01/11/2024
The reishi mushroom’s reputation as a health booster date back as far as 2,400 years, and depictions of it frequently appear in ancient Chinese and Japanese artwork. However, the mushroom has likely been in use as a medicinal herb for over 4,000 years across the Eastern hemisphere, including both Korean and Indian cultures (1). Ancient, and current, practitioners called reishi “the mushroom of immortality” to describe the all-encompassing health support that this mushroom reishi could provide (2).
It is one of the world’s most popular adaptogens because it helps the body and mind adapt fluidly to health stressors and maintain allostasis. Allostatis is the process of maintaining homeostasis through the adaptive change of the body’s internal environment to meet existing and anticipated demands (3).
Reishi mushroom benefits for supporting general relaxation are also being investigated. Recent research shows that reishi has a calming quality that can help support a positive mood (4,3).
A systematic review of five well-designed studies in humans yielded similar results, finding that reishi significantly increased levels of T cells, while slightly raising levels of leukocytes (another type of white blood cell) (5). The researchers concluded that reishi stimulates host immunity, is well-tolerated, and has no observed toxic effects. Studies have also shown that reishi can modulate and enhance immune cells like natural killer cells in those with a chronic disease (6,7).
What are Beta-Glucans?
Scientists attribute the reishi mushroom benefits of immune system support and modulation to its stores of beta-glucans. Beta-glucans are special polysaccharides that stimulate immune system function (8). Importantly, beta-glucans are found in the highest concentrations in the mushrooms (fruiting bodies), which is what Real Mushrooms’ products are made from — not the mycelium, which is what is typically used in other so-called mushroom supplements.
If you’re interested, I am now a provider of Real Mushrooms. I’ll be carrying Reishi Mushroom capsules at the office for the price of $30 for 60 capsules.
In Health,
Adam Gloyeske
1. Wasser, Solomon P., 2005. Reishi or Ling Zhi (Ganoderma lucidum). Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements. DOI: 10.1081/E-EDS-120022119.�16. Kanmatsuse, K., Kajiwara, N., Hayashi, K., Shimogaichi, S., Fukinbara, I., Ishikawa, H., & Tamura, T. (1985). Yakugaku zasshi : Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan, 105(10), 942–947. https://doi.org/10.1248/yakushi1947.105.10_942
2. Loyd, A. L. et al. (2018) ‘Identifying the “mushroom of immortality”: assessing the ganoderma species composition in commercial reishi products’, Frontiers in Microbiology, 9, p. 1557. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01557.
3. Zhao, S., Rong, C., Gao, Y. et al. Antidepressant-like effect of Ganoderma lucidum spore polysaccharide-peptide mediated by upregulation of prefrontal cortex brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 105, 8675–8688 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-021-11634-y
4. Cui X, Zhang Y. 2019. ‘Neuropharmacological effect and clinical applications of Ganoderma (Lingzhi)’, Advances in Experimental Biology, 1182, p. 143-157. doi: 10.1007/978-981-32-9421-9_5.
5. Jin, X., Ruiz Beguerie, J., Sze, D. M., & Chan, G. C. (2012). Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi mushroom) for cancer treatment. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (6), CD007731.
6. Gao, Y., Zhou, S., Jiang, W., Huang, M., & Dai, X. (2003). Effects of ganopoly (a Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide extract) on the immune functions in advanced-stage cancer patients. Immunological investigations, 32(3), 201–215. https://doi.org/10.1081/imm-120022979
7. Del Cornò, M., Gessani, S., & Conti, L. (2020). Shaping the Innate Immune Response by Dietary Glucans: Any Role in the Control of Cancer?. Cancers, 12(1), 155. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12010155
8. https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/reishi-mushroom
