Next medicinal mushroom up is Reishi, sometimes called the "mushroom of immortality". Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) has been used in Chinese medicine for over 2000 years and is seen as the single most important herb for longevity. There are a few types of reishi but the red one is said to have the most healing properties.
Wild reishi can be found in nature from N- America to Asia to Eastern Europe, but is said to be even more difficult to find than the chaga mushroom. Like chaga, reishi is also an adaptogen meaning it's a substance that increases the body's resistance to stress, and promotes a balancing effect on various systems in the body, including the immune system, the nervous system and the cardiovascular system.
Reishi is a saprotrophic(learned a new word today) mushroom, meaning it feeds on dead organic matter. So if you want to keep your eyes open for this one as well look for them on dead or dying trees and old stumps or logs. Mainly on hardwood stumps and logs including oaks, elms, beeches and maples but also some others. Most reishi today are sold as teas, capsules, powders and tinctures and are usually not the wild variety. If you want to find a reishi supplement, you should look for quality over price because there are a lot of cheap one's out there from companies that are not the best quality. Wanted to start a supplement company some years ago but it turned out to difficult in the country of Norway, way to many regulations. The interest for beneficial plant compound stuck with me. I have only taken this as a supplement in tea, powder, capsule form and never found it in the wild, actually didn't think it was possible to find in Norway but found out there have been cases writing this article. So will keep my eyes open for it from now on as it has a lot of interesting benefits. If buying a supplement look for a company that uses the wood log cultivation method instead of the cheaper saw dust/wood chips in bags method.
Here are a few pictures, but keep in mind they come in a few different colors.
Some of the beneficial compounds in the Reishi mushroom
Polysaccharides
Reishi contain polysaccharides that have anti-cancer effects based on their ability to prevent abnormal blood vessel formation, and to boost immune system functionGanoderic acids (triterpenes)
Protect the liver, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent platelet clumping that leads to heart attack and stroke, fight allergic responses triggered by histamine, and also possess anticancer activity.Germanium
Interesting compound that boosts the immune system, increases oxygen utilization and protects us against radiation.Mannitol
Reishi contains a sugar alcohol named mannitol which is said produces a large number of benefits to human health.Adenosin and guanosin
Helps prevent the formation of dangerous blood clots and calm your artery walls to allow them to clean and heal their calcifications and blockages.
If you want to dig deep I recommend going over to https://examine.com/supplements/ganoderma-lucidum/
There you can also read about the different effects of the tinctures vs powdered extracts and so on. Have to warn you it's a pretty complex read. The good thing about that site for supplements though is that they collect a number of studies for all kind of supplements so that you can easily see if it is proven to work for different conditions.
Benefits of the reishi mushroom
Has potent anti - cancer effects
Enhances and balances the Immune system
Reduces Inflammation and acts as an antioxidant
Reishi relieves allergies
Increasing the energy supply to the brain
Is good for the kidney and liver
Calms the sentral nerves system
Aids gut health
Is useful as a sleep aid
Improves anxiety and depression
Have tried some powders, capsules and teas. I guess next one up is the tincture. Can't really say witch one is best, but it's definitely a very good supplement. I like to have either chaga or reishi, they both easily make the top 4 list, some might place them at the top but that really depends on what your goals are. I believe these are the best for cancer prevention, the immune system and as a longevity aid. The next two have a bit different qualities like improving brain function and athletic performance.
Just make sure you look for quality and buy from a company you thrust if you want to buy it as a supplement.
Keep your eyes open when walking in nature if you live in these regions.
