Active constituents

Ø       Sulphur compounds

Ø       Proteins/amino acids

Ø       Alkaloids

Ø       Nucleosides and Nucleotides

Ø       Polysaccharides/Beta-glucans* (long branched chains of sugars)

Ø       Terpenes and Triterpenes* (responsible for the bitter taste)

Ø       Sterols

Ø       Steroids

Ø       A glucoside

Ø       A coumarin glycoside

Ø       Volatile oil

Ø       Riboflavin

Ø       Ascorbic acid

Ø       Minerals, including Mg, Zn, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Ge

Ø       Ergosterol

Ø       Fungal lysosome

Ø       Acid protease

 Ø       The terpenes give Reishi an adaptogenic quality, providing protection from a wise range of biological, environmental, and social stresses; it is used in Western medicine to increase resistance by stimulating the immune system and also by normalizing, or modulating immune response

Ø       Reishi balances the five organs (lungs, liver, kidneys, heart, spleen), toning and sedating

Ø       Reishi has broad re-balancing effects, both strengthening, toning, and modulating key metabolic systems including: the insulin/glucose response system; the blood lipid system; the immune response system; and the stress response system

Ø       Glycans of the fruit bodies significantly reduced plasma sugar levels in hyperglycemic mice

Ø       Reishi also normalizes, or modulates blood lipids and thus it has cardiotonic activity

Ø       Reishi is also used to re-balance the stress response and is effective in treating hypertension, insomnia, and anxiety

Ø       Sterols in Reishi act as hormone pre-cursors

Immune Enhancement

Anti-viral and anti-bacterial effects:

Ø       RNA from Reishi disrupts viral diseases by inducing interferon production

Ø       Reishi inhibits diseases by helping immune cells (Natural killer cells and killer T-cells) destroy viruses

Ø       Reishi inhibits bacteria: Staphylococci, Streptococci and Bacillus pneumoniae

Ø       Polysaccharides increase RNA and DNA synthesis in the bone marrow where immune cells such as lymphocytes are made

Ø       Reishi increases the strength and the lifespan of white blood cells such as neutrophils

Ø       Reishi augments immunoglobulin G (IgG)

Ø       Reishi augments and/or modulates NK and killer T-cell activity

Immune modulation and allergy alleviation:

Ø       Reishi polysaccharides modulate T-cell activity: they expand the memory of T-cells and activate suppressor T-cells

Ø       Reishi inhibits histamine release from white blood cells

Ø       Reishi ganodermic acids, oleic acid, sulphur, and LZ-8 protein (from the mycelium and young fruitbodies) help to alleviate allergies

Ø       Resihi inhibits and/or modulates type I, II, III, and IV allergic sensitivity reactions – it is a broad spectrum anti-allergic agent

Ø       Type 1 hypersenstivity reactions (IgE-related) are those to pollens,  proteins, and insect venoms (protein allergens). Patients produce an abnormally high rate of IgE antibodies as well as releasing abnormally large amounts of histamine;  Reishi helps to modulate this process by increasing the activity of suppressor T-cells (to suppress IgE antibody production) and by inhibiting histamine release

Ø       Type II hypersensitivity is called ‘cytotoxic hypersensitivity’ and involves antibodies and cytotoxic immune cells (NK and killer T-cells) that seek out and attack viral, foreign, and tumor cells; Reishi augments and/or modulates NK and killer T-cell activity

Ø       Type III reactions are in response to an excess of antigens bound to antibodies – antigen/antibody complexes; these are common to autoimmune and chronic viral diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis in which IgM-bound antigens are deposited in soft tissues (joints) where they cause inflammation and platelet aggregation; these complexes are normally destroyed by macrophages but when the load is excessive NK cells and killer T-cells are called in to help. Type III sensitivities also include farmers’ lung, library lung, and mushroom workers’ lung (from fungal spores), as well as glomerulonephritis and vascular inflammation

Ø       Type IV reactions are delayed reactions characterized by contact dermatitis such as poison ivy; these involve the activation of cytotoxic T cells (NK and natural killer cells) by antigens; these are associated with autoimmune conditions such as ulcerative colitis, diabetes mellitus, and myasthenia gravis

Ø       Evidence suggests that Reishi helps to alleviate food sensitivities by balancing both IgA and IgG antibodies

Ø       Reishi inhibits Candida albicans

Ø       Reishi provided relief to 60-90% of chronic bronchitis sufferers and older patients experienced greater relief

 Anti-cancer:

Ø       Reishi is officially listed as a substance for treating cancer by the Japanese Government; long-term treatment of cancer with Reishi has success. 

Ø       Vitamin C appears to increase the absorbability of Reishi polysaccharides, improving treatment of cancer and other types of diseases

Ø       Reishi ‘wakes up’ the immune system early to fight cancer, helping to prevent it

    Ø       Reishi polysaccharides stimulate macrophages to produced more tumor-necrosis factor and a number of interleukins

Ø       50% of the cancerous tumors in mice completely regressed 10 days after injection of Reishi; even in small doses, a polysaccharide from Reishi inhibited 100% of tumors in mice

Ø       Reishi reduces blood fat levels, including triglycerides and “bad” cholesterol (LDL cholesterol); triterpene derivatives of ganoderic acid are responsible for inhibiting cholesterol biosynthesis

Ø       Reishi improved 81.77% of heart disease patients in 9 Chinese hospitals

Ø       Reishi helps to lower blood pressure – significant reduction in blood pressure was noted in humans after taking Reishi tablets for 10 days; triterpenes (Ganoderic acids) seem to be responsible for this effect; effect is attributable to ACE inhibition, an activity common to some pharmaceutical drugs [ACE = angiotensin converting enzyme]

Ø       Adenosine inhibits platelet aggregation

Ø       Reishi is a powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory agent; it is a potent scavenger of free radicals. It is suggested that Reishi’s anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects may be derived by potentiating the activity of the body’s own anti-oxidant enzymes, especially super oxide dismutase

Ø       Reishi protects against cobalt X-ray radiation – it has a ‘radioprotective’ effect similar to that of L-cysteine, a naturally occuring amino acid that is an especially active scavenger of free radicals

Ø       Reishi improves the function of red blood cells in transferring oxygen; Reishi acts as an altitude adaptogen, alleviating symptoms of altitude sickness

Ø       Reishi, prepared as an alcohol extraction, aids against liver necrosis and hepatitis; Reishi helps to regenerate the liver; it decreases damage to liver cells caused by viral antigen-antibody complexes

Analgesic

Ø       Reishi contributes to pain relief and to muscle relaxation

Ø       Reishi has a calming, sedating effect on the nervous system; it helps to relieve insomnia, anxiety and restlessness

 Dosages and Preparations

Ø       Fruiting bodies (mushrooms) and mycelial, or culture products, are both effective

Ø       Potency can vary depending on environmental conditions and the substrate on which it is grown

Ø       For moving qi and thus, for detoxification, use a treatment of: Reishi; then detox herbs; then tonic herbs; then symptomatic treatment; then Reishi again; in a cyclic manner

Ø       Reishi is often used in combination with other herbs such as Astragalus and with anti-oxidant vitamins

Ø       Reishi is prepared from mature polypores, young fruiting bodies, and from mycelium

Ø       Reishi is prepared as a water extract and as an alcohol/solvent extract (the latter for hepatic treatment)