A Comprehensive Look at Red Reishi Mushroom
Red Reishi Mushroom For Immunity, Anti-Aging, And More
Traditionally known as “The Mushroom of Immortality”, red reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) has got to be one of our favourite natural remedies. With a lovely savory taste and a wide range of health benefits, we sure aren’t alone in this. But what is red reishi, and what makes it one of the most well-loved natural medicines in the world?
What Is Red Reishi Mushroom?
Red reishi is a type of bracket fungus. It grows on stumps or bases of deciduous trees, but you can grow it on hardwood logs, woodchips, or even sawdust. Red reishi has a glossy, reddish-brown color and a kidney-shaped appearance that fans out from its stem. The kidney-like shape may either be an interesting coincidence or have inspired the medical use of red reishi, because the kidneys are linked to longevity in Chinese medicine.
What Are The Traditional Uses Of Reishi Mushroom?
Reishi mushroom is one of the first confirmed medicines in world history. The earliest evidence of reishi being used dates back to around 4,800 BC, from the Tianluoshan site in Zhejiang Province, China. This was over 1,000 years before recorded history began in any part of the world, when China was still in the Stone Age.
The first written recorded use of reishi is much more recent, from a little over 2,000 years ago. Shennong’s Herbal Classic, written somewhere between 200BC and 200AD, describes it as prolonging life, improving memory, and supporting nutrient availability to the body. This pattern of reishi being used as a remedy for overall anti-aging and pro-vitality effects is repeated in multiple ethnic minority cultures found within China’s borders. For example, the Tibetan, Hani, and Chaoxian cultures all list high blood pressure, neurasthenia (a condition similar to chronic fatigue), and chronic bronchitis as indications for reishi. Other more specific uses of reishi and related species include strengthening the muscles, bones, and joints, as well as relieving anxiety.
What Is The Modern Scientific Evidence For Reishi Mushroom?
Modern research shows that these traditional uses by ancient people were often based on well-rounded knowledge of how medicines effected the body. Clinical studies demonstrate a range of powerful benefits of reishi, while lab research explains just how reishi has been addressing fatigue- and age-related illnesses all this time.
What Are The Antioxidant Properties Of Reishi Mushroom?
Your antioxidant status influences your overall health and tissue integrity. Chronic oxidative stress, on the other hand, contributes to DNA damage and mitochondrial impairment. Your mitochondria produce around 90% of your cellular energy, so their health is essential to your longevity and quality of life.
Oxidative stress worsens with biological aging and is a cause of aging and related diseases. One such disease caused by oxidative stress is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a metabolic disorder that can lead to more age-related illness such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease. A study involving people with mild NAFLD compared reishi extract to placebo, to see if it could slow or reverse the condition. They found a significant reduction in liver enzymes, a measure of damage to the organ, and improved antioxidant status over six months. One liver enzyme known as GPT fell from 22.58 to 13.08 units, while GOT fell from 20.65 to 15.50 units. Ultrasound examination also showed a resolution of liver fat accumulation and even the disappearance of a gallbladder polyp.
All of this means that reishi extract could be a helpful accompaniment to a healthy diet and lifestyle by breaking the cycle of damage. In NAFLD, oxidative stress in the fatty tissue leads to even more oxidation inside your cells. This damages the mitochondria, which suffer from impaired energy generation and eventually disrupt healthy DNA function.
As your mitochondria are passed unchanged from mother to child, they truly are a precious gift, and we need to take care of them in order to live long, healthy lives.
Does Red Reishi Mushroom Improve Immunity?
Our immune systems protect us against threats including harmful bacteria, viruses, and wayward cells. Now it’s time to return the favour, and red reishi may be just the thing you need.
Much of red reishi’s immune-boosting benefits come from its beta-glucan content. Clinical research shows that beta-glucans can provide significant protection against upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). These are more common during times of physical or psychological stress. When marathon runners took beta-glucans for one month after their event, those on the higher dose saw their risk of developing URTI symptoms cut by almost two-thirds. Around 8% of people taking either dose caught a respiratory infection, compared to 24% of the placebo group.
How does red reishi boost immunity? One reason behind these benefits may be a rise in the counts of white blood cells, the collective term for your immune cells. A clinical study on young children found that a yoghurt with added beta-glucans significantly increased numbers of various white blood cell types. Over 12 weeks, white blood cells involved in directly attacking microbes, alongside those that help to build a “memory” of each infection, rose.
Anti-Allergy Properties
On the other hand, your immune system may be overactive, including in the case of allergies. Another clinical trial testing beta-glucans on people with ragweed allergies found that they reduced total symptom severity by half, and allergy symptoms by 28%. Volunteers noticed a more positive mood and better energy levels, too. This is similar to red reishi’s traditional uses in relieving neurasthenia and anxiety, and helps demonstrate the power of holistic medicine. Instead of hammering the body’s physiological processes to manage symptoms, red reishi supports healthy function by working with you.
Does Red Reishi Work For Viruses?
Viral infections can be more difficult for the body to resolve than bacteria, especially when the virus in question can “hide” inside your cells or tissues. The herpes family is notorious for this, including herpes virus-1, the type responsible for cold sores.
