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Reishi / Lingzhi
CautionReishi / Glänzender Lackporling · (Ganoderma lingzhi)
Ganoderma family (Ganodermataceae)
Description
Reishi (Ganoderma lingzhi), called lingzhi in Chinese, is a wood-dwelling polypore in the family Ganodermataceae with a reddish-brown, varnished, kidney- to fan-shaped cap and a laterally inserted stem. Its corky, hard flesh bears fine whitish pores beneath, and it grows on stumps, roots and the base of hardwood trees. In Traditional Chinese Medicine it has been revered for over 2,000 years as the 'mushroom of immortality'. The East Asian medicinal fungus was long equated with the European Ganoderma lucidum, but genetic analyses show the species used in China is better treated as a distinct taxon (Ganoderma lingzhi). Only the dried fruiting body is used; because it is too tough and woody to eat, it is consumed as a decoction (tea), powder or extract rather than as a culinary mushroom.
- TeaWhole plantInternalTraditional use
Decoction (long simmering) of the dried, chopped fruiting body used as a general tonic and immune-supporting tea in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
- TinctureWhole plantInternalTraditional use
Alcoholic or dual extract (water plus alcohol) of the fruiting body, taken to capture both the water-soluble polysaccharides and the alcohol-soluble triterpenes.
- RawWhole plantInternalFolk medicine
Dried fruiting-body powder in capsules or stirred into liquid, used as a modern dietary supplement for immune support.