Ganoderma lucidum is more commonly known as the reishi mushroom. Its polysaccharides may have anticancer and immune stimulating effects. This mushroom also may protect your liver, benefit your cardiovascular system and have antiviral action, according to Drugs.com. The mushroom, which grows in China, sometimes is called ling zhi, ling chih, mannentake or the spirit plant. Although some study results look promising, you should consult a health care provider before using this mushroom medicinally.
Immune Boosting Effect
A polysaccharide extract from Ganoderma lucidum has potent anti-tumor activity and stimulates the immune response in people who have cancer, even those in advanced stages, reports Y. Gao in a 2003 study published in the journal Immunological Investigations. Researchers also theorize reishi extracts may reverse the immunosuppressive effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, according to Drugs.com. Scientists continue to study the extract in hopes of confirming early study results, and to determine potential toxicity, advise Simerpal K. Gill and Michael J. Reider in a 2008 Canadian Journal of Clinical Pharmacology article. Due to its immune stimulating effects, reishi also is being investigated for use among HIV/AIDS patients, according to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Urinary Tract Symptoms
Ganoderma lucidum may help you improve symptoms of lower urinary tract problems, according to a 2008 study published in the Asian Journal of Andrology. Men who took the mushroom for eight weeks during a double-blind study had better improvement in Internal Prostate System Scores than those who received a placebo, with no severe side effects observed, according to lead study author M. Noguchi. Such results merit a larger-scale study that has a longer duration, according to Noguchi.
Cardiovascular Use
Utilizing this mushroom may help your cardiovascular system and reduce high blood pressure, according to Drugs.com. Blood pressure decreases are attributed to the mushroom's ganoderic acids. In animal and laboratory studies, the mushroom appears to inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis; decreases platelet aggregation, similar to the way aspirin would work; and reduces lipid peroxidation. Lipid peroxidation is a mechanism of cellular injury, according to Oxford Biomedical Research.
References
- PubMed.gov: "Immunological Investigations;" Effects of ganopoly (a Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide extract) on the immune functions in advanced-stage cancer patients; 2003
- "Canadian Journal of Clinical Pharmacology:" Toxicity of a Traditional Chinese Medicine; Simerpal K. Gill and Michael J. Reider; 2008
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Reishi Mushroom
- PubMed.gov: "Asian Journal of Andrology;" Randomized clinical trial of an ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum in men with lower urinary tract symptoms; September 2008
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