Reishi is a name used in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the dried fruiting bodies of the fungi Ganoderma lucidum (Leyss. ex Fr.) Karst. (red reishi) or Ganoderma sinense Zhao, Xu et Zhang (purple reishi), belonging to the genus Ganoderma in the family Polyporaceae. It has the effects of tonifying qi, calming the mind, relieving cough, and alleviating wheezing. It is primarily used to treat restlessness, insomnia, palpitations, cough and wheezing due to lung deficiency, shortness of breath caused by debility, and loss of appetite.
Reishi
Reishi is a name used in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the dried fruiting bodies of the fungi Ganoderma lucidum (Leyss. ex Fr.) Karst. (red reishi) or Ganoderma sinense Zhao, Xu et Zhang (purple reishi), belonging to the genus Ganoderma in the family Polyporaceae. It has the effects of tonifying qi, calming the mind, relieving cough, and alleviating wheezing. It is primarily used to treat restlessness, insomnia, palpitations, cough and wheezing due to lung deficiency, shortness of breath caused by debility, and loss of appetite.
Chinese Name : 灵芝
Latin Name : Ganoderma
Aliases : Sanxiu, Lingzhi Grass, Wood Lingzhi, Mushroom Lingzhi
Authentic Producing Area : Found in most regions of the country
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Sweet in taste, neutral in nature; enters the Heart, Lung, Liver, and Kidney meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Tonifies qi and calms the mind; relieves cough and alleviates wheezing.
Indications
Restlessness, insomnia, palpitations, cough and wheezing due to lung deficiency, shortness of breath due to deficiency, and loss of appetite.
Usage and Dosage
Internal use: Decoct and take 6–12 g; or grind into powder and take 1.5–3 g orally.
Precautions
1. Avoid use in cases of excess syndrome and the early stages of exogenous pathogenic factors. 2. Reishi mushroom is a potent platelet aggregation inhibitor; therefore, use with caution in individuals with hemorrhagic diseases or a tendency to bleed. 3. Use with caution in individuals with allergic constitutions.
Chemical Constituents
It primarily contains polysaccharides (glucans A–G, Ganoderma polysaccharides), triterpenoids (ganoderic acids A, B, C, C₂, D, E, F, K, M, etc.), and alkaloids (betaine, ganoderin A, ganoderin B);steroidal compounds (ergosterol, ergosterol palmitate, ergost-4,6,8,(14)22-tetraene-3-one, etc.), nucleosides (adenosine, adenine), as well as various amino acids, peptides, and organic acids.
Pharmacological Actions
This product possesses pharmacological effects including sedation, antiepileptic action, brain tissue protection, immune enhancement, antitumor activity, liver protection, blood glucose reduction and inhibition of diabetic complications, anti-aging, lipid-lowering and anti-atherosclerotic effects, and kidney protection.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica*: “Purple Reishi has a sweet and warm nature; it treats deafness, improves joint mobility, preserves the spirit and enhances essence, strengthens tendons and bones, improves complexion, and, when taken over a long period, lightens the body, prevents aging, and prolongs life.”
2. *Compendium of Materia Medica*: “Treats consumptive diseases.”
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. To treat restlessness, insomnia, and palpitations, it may be used alone by grinding into a powder and swallowing, or combined with Angelica sinensis, Paeonia lactiflora, Ziziphus jujuba seeds, Platycladus orientalis seeds, and longan flesh.
2. To treat phlegm-fluid retention syndrome, manifested as aversion to cold, cough, copious phlegm, and shortness of breath; it is particularly effective for phlegm-dampness or deficiency-cold patterns.It may be used alone or in combination with herbs that tonify qi, consolidate the lungs, warm yang, and transform fluid retention, such as Codonopsis, Schisandra, Dried Ginger, and Pinellia.
3. To treat deficiency-related shortness of breath, loss of appetite, cold hands and feet, or restlessness and dry mouth, it is often combined with deficiency-tonifying herbs such as Cornus officinalis, Ginseng, and Rehmannia, as in the Purple Reishi Pills (from *Shengji Zonglu*).
