Lingzhi

Origin:
The whole plant of Ganoderma lucidum (Leyss. ex. Fr.) Karst., or Ganoderma japonicum (Fr.) Lloyd, of the family Ganodermataceae. Synonyms Polyporus lucidum Leyss. Fr., or Ganoderma lucidum (Curt. Fr.) P. Karst. Native to north Asia, lingzhi grows in densely wooded mountains of high humidity and dim lighting in China and Japan. It is rarely found since it flourishes mainly on the dried trunks of dead maples and other decaying hardwoods, rather than on conifers. Out of 10,000 such aged trees on the whole hill, perhaps 2 or 3 will have lingzhi growth, therefore it is very scarce indeed. Lingzhi is now widely cultivated for medicinal purposes, though wild specimens are preferred.

Lingzhi is a hard, polypore and mildly bitter mushroom. Polypores are conspicuous mushrooms that grow off the sides of trees. The actual mushroom organism, or mycelium, is a network of the threadlike filaments that originates from spores. The mycelium spreads throughout the nutrient base or substrate, amassing nutrients as it grows. They live in soil, logs and other organic trash. As long as nutrients are available, the mycelium can be considered perennial and will live for many years. At least once a year, mushrooms emerge from the mycelial network. As the reproductive organ of the fungus, mushrooms are the means by which spores are created and spread.

Unlike green plants, which produce many of their own nutrients by photosynthesis, mushrooms primarily get their nutrients from dead organic matter or soil. Mushrooms and their mycelium are nature's original recyclers. Without them, the planet surface would be piled high with dead, decaying material.

Mushrooms rise out of the mycelium when the right nutrients are amassed and the right environmental conditions are present. Mushrooms release spores at maturity. The wind spreads them and when they land on the right spot, the cycle starts over again.

Production of lingzhi in Japan in 1988 is estimated to be about 250 tons as dry basis. Commercial cultivation has also prospered in China, Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and North America. In China, a total output of lingzhi harvest reaches up to 3,000 tons. They are mainly planted in about 10 regions. Ganoderma lucidum are produced mainly in places such as Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Taiwan; while Ganoderma japonicum are cultivated in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, Fujian and Guangdong. Lingzhi can be planted in logs or vinyl bags. The vinyl bags method is preferred in regions producing large volumes (over 1,000 tons annually); logs method can be found in Changchun and Chengdu. These two cities have set up cooperative programs with Japan for cultivating lingzhi. In addition, attempts are being made to obtain useful mycelial content or to produce effective substances into a medium by means of solid or liquid culture of the mycelia. Most of medicinal ingredients of lingzhi are contained in its pileus (hymenophore).

Lingzhi can be gathered throughout the year. The good ones are those with large umbrella, rich in gloss, with a strong bitter taste. It is used after cleaning and drying.

Relatively rare and undiscovered in the West, lingzhi has been revered as tonic and remedy for thousands of years in China and Japan. Chinese emperors and Japanese royalty drank lingzhi tea for vitality and long life. As it was so rare, lingzhi was available only to emperors and royalties in ancient times.

Around 240 BC, the first emperior of China, Emperor Chin, ordered Xu Fu and a fleet of 250 yourng men and 250 young ladies to go to the East China Sea to search for the herb of immortality. It has been suggested that the very herb Xu Fu was looking for is lingzhi. Even earlier, it was reported that King Wei of Qi and King Chao of Yan once sent alchemists to the Three Mountains (the three mythical magic mountains in the East China Sea: the Abbot, the Penglai, and the Yingzhou) to seek the herb of immortality, that "is unque with a scent which smell is indistinguishable." This herb is of the family Ganodermataceae, red and purple in color, with a glossy shell skin--lingzhi!

The term "lingzhi herb" first appeared in the Diannan Materia Medica (Diannan Ben Cao) of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Lingzhi was highly ranked as an herbal medicine in the first pharmacopoeia in China, the Shen Nong Materia Medica (Shen Nung Ben Cao Jing), which was published in the second century. Six species of lingzhi in six different colors were mentioned in the classic: purple, red, green, yellow, white, and black. In recent times, only the red and purple lingzhi are seen. However, in 1972, researchers at Kyoto University in Japan successfully cultivated reishi (lingzhi) in the laboratory. From a single species, Ganoderma lucidum (red lingzhi), all six colors could be grown by varying the temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide content, and the available nutrients. The six types of lingzhi are thus shown to be one species.

The Shen Nong Materia Medica lists 365 kinds of medicines. The medicines are basically classified into 3 categories: 120 of them are declared to be "superior" medicines, another 120 are classified as "average" medicines, and the remaining 125 are placed in the "fair" category. The "superior" medicines are for good health and longevity--the medicines of the legendary wizards. The "average" category medicines are those which can be taken as a tonic, and those in the "fair" category are taken to remedy specific ailments. One must be careful about the volume taken of the "average" and "fair" category medicines, and should never take them continuously. However, the book states that for "superior" medicines, any amount can be taken as desired on a continuous basis with no unfavorable effects. Of the superior medicines listed in the text, lingzhi was rated number one.

