# Reishi (Ganoderma lingzhi)

**Ganoderma lingzhi*; Chinese *lingzhi**

**Known today as.** A lacquered, red-brown bracket of hardwoods.

Kind: Fungus

## What was it used for?

Taken in China for strength and long life for two thousand years.

## What does modern science say?

Its polysaccharides and triterpenes affect the immune system in the laboratory; human evidence is thin, and rare cases of liver injury are reported. Cultivation on logs and sawdust began in Japan in the 1970s and made the once-rare fungus a commodity. A Cochrane review of 2016 found no good evidence that it helps cancer patients, though its polysaccharides stir the immune system in the dish; a few cases of liver injury and of platelet trouble are recorded, so it should not be taken before surgery.

## Pharmacognosy and toxicology

- **ganoderic acid A**: a triterpene
- **beta-glucan**: a polysaccharide

**Mechanism.** The -glucans stimulate immune cells in the dish; the triterpenes are bitter and cytotoxic.

**Dose.** Rare liver injury and bleeding reported.

**Standing.** No approved use; a Cochrane review finds no good evidence in cancer.

## What lore surrounds it?

The *Divine Farmer’s Classic of Materia Medica*, compiled in the Han dynasty, ranks it among the superior drugs that nourish life. It became a symbol of immortality in Chinese art.

The *ruyi* sceptre of the Chinese court, the sign of “as you wish,” is carved in the lobed shape of the lingzhi, and the fungus appears in the hands of the goddess Guanyin and in the carvings of the Forbidden City. Wild, it was rare enough to be sent to emperors as a portent.

## What did the older authorities say?

**Ge Hong.** In the *Baopuzi* of the fourth century the Taoist alchemist lists the *zhi* fungi among the means to immortality, and Taoist retreats were called the abodes of the mushrooms.

**Li Shizhen.** In the *Bencao gangmu* (completed 1578) describes six coloured *zhi*, each for an organ, and says the red strengthens the heart and the memory.

## Sources

- *Shennong bencao jing* (Han dynasty).
- Ge Hong, *Baopuzi*.
- Jin, X., et al. (2016). “*Ganoderma lucidum* (reishi mushroom) for the treatment of cancer.” *Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews*.
- Jin, X., et al. (2016). *Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews*.

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*Reishi.* In *Materia Medica*, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1, revised 2026-10-01. The Thinking Press. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/reishi

Historical description, not medical advice.