Ganoderma
lucidum,
a medicinal mushroom, is among the most popular herbal medicines in world that
has been used to modulate immune functions, inhibit tumor growth and in the
treatment of chronic conditions like hypertension and hyperglycemia.
Reishi is a type of mushroom used to promote health and longevity in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine. Also known as the lingzhi mushroom, reishi had a red, kidney-shaped cap and finger-like spores on its underside rather than gills. The species of reishi most commonly used for medicine is Ganoderma lucidum.
Many of the purported benefits of reishi are attributed to a group of compounds called ganoderic acids, which have a similar structure to steroid hormones. Reishi is also rich in beta-glucans (which can help improve cholesterol and glucose levels).
Because of its bitter taste and woody texture, reishi is not typically used for cooking. However, it is can be used to make tea or medicinal tonics.
Health Benefits
Alternative
practitioners believe that reishi is able to treat fatigue, high cholesterol,
high blood pressure, and inflammation by bolstering the immune system. Others
have ascribed it with "cure-all" properties that are far-reaching in
their scope.
Reishi is purported to help control blood sugar levels, liver problems, immune system issues, and as an antibiotic.
Few of these health claims are supported by research. Of the studies currently available, most are limited to test tubes or small-scale animal or human trials.
Much of the current scientific focus has been placed on reishi's effect on viral and bacterial infections, diabetes, and cancer. While some of the results are promising, none are robust enough to recommend reishi as a treatment for any medical condition.
Viral Infections
Most research on
reishi and viruses has been in laboratory settings, including herpes, HIV and
Hepatitis B. While promising, the same level of control has not been seen
outside of the test tube.2
A 2007 study
from Japan, involving 18 people, reported that a herbal remedy containing G.
lucidum was able to shorten the duration of HSV-2 (genital herpes) outbreak
from an average of 10.9 days to 4.0 days.
An earlier study in 1998 by the same team reported that a G. lucidum extract was able to dramatically reduced postherpetic pain in two people with an HZV (shingles) infection and two people with treatment-resistant HSV-2.
The conclusions from both of the studies are limited by their size and the lack of qualitative measures for postherpetic pain.
Bacterial
Infections
There is even
less evidence supporting the antibacterial effects of reishi. Although there
have several studies demonstrating how G. lucidum can neutralize bacteria like
Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas
aeruginosa in the test tube, there is little proof that consuming a reishi
extract will do the same.
Diabetes
The beta-glucans
found in reishi are believed to aid in the management of diabetes. However,
according to a 2015 Cochrane Review, any studies in humans have been of low
quality and there's little to no evidence that taking reishi will have a
positive effect on cardiovascular disease risk factors in people with diabetes.
Cancer
A number of lab
studies have investigated reishi's ability to stimulate the immune response,
most specifically with regards to the treatment of cancer. In the lab, reishi
has been shown to kill tumor cells and boost the activity of immune cells such
as natural killer cells (NK), T-cells, B-cells, tumor necrosis factor (TNF),
and phagocytes (which ingest other cells)
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