Reishi Mushrooms 40 g, 20 g

Reishi Mushrooms – 40 g ($14.99), 20 g ($9.99)

Benefits:
Reishi has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for at least 2,000 years and is regarded as the “elixir of life.” It still ranks as one of the premier Chinese tonics and has been reported to boost energy, help the body resist disease and stress, and promote longevity.

Contemporary Western herbalists regard reishi as an adaptogen and recommend it as an immune stimulant that activates several different phases of immune defence. It is used to treat allergies and altitude sickness, and it is effective against leukemia cells in cell line studies. It has also shown an ability to fight age-related symptoms such as memory problems.

Alcoholism and cirrhosis of the liver Reishi, when fed to rats, helps protect liver cells from damage induced by carbon tetrachloride poisoning. It may be beneficial for people in earlier stages of alcoholic liver disease who have not yet experienced severe loss of liver function.

Bronchitis Reishi stimulates the maturation of immune cells known as macrophages, which engulf and digest infectious bacteria. This may prevent secondary infections from developing into cases of chronic bronchitis.

Cancer Reishi may be a useful agent to fight cancer. The most important components of reishi are its triterpenes and polysaccharides, which inhibit tumor invasion by limiting metastases. Reishi can increase plasma antioxidant capacity and enhance immune response in advanced-stage cancer patients. In one study, patients with advanced cancer in different tissues who took 1,800 milligrams of oral Ganopoly (an extract of reishi) three times a day experienced an increase in T cells and of natural killer (NK) cells. Reishi may counteract the suppression of red and white blood cells that can result from cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar) treatment by stimulating the creation of protein in the bone marrow. However, more work is needed to determine whether reishi should be used for patients with cancer.

High blood pressure There is evidence that reishi can lower both blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels. Scientists at Oklahoma’s Oral Roberts University found that compounds in reishi reduce the flow of nerve impulses through the sympathetic nervous system, the portion of the nervous system activated by emotional stress. Russian scientists screening mushrooms as potential cholesterol-lowering drugs have found that reishi extracts stop the accumulation of cholesterol in the arteries of laboratory animals. Two controlled clinical studies have investigated the effects of reishi on high blood pressure in humans. Both found it could lower pressure significantly as compared with a placebo. The subjects with high blood pressure in the second study had not previously responded to medications.

Stress Eastern physicians have recognized for centuries that reishi can reduce emotional outbursts during long-term stress. Exactly how reishi does this has not been studied, but it is likely due to the herb’s effects on the central nervous system. Additionally, doctors at the Hijitaki Clinic in Tokyo have found that reishi helped to decrease physical pain dramatically in two people with neuralgia and two other people with shingles (herpes zoster).

Recommended Use
Reishi is probably the most widely available medicinal mushroom in the world. It is available not only as a foodstuff, but also in teas, syrups, tablets, and tinctures. Do not use raw pulverized reishi. It is best to boil the mushrooms to kill any bacteria that may have been growing on them while they were being cultivated.

Although side effects of reishi are extremely rare, they are not unknown. High doses are potentially toxic. Three to six months of continuous use may result in dryness of the mouth, throat, and nasal passages; chronic itch; stomach upset; or nosebleed. These complications occur so seldom that their exact causes are not known, but they may be manifestations of an allergy to the mushroom.

Reishi should be avoided by people who have known allergies to other mushrooms or molds. It should not be used continuously for more than three months at a time. If you take reishi on an ongoing basis, you should take a one-month break every three months, and then resume. If you are taking blood-thinning medications such as heparin or warfarin (Coumadin), you should use reishi only under a doctor’s supervision. Do not use reishi with immunosuppressant drugs, antihypertensives, or chemotherapy.

Botanical Name: Ganoderma lucidum
English: Reishi
Also, known as: Lingzi, Ling Zhi, Ling Chi
Habitat: Asia
Origin: China
Harvested: Wild or cultivated
Parts Used: Fungus

General Information:
Ganoderma lucidum, commonly known as the Lingzi mushroom, is frequently used as a medicinal mushroom in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years, making it one of the oldest mushrooms known to have been used medicinally. Its popularity extends to Japanese and Korean medicine, and it has been making Ganoderma is a member of the Polypores, a group of fungi characterized by the presence of pores, instead of gills on way west. the underside of the fruiting body. G. lucidum, considered by many mycophiles to be one of the most beautiful shelf fungi, it is distinguished by its varnished, red surface. When it is young it also has white and yellow shades on the varnished surface. Parasitic on living hardwoods (especially oaks) and saprobic on the deadwood of hardwoods; causing a white butt and root rot; growing alone or gregariously, usually near the base of the tree.

How to use:
We make these suggestions to help you get the best benefit from the herbs that you’re choosing to improve your health. Also we make these ideas and recommendations so that consuming them easier and better fit into your lifestyle by adding them to the food that you already eat.
For the full health benefit, it is best to consume (or use the whole herb in poultices) the whole herb. All of the compounds in the herb act best together, as nature intends. Extracts draw out the most prominent beneficial compounds and may concentrate them. What is not extracted can be helpful in ways that we do not yet understand.

Cut Pieces or Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use cut pieces or powdered herb.
Food Preparation: You can add powdered or pieces of herb (if the pieces you buy are bigger than you like, a coffee or herb grinder will quickly reduce) to any yogurt, smoothie, apple or other sauces, spreads, salads or other foods more familiar to you that don’t use heat. Heat can be damaging to the beneficial compounds in the herb. Other options like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, soup, cookies and anything else that fits your lifestyle, but minimizing (by adding near the end of cooking) the heat is helpful.
Also, for children, you can mix powdered herb with honey or glycerin to make paste. The thicker the paste, the more potent and herbal in taste. The sweet taste of honey and glycerin will help medicine go down. The resulting liquid is called an electuary.
For seeds in general, but especially small seeds, it’s best to grind these to break the protective hulls a short time before consumption. This makes all the benefits available, rather than some remaining locked inside the hulls that are unbroken by insufficient chewing.
To make adding herbs even easier, you could add a week’s worth of your chosen herb(s) to an amount of, for example, yogurt that you would eat in a week. Mix thoroughly and eat this each day of the week. So you make once /week and just eat each other day.
Hot Infusion: The basic method for dried herbs and flower is, take 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb in a cup or teapot. Pour hot water over it and cover it with lid for 10-30 minutes. The heat from making tea can degrade some of the beneficial compounds in the herb. This method minimizes this effect. For the full health benefit, it is recommended to consume what is left over after making tea.
Decoctions: Decoctions are suitable for roots, barks, large seeds & berries, and other dense material. The simple way to make decoction is, in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of water, Bring the water to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes with the pot covered. Squeeze out as much as liquid as possible. Best practice is to drink the liquid and also consume the solid material that remains. Herb pieces can also be used.
Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use powdered herb.
Capsules: HerbsCrafters makes capsules guaranteed to be filled with the pure herb with no filler or any other products. You can also use powdered herb to make your own capsules at home. These capsules are best taken with liquid to aid in digestion and absorption and to ensure it doesn’t stick in your throat.
Poultice: Poultice can be made with an herbal powder and liquid (mostly water) to form a paste which is then applied to the skin. This method is very helpful for skin conditions.
Herbal shot: Powdered herb can be mixed with water, fruit juice or other liquid to make herbal shot.

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder or licorice root powder.

Precautions:
You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
All information on this website is for educational purpose ONLY.
This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.