Related Compatibility
1. Reishi Mushroom Combined with Ziziphus Seed: Reishi Mushroom tonifies qi and calms the mind; Ziziphus Seed nourishes blood and calms the mind. When used together, these two herbs tonify qi, nourish blood, and calm the mind. They are used to treat insomnia and frequent dreaming caused by deficiency of qi and blood and inadequate nourishment of the mind.
2. Reishi Mushroom Combined with Ginseng: Reishi Mushroom nourishes qi and blood; Ginseng greatly tonifies original qi. When combined, these two herbs are used to treat various conditions of deficiency-related debility.
Medicinal Identification
Reishi and Yunzhi: Both herbs have a sweet, neutral nature and enter the Heart, Liver, and Kidney meridians. However, Reishi also enters the Lung meridian, where it tonifies qi, calms the mind, and relieves cough and wheezing; it is used for restlessness, insomnia, palpitations, lung-deficiency cough and wheezing, consumptive disease with shortness of breath, and loss of appetite.Yunzhi also enters the Spleen meridian, where it strengthens the spleen, drains dampness, clears heat, and detoxifies; it is used for damp-heat jaundice, costal pain, poor appetite, and fatigue.
Related Medicines
Huoxin Pills, Yixin Ningshen Tablets.
Related Prescriptions
Zi Zhi Pills (from *Sheng Ji Zong Lu*).
Medicinal Diet Therapy
1. Reishi and Salvia Porridge
(1) Effects: Tonifies qi and blood, promotes blood circulation and unblocks meridians, nourishes blood, and calms the mind. Suitable for irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, masses and masses, stabbing pain in the chest and abdomen, restlessness and insomnia, and swollen abscesses; it is also used to treat coronary heart disease and neurasthenia. Do not consume if experiencing bleeding.
(2) Ingredients: 30 g Ganoderma lucidum, 5 g Salvia miltiorrhiza, 3 g Panax notoginseng, 50 g rice, and white sugar to taste.
(3) Preparation: First, decoct the first three ingredients, strain out the residue, and retain the clear liquid. Add the rice and simmer over low heat until it becomes a thin porridge. Stir in white sugar just before serving.
(4) Usage: Consume while warm, 1–2 times daily.
2. Reishi and White Fungus Tea
(1) Benefits: Nourishes yin and moistens the lungs; relieves cough and eliminates phlegm; calms the mind and enhances mental clarity. Used for chronic cough, severe coughing with shortness of breath, coughing up phlegm, dry mouth with insufficient saliva, or somewhat dry stools, as well as for insomnia, dizziness, dry and parched mouth, poor appetite, mental fatigue, and neurasthenia.
(2) Ingredients: 5 g Reishi mushroom, 10 g white fungus, 15 g rock sugar.
(3) Preparation: Rinse the Reishi mushroom and white fungus thoroughly with clean water; soak the white fungus until fully rehydrated. Then, chop both into small pieces, place them in a thermos, pour in an appropriate amount of boiling water, cover, and let steep overnight. The next morning, add the rock sugar and stir until dissolved.
(4) Usage: Take in divided doses in the morning, at noon, and in the evening.
3. Reishi Mushroom and Quail Egg Soup
(1) Benefits: Suitable for conditions of heart blood deficiency. Main symptoms include palpitations, insomnia, frequent dreaming, forgetfulness, a pale and lackluster complexion, emaciation, a haggard appearance, rough skin, and premature wrinkles.
(2) Ingredients: 6 g Reishi mushroom, 12 jujubes, 12 g quail eggs, and white sugar to taste.
(3) Preparation: Wash the quail eggs, place them in a pot, add an appropriate amount of water, and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove them, peel them, and set aside.Wash and chop the Ganoderma lucidum; wash the red dates and remove the pits. Place both ingredients in a clay pot, add an appropriate amount of water, and add the cooked quail eggs. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer until the Ganoderma lucidum releases its flavor. Stir in white sugar to taste, and it is ready.
(4) Usage: One dose daily; consume while warm.
Notes
Patients requiring treatment with Chinese herbal medicine should first consult a licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hospital to receive a prescription following a professional TCM differential diagnosis.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvest throughout the year; remove impurities; trim off the lower end of the stipe attached to rotten wood, mud, sand, or culture medium; and dry in the shade or in an oven at 40°C–50°C.
Processing Methods
Remove impurities, sort by size, moisten thoroughly, trim off the stipe, slice, and dry.
