incredible benefits of reishi mushroom...purple is the rarest color, and it is said to be ancestor...

Incredible Benefits Of ReishiMushroomJanuary 30, 2015 -

Introducing reishi or lingzhi mushroom, and its claimed health benefitswhich makes me wonder again and again. Is reishi indeed the king ofadaptogens with nearly endless list of benefits? After doing in-depthresearch I was surprised.

What is reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)?

Before the emergence of modern medicine reishi was one of the mostdesirable natural herbs in the world and because of its rarity it wasoften exclusively reserved for only the royals and the wealthiestpeople.

There was refers to reishi in the classical Chinese ShennongBencaojing book which was written in approximately 2300-2400 yearsago.

Reishi mushroom does not just promote health benefits, many peoplebelieve this mushroom s̓ ability to accelerate the attainment ofenlightenment.

Reishi mushroom is considered a superior king of adaptogens, and it isone of the oldest mushrooms that has been used for medicinalpurposes in traditional Chinese medicine. Today Lingzhi mushroom ishighly researched, if not the most researched mushroom in the world.It contains a large number of bioactive molecules, but generally health

http://www.supernutritionlife.com/reishi-mushroom-benefits-and-experiences/ 9/2/18, 3?11 PM of 13

benefits are linked to polysaccharide compounds and triterpenoids.

Polysaccharides support mostly the immune system. Triterpenoids canhave hormone-like affects, and they can affect blood triglycerides,hormones and the nervous system.

Reishi also contain other compounds that are often found in fungalmaterials, such as beta-glucans, coumarins, mannitol, some of thesterols and alkaloids.

Reishi is a wood degrading one year polypore mushroom that belongsto the genus of Ganoderma. Reishi s̓ scientific name Ganodermalucidum means “bright shining skin” (Ganoderma-Gano-brightness orsheen and derma-skin(Greek), lucidum-shining(Latin)). Reishi is calledLing Zhi in Chinese.

Reishi mushroom produces an annual crop (“fruiting body”) andcontinued fungal growth, unlike chaga (Inonotus obliquus) whosevegetation can grow for up to 20 years.

Some of the names that reishi has been called are: the “herb ofimmortality“, “the great protector“, “supernatural mushroom“, “theelixir of life“. These names already reveal a lot.


Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) in the wild. Reishiʼs scientific name “Ganoderma lucidum means “bright

shining skin” (image source).

Why reishi works?

A bit about biochemistry of reishi:Ganoderma lucidum contains a large number of bioactive moleculesand it canʼt be said that one single biomolecule would be the mainbioactive agent. When reishi is extracted with hot water extraction weget polysaccharide compounds (carbohydrates and fiber) and withalcohol extraction triterpenoids which have the same molecularbackbone as steroid hormones.

Reishi produces a group of triterpenes, called ganoderic acids whichhave same molecular base as steroid hormones.

Reishi also contains other compounds that are often found in fungalmaterials including polysaccharides (such as beta-glucans,coumarins, mannitol, and alkaloids. Certain sterols (steroid alcohols, ofwhich the best known is cholesterol) that have been isolated from


Ganoderma lucidum include Ganoderol, ganoderenic acid, ganoderiol,ganodermanontriol, lucidadiol, and ganodermadiol (source wikipediareishi mushroom).

Why use reishi?

Reishi in improving the quality of sleepGanoderma lucidum can improve the quality of your sleep, it can workin increasing the length as well as depth of sleep and shorten the timeneeded to get into sleep (sleep latency). For example this rat studysupports these traditionally well known effects of reishi. Studies haveshown that improvements in sleep quality or reduction of chronicfatigue symptoms arenʼt immediate. Sleep improvement is seen afterthree days but possible easing of the symptoms of chronic fatigue cantake more than 4 weeks.

A a warning: Reishi can trigger very lively dreams, and eventherapeutic dreams. Traditionally reishi mushroom has been used as a“teaching matter” among a monks. It can cause lucid dreaming andthe so-called “teachings of dreams” dealing with fears that are oftenassociated with personal experiences. For example, if you have adeep-seated fears, as for example dog phobia. Reishi can trigger adream where you return to the point where the phobia was born. Inthese dreams, you can often hear the narration, or see yourself in athird person. These therapies dreams are good stuff for most people,but if you have a fear that you donʼt want to deal with, it may not beworth taking large doses of a reishi before going to bed.

Anti-aging benefits of reishi:Lengthening the life of mice can be regarded as an example of the


growing number of science that supports the use of reishi. Studieswith laboratory mice s̓ indicate that mice lifespan extends from 9% to20% and even more. In human years this would correspond fromseven to nearly 16 years (source). If anti-aging interests you more,read an interesting article: How Reishi Combats Aging.

Science and reishi effects against cancerAccording to Examine.com information, reishi is a well-known for itsanti-cancer effects (at least in the China area). Reishi is able toactivate natural killer cells, increasing their activity and the body s̓ability to fight tumors. There is ample evidence that reishi (GanodermaLucidum) can induce apoptosis (i.e., programmed cell death) inconsiderable amount of various types of cancer cells in vitro (ie, “inthe test tube”).

