careful about the volume taken of the "average" and "fair" category
medicines, and should never take them continuously. However, the book
states that for "superior" medicines, any amount can be taken as
desired on a continuous basis with no unfavorable effects. Of the
superior medicines listed in the text, reishi was rated number one.
Although Ganoderma and its derivatives are not pharmaceuticals and
have not undergone rigorous clinical trials to be tested against
cancer, there is abundant in vitro, animal and indirect clinical
evidence to support its supplemental use in cancer. Standardization in
bioactive polysaccharide content and dosages will be necessary to
assure its rational use, and clinical trials in select cancers with
defined endpoints will confirm its efficacy.
Former heart surgeon Dr. Fukumi Morishige, a leading authority on
vitamin C in Japan, reports that when Reishi and vitamin C are combined
the results against cancer and other diseases are far better than when
Reishi is ingested. This is because the vitamin makes the
polysaccharides more accessible to the immune system.
Reishi has long been known to extend life span, increase youthful
vigor and vitality. It also promotes good blood circulation by
eliminating thrombi in the blood streams. As a result, the person feels
renewed vitality. Deterioration of mind and body is arrested. Reishi is
indeed a herb with multiple applications.
Chemopreventive effects of plant polysaccharides [Aloe barbadensis Miller (APS), Shiitake.html">Lentinus edodes (LPS),
Ganoderma lucidum (GPS) and Coriolus versicolor (CPS)] were compared
using in vitro short-term screening methods associated with both
initiation and promotion processes in carcinogenesis. In induction of
glutathione S-transferase activity, GPS was found to be the most
effective among plant polysaccharides. These results suggest that some
plant polysaccharides produced both anti-genotoxic and anti-tumor
promoting activities in in vitro models and, therefore, might be
considered as potential agents for cancer chemoprevention.
Conclusively, clinical observations have indisputable proof of
reishi's efficacy against cholesterosis, arteriosclerosis,
hypertension, fatty liver, hemorrhoid, tooth-infections, obesity and
various problems that arise from high serum cholesterol level
compounded by a lack of blood circulation. Reishi is also recognized to
have some effect in cases of stroke, cerebravascular accident, coronary
insufficiency, myocardial infarction, phlebitis etc. - problems that
arise directly from arterial blockage. Furthermore, it is found to be
effective in treatment of typical dermatitis, bronchitis asthma,
allergy rhinitis, chronic hepatitis etc. - problems related to allergic
reactions. Reishi inhibits thrombi to facilitate medication absorption;
it also has an additive effect that strengthens the prostate gland
situated between the bladder and the urinary tract. It has the same
effect on the early stage of diabetes mellitus. Bladder infection is
accompanied by the usual thrombi formation. Treatments with reishi
arrest the latter thus eliminating complications within a short period.
Other clinical tests showed that administering reishi instead of
insulin can reverse blood sugar level back to normal after one year.
The fruit bodies of Ganoderma lucidum have been used for the
prevention and treatment of various diseases in the Orient. Its
antitumor and immune enhancing properties, along with no cytotoxicity,
raise the possibility that it could be effective in preventing
oxidative damage and resulting disease. Using agarose gel
electrophoresis, the potential of Ganoderma lucidum extract as a
radioprotector and antioxidant defense against oxygen radical-mediated
damage was evaluated. The results clearly demonstrate that the
hot-water extract of Ganoderma lucidum shows good radioprotective
ability, as well as protection against DNA damage induced by
metal-catalyzed Fenton reactions and UV irradiation. The data suggest
that Ganoderma mushroom merits investigation as a potential preventive
agent in humans.
Administration of hot water soluble extracts of Ganoderma lucidum
(36 to 72 g dry weight/day) decreased pain dramatically in two patients
with postherpetic neuralgia recalcitrant to standard therapy and two
other patients with severe pain due to herpes zoster infection.
This review highlights some of the recently isolated and identified
substances of higher Basidiomycetes mushrooms origin that express
promising antitumor, immune modulating, cardiovascular and
hypercholesterolemia, antiviral, antibacterial, and antiparasitic
effects.
Medicinal mushrooms have a long history of use in folk medicine. In
particular, mushrooms useful against cancers of the stomach, esophagus,
lungs, etc. are known in China, Russia, Japan, Korea, as well as the
U.S.A. and Canada. There are about 200 species of mushrooms that have
been found to markedly inhibit the growth of different kinds of tumors.
Searching for new antitumor and other medicinal substances from
mushrooms and to study the medicinal value of these mushrooms have
become a matter of great significance. However, most of the mushroom
origin antitumor substances have not been clearly defined. Several
antitumor polysaccharides such as hetero-beta-glucans and their protein
complexes (e.g., xyloglucans and acidic beta-glucan-containing uronic
acid), as well as dietary fibers, lectins, and terpenoids have been
isolated from medicinal mushrooms. In Japan, Russia, China, and the
U.S.A. several different polysaccharide antitumor agents have been
developed from the fruiting body, mycelia, and culture medium of
various medicinal mushrooms (Lentinus edodes,
Ganoderma lucidum, Schizophyllum commune, Trametes versicolor, Inonotus
obliquus, and Flammulina velutipes). Both cellular components and
secondary metabolites of a large number of mushrooms have been shown to
effect the immune system of the host and therefore could be used to
treat a variety of disease states.
As recorded in the oldest Chinese medical text, reishi is the "king
of herbs", the superior herb for perpetual youth and longevity.
Continuous intake will achieve the best results.
- Linda McGlasson, Assistant Editor. Health Foods Business/January
1992 Consumer Education Series. Reishi: Ancient Medicine Is Modern Hope - Kim HS, Kacew S, Lee BM. Carcinogenesis 1999 Aug;20(8):1637-40. In
vitro chemopreventive effects of plant polysaccharides (Aloe
barbadensis miller, Lentinus edodes, Ganoderma lucidum and Coriolus
versicolor). - Kim KC, Kim IG. Int J Mol Med 1999 Sep;4(3):273-7. Ganoderma lucidum
extract protects DNA from strand breakage caused by hydroxyl radical
and UV irradiation. - Hijikata Y, Yamada S. Am J Chin Med 1998;26(3-4):375-81 Effect of Ganoderma lucidum on postherpetic neuralgia.
- Wasser SP, Weis AL. Crit Rev Immunol 1999;19(1):65-96. Therapeutic
effects of substances occurring in higher Basidiomycetes mushrooms: a
modern perspective. International Centre for Cryptogamic Plants and
Fungi, Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Israel.
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