Li Shi Zhen (1518--1593), a welknown Chinese physician of the Ming Dynasty, also described the efficacy and medical uses of lingzhi in the classic Compendium of Materia Medica (Ben Cao Gang Mu) (1578). Renown for its medicinal properties, lingzhi often is associated with health and recuperation, longevity, wisdom, and happiness. It is believed that certain triterpenes and polysaccharides may account for the multiple activities of lingzhi. Thus, considerable time and effort has gone into the isolation and characterization of these compounds.

In the past, there were not too many patent medicine made with lingzhi. And even in the herbal stores, the lingzhi plants were hard to find, as very few herbal doctors would put lingzhi in their prescription. Nowadays, much more lingzhi can be found. And they are not particularly expensive. It can also be used in powder form.

Lingzhi is also spelled as Ling zhi, Ling-zhi or Ling chih. In Japan, it is known as Reishi or Mannentake.

Properties:
Ganoderma lucidum: Sweet and slightly bitter in flavor, mild in nature, it is related to the channels of the heart, spleen, lung, liver and kidney.

Ganoderma japonicum: Sweet in flavor and warm in nature.

Functions:
Nourishes and pacifies the mind, benefits qi and blood, arrests coughs and asthma.

Applications:
Lingzhi has extremely wide applications, bringing benefits to the entire body. According to Dr. Gilbert Ng, who has maintained a web page on lingzhi, research over the past 30 years has found that this plant can be used for the following ailments:

Immune system: cancer, common cold, influenza, inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, allergies, lupus, stomatitis (canker sores), acts as an antioxidant against free radicals, and protects against the effects of radiation.

Respiratory system: cough, asthma and chronic bronchitis.

Endocrine system: menopause and irregular menstruation.

Nervous system: insomnia, neurasthenia, stress-induced tension, over-sleep, headache, toothache, cataracts, muscular dystrophy, and myasthenia gravis.

Circulatory system: hypertension (high blood pressure), hypotension (low blood pressure), coronary heart disease, arteriosclerosis, arrhythmia, stroke, reduction of cholesterol (LDL), anemia, cold extremities, hemorrhoid, and elevation sickness.

Digestive system: gastroenteritis, ulcer, hepatitis, liver necrosis, diabetes, constipation, diarrhea, and gallstones.

Skin: aging of the skin, pigment spots on the skin, acne, hair loss, and dermatitis.

Excretory system: nephritis.

Reproductive system: erectile dysfunction, lack of sexual desire, and dysmenorrhea (mentrual cramps).

1. Effect on hepatitis B:

Lingzhi has been shown to be effective in the treatment of hepatitis B resulting in the lowering of SGPT and SCOT levels to normal, and the sero-conversion of HBs antigen to HE, antibody. Extract of lingzhi when administered concurrently with glutathione against liver damage by carbon tetrachloride, proved to be beneficial against hepatic necrosis and hepatitis. It was also discovered that extract of lingzhi could probably augment the rate of toxin transformation and subsequent bile excretion, thereby acting as a liver detoxicant and protectant.

2. Effect on diabetes:

Extract of lingzhi has also been found to be effective in reducing the blood glucose level after two months of treatments. Ganoderan B was considered to enhance glucose utilization because it increased the plasma insulin level in normal and glucose loaded mice, but did not affect the insulin binding to isolated adipocytes. The hypoglycaemic activity of lingzhi is thus due to an increase of the plasma insulin level and an acceleration of glucose metabolism occurring not only in the peripheral tissues but also in the liver.

3. Effect on hypertension:

Lingzhi is also effective in lowering hypertensive blood pressure. This is due to the presence of lanostane derivatives especially ganoderic acids B, D, F, H, K, S and Y which exert their hypotensive activities.

4. Effect on acute myeloblastic leukaemia:

Acute myeloblastic leukaemic patients were treated with high doses of lingzhi (6 capsules 3 times a day) prior to chemotherapy and continued for a period of three months. The chemotherapy regimen consisting of cytarabine and daunorubicin was given on a monthly basis in order to induce remission. CNS prophylaxis was given with cranial irradiation. All the patients had a subjective response when lingzhi was included in their treatment regimen. Changes in their NBC, hemoglobin and platelet counts were either significant or very significant after 3 months of treatment. Despite the remission for the past 3 years, the long term prognosis seems encouraging.