The majority of cytotoxic effects appear to be mediated via thetriterpenes although some of the effects may also be mediated bypolysaccharide stimulation of the immune system and/or dysregulationof intracellular signaling. More detailed list of cancer types can beviewed here. Also, the mouse test results look promising andpreliminary positive results have also been obtained in human trials,although the number of studies is still low and more results andexperiments will be needed in the future. Mouse studies appear tomimic the anti-cancer effects that are seen in vitro, and a large part ofthe studies have also been made in the rehabilitative / therapeuticresearch arrangement.

Stress-free with reishi? Mental effects of Ganoderma lucidumReishi is know to be one of the best natural countermeasures to astress. My experience confirms the positive effects of reishi to combat


stress. Also, scientific studies confirm sedation and sleep qualityenhancing properties of reishi.

If you suffer from stress or “brain fog” reishi may be just your thing.Ganoderma lucidum can be at the same time both energizing andcalming because reishi s̓ effect is two directional (as stress is faded,energy is released for use). Individual differences are large in how theeffects occur, for others its really energizing, but at the same time nineout of ten people sleeps way better when using it. Personally usingreishi during the day time revitalize and perks up while at the sametime ensures better sleep in the night by increasing sleep depth andtime it takes to get to sleep.

Potential benefits of reishi in the fight against diabetes

Ganoderma lucidum has antioxidant properties when ingested as adietary supplement. Reishi also may have a therapeutic effect oninsulin resistance; reishi extracts operate on a wide variety ofmechanisms to lower blood glucose.

In this study, reishi inhibited (prevented) alpha-glucosidase enzyme(which is the main enzyme responsible for the cleavage of starch intosugars) activity. This inhibition may prevent the postprandial sharpspike in blood sugar which can be dangerous, especially for olderpeople. By inhibiting the activity of the enzyme carbohydrates are notabsorbed at the pace which would damage the blood vessels (little bitsame way as the diabetes drug Glucobay which prevents the sameenzyme activity in the gut). Read more scientific facts aboutinteraction of reishi with glucose metabolism.

Lean up with reishi?


One of the most interesting features of a reishi mushroom might be itspotential ability to prevent development of new fat cells (at least invitro) (source).

“Triterpenes and polysaccharides isolated from medicinalmushroom Ganoderma lucidum, inhibits the expression of keytranscription factors and genes responsible for adipocytedifferentiation, synthesis, transport and storage of lipids. Inaddition, RM activates AMPK and stimulates glucose uptake to thelevels comparable to the insulin activity.”

So plain and simply put reishi may very well lessen the amount yougain fat by inhibiting processes that are part of fat accumulation toyour adipocyte (fat) cells. In addition reishi activates AMPK-enzyme(metabolic balance regulator) which by itself might have beneficialeffects.

Potential benefits of reishi are almost endless, including dozens (if nothundreds) of benefits but the review must be limited always to somelength otherwise the length of the article will swell up too much.

How to choose a suitable reishi product?

For fine tuners, nutrition pimps and others who are particularlyinterested in the quality, some points to consider when looking orchoosing a reishi product:-ls it farmed or wild reishi? (organic or regular?)-How that particular reishi is grown (biomass or tree grown?)-Color of the reishi (red and purple are usually considered the best)-Reishi product state or appearance, powder or extract (extractingmethod alcohol or double extraction?), strength?


-Has reishi product been tested for heavy metals, pesticides,aflatoxins, (ie. fungicides) and irradiation?

Wild reishi (Ganoderma Lucidum) would of course be the bestpossible choice, as wild herbs are almost always stronger and morepowerful than cultivated. However, lingzhi mushroom is endangered inmany countries, because of this wild reishi products are rare.

If reishi product has been cultivated. The best choice would be woodcultivation, known for the following terms: “Original wood”,“Duanwood” “Wood log” method. In this method large wooden beamsare buried in a ground, where reishi mushroom strain is put to grow.This way mushroom can absorb nutrients from a soil, almost in thesame way as wild mushroom.

In such a “natural” substrate grown reishi is superior compared toother cultivation methods. In other cultivation methods, reishi is grownin plastic bags, glass bottles or wooden boxes, in a biomass that iscomposed of rice, sawdust and various fertilizers. illustration of aplastic bag ).

Advantage in these methods is that reishi can be grow cheaply andquickly without any major investment. Biomass reishi products arecheaper, but not necessarily as strong as a “tree grown” reishi. Bothare good option, but the second is just not as effective, much thesame thing as the wild blueberry vs. cultivated blueberry.

Ganoderma Lucidum is growing in a six different colors: red, purple,black, blue, white and yellow. They may, however, have a differentchemical composition (polysaccharides, Triterpenoids).


Purple is the rarest color, and it is said to be ancestor for all reishimushrooms. Purple reishi was mostly reserved for just kings and theelite use, because it was rare and expensive.

