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Ganoderma & Stress

Nov 23, 2011 | By Linda Tarr Kent

Ganoderma lucidum, also known as the reishi mushroom or ling zhi, is called the “mushroom of immortality” in China. It is purported to help your body cope with both physical and mental stress. This herb can have side effects and interact with other herbs, as well as medicines like the blood thinner warfarin and cholesterol drugs, however, so you need to consult a doctor before using it.

Identification

Ganoderma is known as an adaptogen, which the University of Maryland Medical Center defines as a substance that helps your body better cope with stress, whether it be physical or mental. A better known adaptogen, for example, is ginseng, which people take to ward off and recover from colds and flu and to improve mental and physical performance.

Function

Ganoderma relieves fatigue and enhances your immunity, which in turn combats physical stress, in several ways, according to “Herbal Remedies,” by Asa Hershoff and Andrea Rotelli. It increases your T cells and boosts interleukin 2 production, both important factors in immune response. The polysaccharides in ganoderma are at least partially responsible for the T cell and interleukin 2 production, notes L.S. Lei, lead author for a 1995 study published in "Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica." Along with its beta-glucan polysaccharides, ganoderma contains substances called triterpenes that are active components in the mushroom, according to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York

Significance

Ganoderma’s immune stimulating effects may make it useful for treating patients who suffer the physical stress of AIDS or cancer, according to MSKCC. It may even be useful during the advanced stages of cancer, according to Y. Gao, lead author for a clinical study on the herb that was published in 2003 in "Immunological Investigations." In his study, most of the subjects who took the herb for 12 weeks showed an enhanced immune response, Gao reports.

Benefits

Ganoderma may help alleviate physical stress in your body due to its antioxidant properties. Antioxidants help protect your cells against free radical damage. A study published in 1995 in the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology" found that ganoderma helps protect the body against free radical damage as well as liver damage. Of the three types of ganoderma studied—Ganoderma lucidum, Ganoderma formosanum and Ganoderma neo-japonicum—Ganoderma formosanum was the most effective, according to lead study author J.M. Lin. Ganoderma also can protect against the stress of radiation damage, note Hershoff and Rotelli.

Features

As for mental stress, ganoderma can improve symptoms of anxiety, insomnia and depression, according to Hershoff and Rotelli. A study published in 2005 in the "Journal of Medicinal Food" found that it is effective in improving symptoms of neurasthaenia, a condition characterized by nervous exhaustion. The study found that ganoderma significantly improved the study subjects’ sense of well being and also reduced fatigue, says lead author W. Tang.

Expert Insight

A study published in 2009 in "Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine" concluded that ganoderma protects your brain against neuron degeneration by reducing inflammatory damage. Increasing evidence is linking chronic inflammation to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, notes lead study author Ruiping Zhang. People who suffer Parkinson’s often have non-motor symptoms, including depression, anxiety and dementia. Ganoderma’s anti-inflammatory action may someday make it a good alternative to drugs used to treat such conditions because the drugs can have debilitating side effects, Zhang says.

References

Article reviewed by MER Last updated on: Nov 23, 2011

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