Ganoderma Lucidum

Commonly referred to as Reishi, Ganoderma Lucidum is a bitter, hard mushroom that is used to enhance longevity and better health in the traditional Chinese medicine. It is only used as a medicinal mushroom and not in cooking. Medicinal users claim that ganoderma can heal and fight allergies, liver diseases, lung problems, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and other illnesses.

Ganoderma is used among those patients who are under taking radiotherapy and chemotherapy so as to reduce pain However taking ganoderma may have both an advantage and a disadvantage. 

   

Benefits and the risks of Ganoderma 

Immunity. Ganoderma is prescribed by medical practitioners as it is sought to enhance the immune system support.

Cardiovascular . Ganoderma is said to inhibit the platelets aggregation and reduce the blood pressure  and Ganoderma has bloodsugar lowering effect and this is due to the polysaccharides referred to as the Ganoderma A, B, C. Ganoderma has the capability to enhance plasma insulin levels, increase the glucose liver metabolism, and enhance peripheral tissue and its utilization of glucose.

Antiinflammatory. Hot water extracts from Ganoderma have an antiinflammatory effect.

Liver. Ganoderma is used due to its liver protection ability, that is, hepatoprotective.

Oxygenation. Another unique advantage of ganoderma is its usefulness in altitude sickness. Ganoderma reduces illness casued

by altitude through oxygenating blood.

Disadvantages 

Familiar side effects to those hypersensitive individuals include an itchy, red kin rash. Also dry mouth, throat dryness or even nose bleed  after ingestion of ganoderma.

In cases where an individual is taking medication while at the same time is ingesting ganoderma lucidum, then the ganoderma can interfere with the medication and its effects. For instance taking ganoderma while on diabetes medication may result to a decline in blood pressure.

Ganoderma causes blood thinning, which however may be healthy for those individuals with high blood pressure but not the rest. Longterm use of ganoderma may also lead to gastric bleeding which is a very serious side effect. For small doses, an individual may experience bloody stool or diarrhea. Also it is important to note that those individuals taking aspirin should avoid doses of ganoderma as it may lead to low blood pressure.

Other side effects of reishi mushroom include: vomiting, nausea, Acne, gastrointestinal upsets among others.

Description

Ecology: 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; annual; widely distributed east of the Rocky

Mountains, and occasionally recorded in the western states.

Cap: 230 cm; at first irregularly knobby or elongated, but by

maturity more or less fanshaped; with a shiny, varnished surface

often roughly arranged into lumpy "zones"; red to reddish brown

when mature; when young often with zones of bright yellow and

white toward the margin.

Pore Surface: Whitish, becoming dingy brownish in age; usually

bruising brown; with 47 tiny (nearly invisible to the naked eye)

circular pores per mm; tubes to 2 cm deep.

Stem: Sometimes absentbut more commonly present; 314

cm long; up to 3 cm thick; twisted; equal or irregular; varnished and colored like the cap; often distinctively angled away from one

side of the cap.

Flesh: Brownish; fairly soft when young, but soon tough.

Spore Print: Brown.

Microscopic Features: Spores 912 x 5.58 μ; more or less

elliptical, sometimes with a truncated end; appearing smooth at

lower magnifications; under oil immersion appearing doublewalled, with a row of "pillars" between the walls. 

   

Other Ganodermas

Ganoderma tsugae is found on conifer wood especially

on hemlockand has paler flesh; otherwise it is virtually

indistinguishable from Ganodermalucidum.

  

Ganoderma oregonense is a conifer lover of the Pacific Northwest and New Mexico; it has larger spores (1016 x 7.59 μ) and a much larger fruiting body (up to one meter across!). 

   

Ganoderma curtisii, known from Massachusetts to Nebraska, grows on hardwoods and has a cap that is described as "entirely ochraceous when young, or partly ochraceous and partly dull red in mature plants"