5. Effect on nasopharyngeal carcinoma:

Five patients with stage III nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) were given 6 capsules of lingzhi 3 times a day for 1 week before radio- and chemotherapy and continued for a course of 8 months while they were given a complete course of irradiation lasting for 6 weeks. The chemotherapy regimen consisting of cyclophosphomide, lomustine, dannorubicin and vincristine was administered every month for a period of 4 months. Objective response occurred in all the NPC patients with very significant tumor shrinkage after 40 days of treatment with lingzhi in concurrence with radio- and chemotherapy. The tumors were completely regressed after 90 days of combined treatment and were in remission for the last three and a half years. It is conceivable that lingzhi plays an adjuvant role in combination with radio- and chemotherapy, thereby rendering the complete regression of the tumors. Since both polysaccharides' and organic germanium derived from lingzhi are not cytotoxic to tumor cells, the antitumor effect is attributable to induced immunopotentiation. As an immunopotentiator, lingzhi accelerates the production of interlukin-2 from helper T cells and potentiates the induction of different types of anti-tumor cells, such as NK cells and cytotoxic macrophages, in addition to the induction of interferon production. The patients felt more energetic, and had a better appetite and slept better. Nausea and vomiting were mild whereas stomatitis and sore throat were transient. Their pain was alleviated, and no other side effects were observed.

6. Effect on wound healing:

Three patients with diabetic wounds were healed between 15 to 22 days. This might be due to the glucan from the cell walls of lingzhi that could activate the fibroblast migration in order to achieve wound healing and tissue proliferation.

(Applications 1 to 6 is based on a paper by Teow Sun-Soo of the Department of Microbiology & Biochemistry, School of Applied Sciences, MARA Institute of Technology, Malaysia)

7. For treating sleeplessness, multi-dreams, palpitation, forgetfulness, lethargy and similar conditions due to deficiency of the heart-qi or heart-blood:

Pair lingzhi with longan aril, wild jujuba seeds and Oriental arborvitae seeds to supplement blood and qi, pacify the spirits and calm the nerves. If one feels stuffiness in chest or has cardiac pains due to deficiency in heart-blood or blood sluggishness, then combine lingzhi with safflowers, red sage roots, Chinese angelica roots and Chuanxiong. If one is having palpitation, losing sleep, or being annoyed easily, match lingzhi with red sage roots, ophipogon roots and lily, as a recipe to supplement blood and yin, to clear heat and calm the nerve.

8. For treating those deficienct of both qi and blood, looking pale and withering, having dizziness, feeling tired easily, or not enjoying foods:

Pair lingzhi with ginseng, white atractylodes rhizome, Chinese angelica roots, prepared rehmannia root, etc., as a recipe to supplement qi and nourish blood.

9. For treating deficiency of lung-qi, insistent coughing, shortness of breath, weak panting, tired voice, and heavy perspiration:

Pair lingzhi with magnolia vine fruits, chebula fruits and dangshen to supplement the lung and stop coughing. For those who pant easily because of deficiency of kidney-qi, combine lingzhi with ginseng, gecko and walnuts to strengthen qi and pacify the panting.

10. For recuperating from hypertension, chronic hepatitis, chronic tracheitis and asthma:

Decoct 4 g lingzhi, tangerine peel 2 g with lean pork. This is to be taken continuously.

Or grind lingzhi into powder form and take 1 to 2 g each day for 10 days. Resume the process after two days' intermission.

Dosage and Administration:
3-15 g, decoction. The preferred administration method. Put a combination of 2 to 3 pieces each of the crown and the root sections of the plant into a pot and add 8 cups of water. Bring it to a boil and simmer it in low heat for 15 minutes. Drink the decoction twice a day before meal for as long as one likes. Substantial change for the better of one's looks and feeling would result after about one year's consumption.

1-1.5 g, grinded in powder for consumption.

Lingzhi can also be made into herbal liqor, capsule, tablet and used in injection.

Cautions on Use:
Some people may experience vertigo reaction when they first take lingzhi. During the first week, they may experience slight swelling of the head or dizziness. Arthritis patient may experience a temporary increase in the pain level. This is a cleansing reaction, often called a "healing crisis". Continue to take lingzhi and the symptoms will be alleviated within a week.

Reference Materials:


Toxic or Side Effects:


Modern Researches:
Chemical analysis has revealed that lingzhi contains high molecular weight polysaccharides, triterpenes (ganoderic acids), sterols, coumarin, mannitol, organic germanium, adenosine, amino acids, vitamins, etc.

In addition to all of the ingredients in the fruit body, lingzhi mycelium contains higher level of the RNA (which disrupts viral diseases by inducing interferon production), oleic acid and cyclooctasulfur (both strong inhibitors of histamine release), LZ-8, (an immunomodulating protein which significantly reduces but doesn't entirely shut down antibody production).

Lingzhi contains 800-2,000 ppm of organic germanium, which is 4-5 times more than ginseng. Germanium is a trace element with adaptogenic functions.

