Reishi is the Japanese name for a Chinese fungi called Lingzhi, which means "herb of spiritual potency" though it is sometimes called "mushroom of immortality.
" Unlike its distant Chinese kin, the Shiitaki, the Reishi has no food value but has been used as a medicine for nearly 4,000 years, making it one of the oldest herbal remedies.
In Korea it is called yeongji.
The Reishi is listed in the American Herbal Herbal Pharmacopoeia and Therapeutic Compendium, which is basically the herbal version of the Physicians Desk Reference or PDR.
General The Reishi mushroom is an odd looking fungus.
In some ways it is like the Shiitaki in that it grows in dead hardwood.
However, unlike Shiitakis love of oak and fruit trees Reishi prefer hemlock, however like Shiitaki it is often cultivated in a biomass.
Another big difference of Shiitaki and Reishi is in their shape, size and texture.
The latter grow huge with thick sponge-like caps.
Some even appear to grow antlers.
In ancient times these large caps would be boiled in water for 2 hours to for a bitter elixir.
Today they are usually blended with other types of mushrooms like Shiitaki and Mitaki and added into gelatin capsules to form a stronger and wider-spread immune system- and cancer-fighting herbal medicine though at times one can still be find Reishi simply as an extract.
Herbal use One of Reishis great benefits is in the treatment of cancer.
It seems to help blocking the spread of tumors.
It also impedes the growth of special blood vessels that feed tumors, called angiogenesis.
Also, it has shown to have anti-neoplastic affects on some types of cancer.
That is the very reason for currently running clinical trials in the US with Shiitaki.
In addition to being cancer-affecting Reishi also contain ganoderic acid.
That helps to protect the liver from damage from viral infections.
Over all the ganoder acid has anti-bacterial and anti-viral effects, specifically against HSV-1, HSV-2, influenza virus, and vesicular stomatitis.
It even has anti-microbial effects against e.
-coli.
Modern medicine is just now making these discoveries but the ancient Chinese knew there was something special about Reishi already 4,000 years ago
" Unlike its distant Chinese kin, the Shiitaki, the Reishi has no food value but has been used as a medicine for nearly 4,000 years, making it one of the oldest herbal remedies.
In Korea it is called yeongji.
The Reishi is listed in the American Herbal Herbal Pharmacopoeia and Therapeutic Compendium, which is basically the herbal version of the Physicians Desk Reference or PDR.
General The Reishi mushroom is an odd looking fungus.
In some ways it is like the Shiitaki in that it grows in dead hardwood.
However, unlike Shiitakis love of oak and fruit trees Reishi prefer hemlock, however like Shiitaki it is often cultivated in a biomass.
Another big difference of Shiitaki and Reishi is in their shape, size and texture.
The latter grow huge with thick sponge-like caps.
Some even appear to grow antlers.
In ancient times these large caps would be boiled in water for 2 hours to for a bitter elixir.
Today they are usually blended with other types of mushrooms like Shiitaki and Mitaki and added into gelatin capsules to form a stronger and wider-spread immune system- and cancer-fighting herbal medicine though at times one can still be find Reishi simply as an extract.
Herbal use One of Reishis great benefits is in the treatment of cancer.
It seems to help blocking the spread of tumors.
It also impedes the growth of special blood vessels that feed tumors, called angiogenesis.
Also, it has shown to have anti-neoplastic affects on some types of cancer.
That is the very reason for currently running clinical trials in the US with Shiitaki.
In addition to being cancer-affecting Reishi also contain ganoderic acid.
That helps to protect the liver from damage from viral infections.
Over all the ganoder acid has anti-bacterial and anti-viral effects, specifically against HSV-1, HSV-2, influenza virus, and vesicular stomatitis.
It even has anti-microbial effects against e.
-coli.
Modern medicine is just now making these discoveries but the ancient Chinese knew there was something special about Reishi already 4,000 years ago