The reishi mushroom is an edible type of medicinal fungus that has been used for its healing abilities for thousands of years and fits the definition of a true superfood. Also known as Ling Zhi in Chinese, these mushrooms are anti-inflammatory and tied to longevity, better immune function and mental clarity, earning them the nickname “king of mushrooms.”
Throughout history in holistic medicine, reishi mushrooms have been considered adaptogenic herbs. This means they help your body deal with the negative effects of stress, such as increased inflammation, depleted energy levels, damaged blood vessels and various types of hormonal imbalances.
Studies have repeatedly shown that reishi mushrooms have antioxidant abilities that allow them to strengthen the body’s defenses against cancer, autoimmune conditions, heart disease, allergies, infections and more.
Believe it or not, this all just skims the surface of the health benefits that reishi mushrooms have to offer.
Ready to learn more? Let’s take a look at why you should consider adding this incredible medicinal mushroom into your routine and what reishi mushrooms health benefits can do for you.
What Are Reishi Mushrooms?
What is reishi? What is ganoderma?
Like other disease-fighting mushrooms, reishi mushrooms are a type of fungus that grow outdoors.
They’re native to several parts of Asia, including China, Korea and Japan. While they’re edible and often described as bitter-tasting with a tough texture, you’re much more likely to find them in supplement, tincture or powder form.
Reishi mushrooms, also known by their scientific name Ganoderma lucidum, grow above ground and produce “a fruiting body” along with connective strands (called mycelium), which are turned into an herbal medicines, tinctures, teas, powders and extracts.
Also known as lingzhi mushroom, you may be surprised to learn just how long lingzhi mushroom benefits have been utilized.
For most of history in Traditional Chinese Medicine, fully grown reishi mushrooms were dried, cut into slices, boiled in hot water and then steeped to make a healing tea/soup. Today, manufacturers of reishi products use a processing technique in which reishi is boiled multiple times at a high pressure, allowing the active ingredients to be extracted to form a tincture.
Thanks to the concentrated compounds that these mushrooms contain, potential reishi mushroom benefits include protection against tumor formation, improved liver function, better heart health, enhanced blood sugar control, and a reduced risk of asthma, allergies and infection.
How the Reishi Mushroom Works
Over the past several decades, dozens of different studies conducted in Japan, China, the U.S. and the U.K. have demonstrated that reishi mushrooms are capable of offering protection against numerous diseases or illnesses, including:
- inflammation
- fatigue (including chronic fatigue syndrome)
- frequent infections (urinary tract, bronchitis, respiratory infections, etc.)
- liver disease
- food allergies and asthma
- digestive problems, stomach ulcers and leaky gut syndrome
- tumor growth and cancer
- skin disorders
- autoimmune disorders
- diabetes
- viruses, including the flu, HIV/AIDS or hepatitis
- heart disease, hypertension, high blood pressure and high cholesterol
- sleep disorders and insomnia
- anxiety and depression
Because they work as an “immune modulator,” reishi mushrooms can help restore hormonal balance, bring the body back to homeostasis and regulate activity of the immune system. This can help fight tumors and cancerous cells.
Research shows that reishi mushrooms act as a normalizing substance, regulating various cellular functions and systems, including the endocrine (hormonal), immune, cardiovascular, central nervous and digestive systems.
One of the biggest reishi benefits is that it’s capable of doing so much, yet produces hardly any side effects. Reishi mushrooms are much less toxic than traditional medications as well.
In fact, most people report a quick improvements in their energy levels, mental focus and mood while also experiencing a reduction in aches, pains, allergies, digestive issues and infections.
The secret behind their healing potential? The various active ingredients that the reishi mushroom contains account for this.
These ingredients include complex sugars known as beta-glucans, plant sterols that act as precursors to hormones in the body, polysaccharides that fight cancer cell development and acidic substances called triterpenes that turn off the body’s response to allergies.
Recent findings suggest that reishi mushrooms can lower inflammation and increase the release of natural killer cells, which work to remove various types of mutated cells from the body. This makes the reishi mushroom ideal for preventing heart disease and working as a natural cancer treatment.
Some of the ways that reishi mushrooms work to promote better health include:
- activating cytotoxic receptors (NKG2D/NCR)
- inhibiting cell proliferation
- suppressing vascular endothelial growth factor
- increasing plasma antioxidant capacity
- enhancing immune response
- converting excess testosterone to dihydrotestosterone
Health Benefits
1. Contains Powerful Anti-Cancer Properties
Just like other anti-inflammatory foods, reishi mushrooms are packed with important nutrients, including antioxidants, beta-glucans and amino acids. Researchers believe that some of the most beneficial components of the reishi mushroom are its polysaccharides.
These are water-soluble types of nutrient found in carbohydrate foods that are known to have anti-tumor abilities.
Polysaccharides, which also found in other beneficial plant foods like sweet potatoes or beets, are immune-modulating substances. They are compounds that help reishi mushrooms protect the DNA and block cell mutations while preserving healthy cells in the body.
According to some studies, certain medicinal mushrooms help fight cancer because polysaccharides have important biological benefits, including antioxidant, neuro-protective, radio-protective, anti-diabetes, anti-osteoporosis and anti-fatigue abilities.
Additionally, laboratory tests demonstrate that the triterpenes found in reishi mushrooms may also have cancer-fighting properties. This is one reason why brightly colored or bitter-tasting, antioxidant-rich foods like pumpkin, berries and black rice have a reputation for promoting health.
Triterpene compounds seem to inhibit tumor formation and metastases by limiting the attachment of cancerous cells to endothelial cells. Beta-glucans can also help fight off cancer formation by blocking the growth and spread of cancer cells and increasing the activity of the immune system.
Studies have turned up promising results on the link between the reishi mushroom and cancer prevention. It has been successfully used to help fight cancer of the breasts, ovaries, prostate, liver and lungs in in-vitro studies, sometimes in combination with other treatments.
Research in cancer patients suggests that reishi has antiproliferative and chemopreventive effects. It helps alleviate side effects of chemotherapy, like low immunity and nausea, and potentially enhances the efficacy of radiotherapy.
All this makes the reishi mushroom one of the most powerful cancer-fighting foods available and shows reishi mushroom powder benefits include supporting immunity to combat chronic disease.
2. Improves Liver Function
The liver is one of the most vital organs in the body. It is responsible for aiding in detoxification and helping clean, process, store and circulate healthy blood and nutrients.
Reishi mushrooms work as adaptogens to help improve liver function and prevent liver disease. They allow your body to flush out toxins and bacteria more efficiently and improve immunity against diseases that can develop over time.
A 2013 study published in the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms found that reishi induces hepatoprotective effects on acute liver injury because it contains antioxidant properties and fights harmful immune responses that slow down liver function — adding to list of benefits of reishi mushrooms.
3. Promotes Heart Health
The triterpenes found in the reishi mushroom may have blood pressure-lowering abilities as well as benefits for blood-clotting and cholesterol. This is likely because they help lower inflammation within blood vessels and arteries while also restoring hormonal balance.
High blood pressure and high cholesterol can sometimes be caused by hormonal issues, including thyroid disorders or high amounts of stress. Reishi mushrooms help restore optimal hormonal levels to strengthen the cardiovascular system.
In addition to lowering blood pressure, reishi mushroom extract can improve overall circulation, lower inflammation that worsens heart problems and prevent clogged arteries by keeping cholesterol under control — yet another one of the impressive reishi health benefits.