Storage Methods
Store in a dry place to prevent mold and insect infestation.
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Crude Drugs
1. Red Reishi: Umbrella-shaped in appearance, with a kidney-shaped, semicircular, or nearly circular cap, 10–18 cm in diameter and 1–2 cm thick. The outer skin is hard, yellowish-brown to reddish-brown, glossy, with annular ridges and radial wrinkles; the margin is thin, flat, and often slightly inrolled. The flesh is white to pale brown.The stem is cylindrical, lateral, rarely off-center, 7–15 cm long, 1–3.5 cm in diameter, reddish-brown to purplish-brown, and glossy. The spores are minute and yellowish-brown. It has a faintly fragrant aroma and a bitter, astringent taste.
2. Purple Reishi: The outer skin is purplish-black with a lacquer-like luster. The flesh is rust-brown. The stem is 17–23 cm long.
3. Cultivated Variety: The fruiting body is relatively robust and thick, with a diameter of 12–22 cm and a thickness of 1.5–4 cm. The outer skin is often covered with a large amount of dust-like, yellowish-brown spores.
Properties of Processed Slices
This product consists of irregular slices. The cross-section of the cap comprises the peridium, flesh, and numerous gills; the cross-section is off-white or pale brown.The cap is covered with a cuticle on the upper surface or on both surfaces; the cuticle on the underside often peels off. The cuticle is hard, reddish-brown, yellowish-brown, or purplish-brown, glossy, and wrinkled, and is often covered with a large amount of dust-like yellowish-brown spores. The flesh is pale brown, light brown, or rusty brown.The stem is round or irregular in shape, with a reddish-brown or purplish-black, glossy surface; the cross-section is pale brown to rusty brown, and some specimens have annular markings. It has a faintly fragrant odor and a bitter, astringent taste.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
The species Red Reishi and Purple Reishi belong to the genus Ganoderma in the family Polyporaceae.
Morphological Characteristics
1. Red Reishi: A saprophytic fungus; the fruiting body is stalked and cork-like.The cap is semicircular or kidney-shaped, 10–20 cm in diameter, with a flesh thickness of 1.5–2 cm. The cap surface is brownish-yellow or reddish-brown, with the margin gradually fading to pale yellow; it features concentric rings, is slightly wrinkled or smooth, has a glossy lacquer-like sheen, and has a slightly blunt margin. The flesh is milky white, turning pale brown near the gills.The gills are up to 1 cm long, with 4–5 gills per 1 mm. The gill mouths are nearly circular, initially white, later turning pale yellow or yellowish-brown. The stem is cylindrical, lateral or off-center, and occasionally central.It measures 10–19 cm in length and 1.5–4 cm in diameter, with a color similar to that of the cap. The hyphae in the cortical layer are club-shaped with swollen tips. The hyphal system is tritypic: reproductive hyphae are transparent and thin-walled; skeletal hyphae are yellowish-brown, thick-walled, and nearly solid; and entangling hyphae are colorless, thick-walled, curved, and evenly branched.Spores are ovoid, double-walled, with a flat-truncated apex; the outer wall is transparent, and the inner wall is pale brown with small spines; size: (9–11) μm × (6–7) μm. Basidiocarps typically mature in the fall, though in southern and southwestern China, maturation may extend into winter.
2. Purple Reishi: The cap of Purple Reishi is typically purplish-black to nearly brownish-black; the flesh is uniformly brown, dark brown, or chestnut brown; the spores have a umbilicate apex, with prominent spines protruding from the inner wall; the spores are relatively large, measuring (9.5–13.8) μm × (6.9–8.5) μm.
Distribution Area
1. Red Reishi: Distributed throughout China, with a higher concentration south of the Yangtze River. 2. Purple Reishi: An endemic species to China, distributed in the hot and rainy regions south of the Yangtze River.
Growth Habits
Ganoderma is a saprotrophic fungus; however, since it can parasitize living trees, it is also known as a facultative parasite. It grows within a temperature range of 3–40°C, with an optimal range of 26–28°C. It thrives under conditions where the substrate moisture content is close to 200%, relative humidity is 90%, and the pH is 5–6. Ganoderma is an aerobic fungus; therefore, sufficient oxygen and diffused light are required during fruiting body cultivation.