Blood pressure readings measure the pressure of the blood in your arteries. According to the British Heart Foundation, it should measure less than 140/85mmHg. If it is higher, you have an increased risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. Fortunately, it is possible to lower high blood pressure, often by taking simple steps such as reducing your alcohol and salt intake and losing any excess weight. However, your doctor might also prescribe drugs known as anti-hypertensives. Reishi mushroom might also help lower high blood pressure although evidence to prove this is limited. Don't use reishi mushroom in place of lifestyle changes or prescribed medicines and talk to your doctor before using it.
Properties and Potential Benefits
Also known as Ganoderma lucidum, reishi mushroom is used in traditional Asian medicine to treat a broad spectrum of ailments including high cholesterol. HIV, inflammation, viral infections and cancer. The University of Maryland Medical Center adds that it might help lower blood pressure, but adds that evidence to show it is an effective treatment is weak. Reishi mushroom's therapeutic effects are potentially conferred by beta-glucan polysaccharides and triterpenes, compounds found in the stem and cap of the mushroom.
Dosage
Reishi mushroom can be eaten raw, but reishi mushroom extract is also available in tablets and tinctures. The University of Maryland Medical Center states that 150 mg to 300 mg is sometimes taken two to three times daily to help lower blood pressure. If you prefer to use a liquid tincture, 30 to 60 drops, two or three times daily may be used. Keep in mind that these dosages are only intended as a general guideline.
Effectiveness
Clinical evidence showing that reishi mushroom can lower high blood pressure is limited, therefore it is not possible to say whether this herb is of any benefit to hypertension patients. However, the results of an animal-based study, published in the "Chinese Journal of Traditional and Western Medicine" in March 2009, show that it helped to reduce blood pressure in hypertensive rats. Studies are needed to confirm this effect in humans.
Safety Considerations
Mississippi Baptist Health Systems states that since reishi mushroom is consumed as a food in Asia, it is regarded as safe. However, it adds that it might interfere with the blood's ability to clot and therefore should not be used alongside anticoagulants like aspirin, heparin and warfarin. Don't use it if you have kidney or liver disease. Also avoid it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
References
- British Heart Foundation: Blood Pressure
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Hypertension
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Reishi Mushroom
- Mississippi Baptist Health Systems: Reishi Mushroom
- "Chinese Journal of Traditional and Western Medicine"; Effects of Gadol and Ganoderma Spores on the Adiponectin Signal Pathway in Hypertrophic Myocardium of Spontaneous Hypertensive Rats; Z.G. Zhang, et al.; March 2009
