Reishi mushroom Ganoderma lucidum,Marvelous Lucky Fungus from Orient World.
Contents
-
- Ganoderma lucidum:the Reishi mushroom botanical information.
- What is Reishi and Varieties?What is Reishi Mushroom Extract?.
- Ganoderma lucidum:Constituents and Phytochemicals.
- Mechanism of Action:How it Works and Medical Properties.
- History and Fame of Reishi Mushroom.
- The Most Common Uses of Reishi Mushrooms.
- Benefits of Reishi Mushrooms:System Class and Alphabetic Order.
- Applications and Benefit Note On Ganoderma lucidum:Reishi Mushroom.
- Ganoderma lucidum or Reishi Mushroom as King of Health Foods.
- Suggestions and Administrations.
- Ganoderma lucidum Pharmacology and Application.
- Ganoderma lucidum:Research update.
What is Reishi and Varieties?What is Reishi Mushroom Extract?:
Reishi is the name for Ganoderma Lucidum. or Lingzhi in Chinese.
Ganoderma Lucidum is a mushroom, a higher order organism of the world of fungus. It belongs to the Polypore group. Umbrella-shaped, with a semicircular, reniform (kidney-shaped) or suborbicular (almost round) pileus 10-18 cm wide and 1-2 cm thick. Epicutis hard, dull yellowish-brown to dull reddish-brown, lustrous, marked with annular (ring-like) ridges and radial wrinkles; margin thin and truncate (squared as if cut off), often slightly involute (with margin rolling inwards). Gills on the underside of pileus white to light brown, consisting of innumerable tubules. Stipe lateral (borne on or at the side); 7-15 cm long, 1-3.5 cm in diameter; dull reddish-brown to dull purplish-brown; lustrous. Numerous minute, dull yellowish-brown spores in tubules. Odour: slightly fragrant; taste: bitter-astringent.
Lingzhi is a hard, polypore and mildly bitter mushroom. Polypores are conspicuous mushrooms that grow off the sides of trees. The actual mushroom organism, or mycelium, is a network of the threadlike filaments that originates from spores. The mycelium spreads throughout the nutrient base or substrate, amassing nutrients as it grows. They live in soil, logs and other organic trash. As long as nutrients are available, the mycelium can be considered perennial and will live for many years. At least once a year, mushrooms emerge from the mycelial network. As the reproductive organ of the fungus, mushrooms are the means by which spores are created and spread.
Unlike green plants, which produce many of their own nutrients by photosynthesis, mushrooms primarily get their nutrients from dead organic matter or soil. Mushrooms and their mycelium are nature's original recyclers. Without them, the planet surface would be piled high with dead, decaying material.
Mushrooms rise out of the mycelium when the right nutrients are amassed and the right environmental conditions are present. Mushrooms release spores at maturity. The wind spreads them and when they land on the right spot, the cycle starts over again.
"Polypores, commonly known as bracket or shelf fungi, are conspicuous mushrooms that grow off the sides of trees. On a walk through the forest one can commonly see many such bracket mushrooms."
"What is not readily visible to us however is the actual mushroom organism, or mycelium. Just as an apple is the fruit of an apple tree, so too is a mushroom the fruit body of a mycelial "tree". Mycelium is a network of the threadlike filaments that originates from spores. The mycelium spreads throughout the nutrient base or substrate, amassing nutrients as it grows. As long as environmental conditions are right, the mycelium will continue to grow and propagate until it exhausts the available nutrients."
"As long as nutrients are available, the mycelium can be considered perennial and will live for many years. At least once a year, mushrooms emerge from the mycelial network. As the reproductive organ of the fungus, mushrooms are the means by which spores are created and spread."
Varieties and Habitat:
Ganoderma lucidum generally occurs in two growth forms, one, found in North America, is sessile and rather large with only a small or no stalk, while the other is smaller and has a long, narrow stalk, and is found mainly in the tropics.
However, many growth forms exist that are intermediate to the two types, or even exhibit very unusual morphologies,raising the possibility that they are separate species. Environmental conditions also play a substantial role in the different morphological characteristics lingzhi can exhibit. For example, elevated carbon dioxide levels result in stem elongation in lingzhi. Other forms show "antlers', without a cap and these may be affected by carbon dioxide levels as well.
According to The Chinese Herbal Materia Medica, lingzhi may be classified into six categories according to their shapes and colors, each of which is believed to nourish a different part of the body.
Red - heart Purple - joints Green - liver
White - lungs and skin Yellow - spleen Black - kidneys and brain
From a single species, Ganoderma lucidum (red lingzhi), all six colors could be grown by varying the temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide content, and the available nutrients. The six types of lingzhi are thus shown to be one species.
In China, a total output of lingzhi harvest reaches up to 3,000 tons. They are mainly planted in about 10 regions. Ganoderma lucidum are produced mainly in places such as Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Taiwan; while Ganoderma japonicum are cultivated in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, Fujian and Guangdong. Lingzhi can be planted in logs or vinyl bags. The vinyl bags method is preferred in regions producing large volumes (over 1,000 tons annually); logs method can be found in Changchun and Chengdu. These two cities have set up cooperative programs for cultivating lingzhi. In addition, attempts are being made to obtain useful mycelial content or to produce effective substances into a medium by means of solid or liquid culture of the mycelia. Most of medicinal ingredients of lingzhi are contained in its pileus (hymenophore).