If you’ve ever had cold sores, you’re familiar with the lifelong cat-and-mouse game where the virus flares up during times of stress (or seemingly at random) and dies down after a week or two. Thankfully, red reishi could significantly speed up recovery time, so you can get back to your old self sooner. A trial involving 28 adults found that a herbal formula featuring reishi powder cut recovery time in cases of herpes genitalis to just five days, compared to 11 days in the placebo group. People with herpes labialis (cold sores) recovered in four days, instead of eight.
Chickenpox is another member of the herpes family. It lies dormant in the body after the initial infection and can resurface as shingles later. Without treatment, shingles can last for several weeks and even cause a lingering nerve pain known as post-herpetic neuralgia. Fortunately, a hot water extract of reishi mushroom started to relieve shingles pain in several days, and there was almost complete pain relief in 10 days. No volunteer studied developed post-herpetic neuralgia, either.
If you think shingles is bad, Epstein-Barr virus is even worse. Not only does it cause the infamous glandular fever, also known as the “kissing disease” or mono, but it remains dormant inside your body and can cause cancer or autoimmunity if you’re genetically vulnerable. Thankfully, lab studies show that reishi extracts may have antiviral effects against Epstein-Barr virus when combined with quercetin.
Does Red Reishi Help Relieve Fibromyalgia Symptoms?
Fibromyalgia is one of the most infamous chronic illnesses in today’s world, characterized by chronic pain and fatigue. We now know that there is a deep, inflammatory origin behind these disabling symptoms, and remedies such as red reishi could provide at least some relief. A clinical study on reishi found that it significantly reduced many fibromyalgia symptoms, and women taking it saw improved speed, agility, strength, and balance when performing physical fitness tests. The other antioxidant-rich natural remedy being tested, Ceratonia siliqua, was not effective.
Does Red Reishi Improve Cardiovascular Health?
Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in today’s world. Despite lower smoking rates and greater awareness of why a healthy diet and physical activity are essential, millions are still affected by heart attack, stroke, and issues such as high blood pressure and angina.
One clinical trial tested the benefits of reishi in 26 people at a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Reishi extract, but not the placebo, led to a rise in “good” HDL cholesterol and a fall in total triglycerides. All volunteers also had diabetes, and found that taking reishi improved their response to insulin.
Another study involved volunteers with angina, a cardiovascular condition where a restricted blood supply to the heart causes episodes of chest pain. Here, the researchers tested reishi’s ability to prevent blood vessel damage, measured by counts of circulating vessel wall cells. Treatment with reishi had a dramatic effect on the number of free-floating blood vessel cells. While their average counts were 7.91 before treatment, this figure fell to 1.76 by the end of the study period, an over 75% improvement. These benefits may be thanks to reishi’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties protecting the blood vessel lining.
Does Red Reishi Help Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH)?
Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is a common condition among middle-aged and older men. Both BPH and prostate cancer are driven by DHT, a super-charged version of testosterone. Over time, increasing levels of DHT or its cumulative effects lead to a gradual increase in prostate size. BPH isn’t dangerous, but it does cause more frequent or difficult urination and can be embarrassing.
Reishi extract may be a gentler way to reduce DHT levels without the side effects of conventional treatment. A study on men with an average age of 64 found that reishi reduced prostate symptom scores from 9.6 to 7.5 in 12 weeks, including a decrease in residual urine volume. There were no significant differences in side effects among the reishi group compared to the placebo.
Does Red Reishi Have Potential Anti-Cancer Effects?
Although mostly confined to the lab, some research suggests anti-cancer properties of reishi. Multiple test tube studies show that reishi may destroy, or at least reduce growth in, a range of cancer cell types. On the other hand, some components of reishi work in animal models of cancer but aren’t effective on cell lines. This is because of their immune-boosting properties, which increase the power of your white blood cells and protect them from exhaustion.
Clinical trials are necessary before reishi can be prescribed as an adjunctive treatment in cancer. We think its time has come, however, because therapies based on the very immune cells that reishi supports are growing in number and efficacy. So far, the closest study we could find on reishi in cancer treatment was a trial adding beta-glucans to antibody therapy, which appears to boost the immune response.
As for prevention, a study on overall mushroom intake found a 34% lower risk of developing any cancer in people who ate them frequently. A further analysis of the same study showed that eating an average of 18 grams of mushrooms every day reduced the risk of all cancers by 45%. Risotto, pasta, and omelettes are some tasty and convenient ways to get your “dose” of mushrooms.
Where Can I Buy Organic Red Reishi?
At Zhi Herbals, you can find red reishi on its own or as part of our 14-Mushroom Blend. Even better, our steam activated selection of medicinal mushrooms offers enhanced bioavailability and easier preparation than traditional dried mushrooms. Steam activated mushrooms contain high levels of many antioxidants, and the volatile and heat-sensitive components are preserved for you to enjoy.
Red Reishi for Health
Overall, red reishi is truly amazing, thanks to its benefits that include a stronger, more balanced immune system; cardiovascular protection; and antioxidant properties which guard our mitochondria.
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