Ganoderma fungus family has apparently more than 200 differentvarieties many of them look quite similar to the Ganoderma Lucidum.So it is possible that the wild reishi you found is not even GanodermaLucidum related, and anyway wild reishi grow in Asian is different fromwild reishi in Europe.

Asian reishi mushroom is called as “Ganoderma multipileum”. (Ganoderma multipileum the correct name for G. lucidum in tropicalAsia , PDF)

How to use reishi?

The biggest mistake people usually do with reishi is that they just boila reishi tea, and think that it s̓ enough to get all the benefits or thatthey just donʼt know that extracting with alcohol would also benecessary to get all the bioactive molecules in good use.

Water extraction of reishi (i.e.boiling):If you do not already use extracted product, it is important that youboil reishi powder with water and not enjoy the powder as it is. Boilingfor about five minutes should be enough at first, but, of course, thelonger the cooking time, the more active ingredients will end up inwater. After extensive time amount of boiling you can also consumethe powder to get the full benefits. Word of a warning though, boilingreishi powder forms very easily and quickly foam that might come outof the pot and on the oven. It has happened to me countless of times


so remember to be careful when boiling reishi powder.

Alcohol extraction of reishi, making a tincture:Reishi can also be extracted with alcohol to get the fat-soluble activeingredients collected. The most sensible protocol is to first extractreishi with alcohol and finally cook/boil the remains to make reishi tea(if done other way around moisture would decrease the alcoholcontent).

Extraction can be done with any alcohol that is more than 20%percentage by volume (to prevent the growth of bacteria). But ofcourse the stronger the alcohol, the better so I recommend cheapest,clear, unflavored 40-70% spirits/liquors in a glass bottle.

Then just use, for example, little brown glass bottle with stopper(preferably with wide neck) and put some reishi in the bottom andcouple of deciliters of alcohol on top of it (make sure that of thepowder is getting covered). This mixture can be allowed to stand fromtwo weeks to one month (waving at least 1-2 times a day). There is nofear about bacteria growth because strong alcohol is a greatpreservative. Finally just filter the alcohol through a gauze and it isready to be enjoyed. Active ingredients will be in the alcohol. You canuse the remaining reishi to make reishi tea by boiling it and thusextracting the water soluble molecules. If you donʼt want to ingestalcohol it s̓ easy to vaporize small amounts of it by boiling as theboiling point is only 78.37 °C (do this at your own risk, remember tohave good ventilation and avoid putting alcohol to already hot water asit will probably vaporize dangerously fast). Thus fat soluble moleculeswill remain in the tea fraction which will allow you to consume both fatand water soluble ingredients at once.


Double or dual extracted reishiOf course the best and easiest way to use this mushroom is to buy andouble extracted reishi products. Water extracted preparations(polysaccharides & fiber) can be enjoyed as such without food.Alcohol extracted reishi may be more reasonable to take with food(especially with fat) due to the fact that effective triterpenoids are fat-soluble.

Any well equiped natural health food store will probably sell reishi.However prices can be from 30-50% higher than on the internetstores. You can buy reishi for example from iHerb which is very wellknown and trusted internet store for supplements. Powders vs.extracts: it s̓ more time and resource effective to buy already extractedreishi product.

Here is what I personally use.

Reishi capsules

Natures Way Reishi – Is hard to expect much from this-pricedproduct.. As a surprise, I found that this is an intense reishi product,and significantly more effective than many other expensive reishiproducts.

Other users of this product seem to agree, as it is perhaps the mostpraised reishi product Amazon.com and iHerb reviews. Reishi capsules(10% polysaccharide) which are easily openable and expandable e.g.hot beverages.

Reishi coffee


The most convenient way to enjoy the reishi is daily beverages, suchas coffee. Many of us drink coffee anyway, and so the normal cup ofcoffee can get even more efficient, performance-enhancing andhealthier with reishi. In addition to potential health benefits reishi issaid to balance the taste of coffee. There are currently many differenttypes of reishi coffees in the market. Here is a few examples.

CafeCeps – Organic instant coffee, which is mixed into two differentmedical mushrooms: Cordyceps and Reishi. The taste is of course notbeat the freshly roasted arabica coffee bean to done, but still a greatchoice. The problem with this is that only the reishi powder, extractand so the effect is small. On the bright side to this is that you do notneed the coffee machine or other means while making this. And manyconsider the Cordyceps fungus still better than reishi, especially in thearea of sports, or in order to improve performance. Convenient to getthree of the same hard: organic coffee and antioxidants, reishi andcordyceps.

Longreen Corporation Reishi Coffee – Not organic and contains onlyreishi in addition to coffee, but it is slightly less expensive thancafeceps. Convenient packages, easier to take with you to work placeand on the road.


My favorite mushroom coffee

Sources:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi_mushroomhttp://examine.com/supplements/Ganoderma+lucidum/http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2013/feb2013_how-reishi-combats-aging_01.htmhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-stamets/reishi-mushrooms_b_2200808.htmlhttp://www.alohamedicinals.com/reishi.pdf


incredible benefits of reishi mushroom...purple is the rarest color, and it is said to be ancestor...

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