What is the difference between black Reishi and red Reishi?
Only six kinds of Reishi have been studied in greater detail to uncover potential health benefits:red, black, blue, white, yellow and purple Reishi. Of these six types, black and red Reishi have demonstrated the most significant health-enhancing effects, and both are therefore widely used in the global health supplement market today. However, red Reishi has been proven to be the most effective in improving one's overall health by enhancing the immune system, many bodily functions, and vital organs. Black Reishi (Ganoderma sinensis), is fairly common and can be found in most Chinese herbal shops. This species of Ganoderma tends to be unevenly shaped and can measure up to ten inches in diameter, although most mature specimens are about six inches in diameter. The majority of Reishi products that claim to be using "wild". Reishi generally use black Reishi. While it still possesses some value as a moderate herbal tonic, black Reishi is considered to be inferior to red Reishi because of its lower polysaccharide content.
Reishi Mushroom is also known by the name Lucky Fungus. Reishi Mushrooms grow wild on decaying logs and tree stumps in the coastal provinces of China. The fruiting body of the mushroom is employed medicinally. Reishi occurs in six different colors, but the red variety is most commonly used and commercially cultivated in China. The Latin word lucidum means "shiny" or "brilliant", and refers to the varnished surface of Reishi's cap, which is reddish orange to black. In China, 99% of Reishi growing in the wild are found on old plum trees, and wild Reishi Mushrooms are rare. In the Taoist tradition, Reishi is said to enhance spiritual receptivity. It was used by monks to calm the spirit and mind. It is also considered a symbol of feminine sexuality. Reishi has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 4,000 years to treat liver disorders, hypertension, arthritis, and other ailments.
What is Reishi Mushroom Extract?
Simply, it is the extract of the mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum, also called "reishi" or "ling zhi" in china. Ling zhi means "spirit plant", and in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) this mushroom is considered to be of the highest class of tonics. In the Orient this mushroom has a 4,000 year history for use in an unusually wide range of ailments, but is particularly renowned for its use in hepatitis and other diseases of the liver and for promoting longevity. Of all the diseases reishi is reputed to treat, we will mention only the applications we feel are best documented; volumes have been written on this medicinal.
Reishi Mushroom, also known as Ling-Zhi (Chinese), has shown in recent studies to be helpful for treating high cholesterol, normalizing blood pressure, regulating circulatory system and help cure on allergies. Reishi mushroom contains a high amount of polysaccharides which are essential for proper functioning of the immune system.
Reishi Mushroom is used as a tonic and a sedative. It has been useful in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, diabetes, liver disorders, hypertension, arthritis, and nervous exhaustion. It has a strong antihistamine action that can help control allergies. Reishi Mushroom has also been shown to lower cholesterol, prevent blood clots, and increase the body's ability to fight unwanted invaders.
Mushrooms have long been treated much like herbs in China, and have been used for many health purposes. Nutrition researchers have chemically analyzed some of these mushrooms and determined that they contain unique nutrients and compounds not found in other plants. As research continues, the virtue of mushrooms, such as Reishi Mushroom, grows stronger throughout the world.
How is Reishi Essence extract different from Reishi it its raw form?
The nutritional value of Reishi in its raw form is low without further processing. It is difficult for the body to absorb the active ingredients of Reishi without further processing. Traditionally, dried Red Reishi was cut into slices and boiled in hot water and then drunk in a tea/soup in order to properly digest the active ingredients. Now manufacturers of Reishi products use a refined and labour-intensive processing technique where raw Reishi is boiled multiple times at a high pressure and sanitary environment to properly extract the nutritional essence of Reishi. The majority of the Reishi products in the market place are made with the pulverized powder from the Reishi fruit body which is not refined further to produce the extracted essence powder. This process seriously impedes the ability for the human body to absorb it, thus lowering the medicinal value of the product.
Modern bio-engineering technology has made lingzhi available to the general public in large quantities. The quality can be carefully controlled by providing the best conditions and sufficient nutrients. Further investigations have discovered that the largest amount of active ingredients exist in the mycelium, and that the mycelium is more digestible. The extraction process can be timed at the precise stage when the mycelium contains the largest amount of active ingredients. Fresh mycelium is available, and there is no chance for mistaken identity. Without the obstacles of the fibers, the extraction is more complete and the extract is more digestible. Therefore, the latest research on the medicinal properties of lingzhi are done on the mycelial extracts.
Reference:
-
- 1.Reishi mushroom Ganoderma lucidum,Marvelous Lucky Fungus from Orient World.
Article Information:
♥The article and literature was edited by herbalist of MDidea Extracts Professional.It runs a range of online descriptions about the titled herb and related phytochemicals,including comprehensive information related,summarized updating discoveries from findings of herbalists and clinical scientists from this field.The electronic data information published at our official website www.mdidea.com and www.mdidea.net,we tried best to update it to latest and exact as possible.
♣ last edit date:
