For over 4000 years Reishi mushrooms (Ganoderma Lucidum) have been recognized by Chinese medical professionals as a valuable remedy. Its Chinese name Lingzhi, means "spiritual potency". Reishi mushrooms are regarded by the Chinese as the "Medicine of Kings". Dr. Shi-Jean Lee, the most famous Chinese medical doctor of the Ming Dynasty, strongly endorsed the effectiveness of Reishi in his famous book, Ban Chao Gang Moo ("Great Pharmacopoeia"). He stated that the "long-term taking of Reishi (Lingzhi) will build a strong, healthy body and assure a long life.
"The Medicine of Kings" And Its Benefits
Discover the Health Benefits of
Ganoderma Lucidum!
Anti-tumor
effect Cancer
Treatment
Plaque Build-Up
Immune Dysfunction
Syndromes Alzheimer's
disease
Contact Dermatitis
Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome Debility
Chronic Hepatitis
Insomnia
Neuroses
General anxiety
High Blood Pressure Inhibit
Platelet
Aggregation
Liver
failure
Cholesterol
Asthma
Conjunctivitis
For the Nerves:
Reishi mushrooms have been traditionally
recommended by Chinese and Japanese herbalists for
insomnia due to their "sleep-promoting
factor".(1) Long-term use causes a significant promotion of slow wave sleep.
Reishi mushrooms are prescribed in China for a number of psychiatric and neurological
afflictions, including diseases involving the muscles,
anorexia,
and debility
following lengthy illnesses.(3) In Japan, the dried "mycelium" of
Reishi, the root-like body that produces mushrooms has been found to be highly
effective in the treatment of neuroses
caused by "environmental stress".(1) In
addition, in an eight-month study of Alzheimer's disease,
patients taking a Reishi mycelium product demonstrated significant improvement.
In China, Reishi is used for its muscle relaxing and analgesic
(pain-inhibiting) effects. In one study, Reishi alleviated anxiety in 18 of 20
patients after four months' use. It was concluded that the mushroom has an
essentially "calmative function", but is neither a narcotic nor a
hypnotic.
Immune
System
Ganoderma Lucidum contains high concentration of
Organic Germanium, Polysaccharides and Triterpenes. These active components are
proven to strengthen our immunity cells
and
improve our immune system.
Cardiotonic:
For centuries, Reishi has been known as a
cardiotonic herb. It was prescribed routinely to those with a "knotted and
tight chest" symptoms consistent with both stress and/or coronary artery
disease-related angina. Researchers in China found that Reishi improved the
bloodflow and lowered oxygen consumption in the heart muscle.(3) Similar
results were also found by Japanese scientists.(1,4 ) They found that
Reishi contains ganoderic acids (which belong to a group of natural substances
called "triterpenes") which lower high blood pressure,
lower
cholesterol, and inhibit platelet
aggregation (the clumping together of blood cells),
which can lead to heart attacks and other circulation problems.
Cancer:
Studies
of Reishi in cancer research have been largely conducted in Japan, where Reishi
was
scientifically proven to have an anti-tumor effect.
This research has continued in Korea, Japan, and China. An example of Reishi's
cancer-fighting potential occurred in the summer of 1986. A 39 -year old Japanese
woman approached Dr. Fukumi Morishige, M.D., Ph.D, a renowned Japanese surgeon
and a member of the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine, for help
in treating her lung cancer. It was a complicated case, and she had been
refused an operation by several hospitals. Hopeless, she returned home where
she found her husband had collected Reishi in the forests. He boiled the
mushroom and gave it to her to drink as a tea. While this was going on, she
begged Dr. Morishige to do something for her cancer, regardless of its very
advanced stage.
From what was evident six months earlier,
Morishige was surprised when he found no increase in swelling. Then he looked
at her X-rays. Something wasn't right: her tumor showed as only a trace on the
X-ray. When she told him she had been drinking Reishi tea, Morishige operated
with great curiosity. He was "astonished" to find only scar tissue,
and although cancerous cells remained, they were now benign. That was the
impetus for Dr. Morishige to begin his studies of Reishi as a treatment for cancer especially
cases given up as hopeless. Dr. Morishige now believes that Reishi is also an effective
cancer
preventive.
