The Benefits of The Reishi Mushroom
As featured in the best selling book:
'Prescriptions for Dietary Wellness' by Phyllis A. Balch
The following excerpt on Reishi Mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum) is found in Chatper 21- "Immortal Mushrooms"
This fungus is a hard, woodlike mushroom that contains more than 90 percent indigestible fiber. Reishi (RAY-she) is also called varnished conk, phantom mushroom, and ten-thousand-year mushroom. In China it is called ling zhi, which means "spirit plant".
Reishi usually grows on oak trees and Japanese plum trees. Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) contains carbohydrates, fiber, amino acids, protein, steroids, triterpense, lipids, alkaloids, polysaccharides, glucoside, volatile oil, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), and ascorbic acid. It also contains the minerals; calcium, zinc, magnesium, copper, and germanium.
Additionally, reishi contains ganoderic acid, which is a free-radical scavenger, giving reishi antioxidant powers. The polysaccharides in reishi mushrooms appear to activate a type of white blood cell known as a macrophage. These cells filter the blood, destroying cancer cells, viruses, bacteria, and other large particulate material. Macrophages also signal other white blood cells to seek out and destroy tumor cells.
Reishi is the most commonly used medicinal mushroom because of its proven health benefits. Clinical studies on humans for more than twenty years have shown that reishi reduces the side effects from radiation and chemotherapy, boosts overall health, promotes longevity, speeds recovery from illness, detoxifies and regenerates the liver, improves circulation and stamina, increases blood flow, reduces platelet aggregation, enhances the immune system, and reduces inflammation in the joints.
Reishi is now used to treat an assortment of disorders, including cancer, myasthenia gravis, migraines, Candida infections, Epstein-Barr virus, anxiety, depression, insomnia, chronic fatigue syndrome, hepatitis, neuralgia, rheumatism, duodenal ulcers, heart disease, high blood pressure, bronchitis, neurasthenia, dizziness, insomnia, rhinitis, retinal pigmentary degeneration, muscular dystrophy, osteogenic, hyperplasia, Alzheimers disease, high cholesterol, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, high-altitude sickness, and symptoms associated with anorexia.
Reishi's ability to block the release of histamines makes it a useful treatment for bronchial asthma and other allergic diseases. In the majority of the clinical studies, reishi was taken along with vitamin C to increase the absorption of the mushroom's polysaccharides.
Ganoderma's ability to help the body function more effectively and efficiently has been documented in hundreds of clinical studies.
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