The active anti-cancer constituents in
Reishi are called Beta-D-glucan. Beta-D-glucan is a polysaccharide basically a
huge sugar molecule made up of many little sugar molecules chained together
bound to amino acids. These intricate sugars stimulate or modulate the immune
system by activating immune cells such as macrophage and helper T-cells, as
well as increase the immunoglobin levels (immunoglobins are specific types of
antibodies) to produce a heightened response to foreign cells, whether
bacteria, viruses, or tumor cells.
Ganoderma Lucidum Spore Capsules
Are Much More Potent Than The Tea Or Coffee
Ganoderma can be used as a supplement during chemotherapy or radiotherapy
to reduce side-effects such as fatigue, loss of appetite, hair loss, bone
marrow suppression and risk of infection. It
can also reduce the toxic and side effects and mitigate the pains
during chemotherapy and radiotherapy, in particular to cancer patients at
terminal stages for prolonging their lives and improving their living quality.
Anti-Allergic
/Anti-Inflammatory Actions:
During the 1970s and 1980s, Reishi's
anti-allergy action became the subject of ongoing research in both China
and Japan. Studies showed that Reishi extract significantly inhibited all four
types of allergic reactions, including positive effects against asthma
and
contact
dermatitis. In 1990, researchers at the University of Texas
Health Science Center in San Antonio found that Reishi could be effectively
used in treating stiff necks, stiff shoulders, conjunctivitis
(inflammation of the fine membrane lining the eye and eyelids), bronchitis,
rheumatism,
and improving "competence" of the immune
system without any significant side-effects.(6)
Healing the Liver:
Reishi is commonly prescribed in China for
the treatment of chronic hepatitis.
In treatments lasting 2 to 15 weeks, the overall rate of efficiency was
70.7 to 98.0%.(4) In Japan, Reishi extract has been reported to be
effective in treating patients with liver failure.(1)
In animal studies of mice with carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatitis, the
extent of liver damage was significantly inhibited by continuous dosing
with Reishi tincture, and the regeneration of the liver was promoted.(7)
Recent
Applications:
As
the "Medicine of Kings", Reishi is widely used for different
purposes. It is used for symptomatic relief of arthritis and of menopausal
anxiety. It is also used in treating allergic asthma,
hypertension,
hypothyroidism,
bronchitis,
insomnia,
general
anxiety and stress,
and cardiovascular
problems. Reishi also is often the main ingredient in herbal
formulas for immune
dysfunction syndromes, such as Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome.
References
1. Kenneth J. REISHI:
Ancient herb for modern times. Sylvan Press, 1992.
2. Wasson RG. Divine mushroom of immortality. Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, Los Angeles, 80-93, 1968.
3. "Lingzhi". In Pharmacology and Application of Chinese Materia Medica, Vol. I. Chang HM and But RPH, eds.
2. Wasson RG. Divine mushroom of immortality. Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, Los Angeles, 80-93, 1968.
3. "Lingzhi". In Pharmacology and Application of Chinese Materia Medica, Vol. I. Chang HM and But RPH, eds.
World
Scientific: Singapore, 642, 1986.
4. Stanislaus CS. Lingzhi Medicine of Kings. New Editions Health World, 38-41, June, 1995.
4. Stanislaus CS. Lingzhi Medicine of Kings. New Editions Health World, 38-41, June, 1995.
5. Carlson J. Reishi
Mushroom. New Editions Health World, 23-25, April, 1996.
6. Stavinoha WB, et al. Study of the anti-inflammatory activity of Ganoderma lucidum. Presented at the Third
6. Stavinoha WB, et al. Study of the anti-inflammatory activity of Ganoderma lucidum. Presented at the Third
Academic/Industry
Joint Conference (AIJC), Sapporo, Japan, 1990.
7. Lin JM, Lin CC, Chiu HF, Yang JJ, and Lee SG. Evaluation of the anti-imflammatory and liver protective effects
7. Lin JM, Lin CC, Chiu HF, Yang JJ, and Lee SG. Evaluation of the anti-imflammatory and liver protective effects
of anoectochilus
formosanus ganoderma lucidum and gynostemma pentaphyllum in rats. Am J Chi Med,
21:59-69,
1993. 3215, 1985.
Warning: Do not take this product if you are pregnant or
nursing. As with any dietary supplement,
consult with your physician before using.