The major components of lingzhi have proven to be a significant anti-inflammatory and inhibit malignant tumor growth. Its glycosides and polysaccharides promise to be a new type of carcinostatic agent which would be helpful in immunotherapy.

Ganoderic acids may lower blood pressure as well as decrease LDL ("bad") cholesterol. These specific triterpenoids also help reduce blood platelets from sticking together--an important factor in lowering the risk for coronary artery disease.

While human research has been reported that demonstrates some efficacy for the herb in treating altitude sickness and chronic hepatitis B, these uses still need to be confirmed in well-designed human trials.

Animal studies and some very preliminary trials in humans suggest lingzhi may have some beneficial action in people with diabetes mellitus and cancer. Two controlled clinical trials have investigated the effects of lingzhi on high blood pressure in humans and both found it could lower blood pressure significantly compared to a placebo or controls. The people with hypertension in the second study had previously not responded to medications, though these were continued during the study.

Lingzhi has shown remarkable efficacy in reducing allergies and protecting the liver. Ganoderma lucidum is actually the powder inside the spores of the fungus lingzhi, which are formed as the mushroom matures. This powder contains high quality protein, with all 18 essential amino acids included. It has a combination of natural vitamins and critical trace elements essential for the functioning of the immune system.

Lingzhi has a widespread use as a herbal medicine in clinical settings. Many Chinese physicians have co-administered lingzhi in cancer patients receiving conventional chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment, to build up immune resistance and decrease toxicity. Although Ganoderma and its derivatives are not pharmaceuticals and have not undergone rigorous clinical trials to be tested against cancer, there is abundant in vitro, animal and indirect clinical evidence to support its supplemental use in cancer.

It has been reported that the extract and polysaccharides isolated from G. lucidum significantly inhibits the growth of implanted Sarcoma (S)-180 and Lewis lung-carcinoma in animal models in vitro (Lin, 1996). Although its anti-tumor activity is beyond doubt, the detailed mechanisms remain unclear. Some researchers have suggested that its anti-tumor activity may be mediated to some extent by activation of host immune functions.

Former heart surgeon Dr. Fukumi Morishige, a leading authority on vitamin C in Japan, reports that when lingzhi (or reishi in Japanese) and vitamin C are combined the results against cancer and other diseases are far better than when Reishi is ingested. This is because the vitamin makes the polysaccharides more accessible to the immune system.

Lingzhi has long been known to extend life span, increase youthful vigor and vitality. It also promotes good blood circulation by eliminating thrombi in the blood streams. As a result, the person feels renewed vitality. Deterioration of mind and body is arrested. Lingzhi is indeed a herb with multiple applications.

Clinical observations have indisputable proof of lingzhi's efficacy against cholesterosis, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, fatty liver, hemorrhoid, tooth-infections, obesity and various problems that arise from high serum cholesterol level compounded by a lack of blood circulation. Lingzhi is also recognized to have some effect in cases of stroke, cerebravascular accident, coronary insufficiency, myocardial infarction, phlebitis etc.--problems that arise directly from arterial blockage.

Furthermore, lingzhi is found to be effective in treatment of typical dermatitis, bronchitis asthma, allergy rhinitis, chronic hepatitis etc.--problems related to allergic reactions. Lingzhi inhibits thrombi to facilitate medication absorption; it also has an additive effect that strengthens the prostate gland situated between the bladder and the urinary tract. It has the same effect on the early stage of diabetes mellitus. Bladder infection is accompanied by the usual thrombi formation. Treatments with lingzhi arrest the latter thus eliminating complications within a short period. Other clinical tests showed that administering lingzhi instead of insulin can reverse blood sugar level back to normal after one year.

Its antitumor and immune enhancing properties, along with no cytotoxicity, raise the possibility that lingzhi could be effective in preventing oxidative damage and resulting disease. Using agarose gel electrophoresis, the potential of lingzhi extract as a radioprotector and antioxidant defense against oxygen radical-mediated damage was evaluated. The results clearly demonstrate that the hot-water extract of lingzhi shows good radioprotective ability, as well as protection against DNA damage induced by metal-catalyzed Fenton reactions and UV irradiation. The data suggest that lingzhi merits investigation as a potential preventive agent in humans.

Medicinal mushrooms have a long history of use in folk medicine. In particular, mushrooms useful against cancers of the stomach, esophagus, lungs, etc., are known in China, Russia, Japan, Korea, as well as the U.S.A. and Canada. There are about 200 species of mushrooms that have been found to markedly inhibit the growth of different kinds of tumors. Searching for new antitumor and other medicinal substances from mushrooms and to study the medicinal value of these mushrooms have become a matter of great significance. However, most of the mushroom origin antitumor substances have not been clearly defined. Several antitumor polysaccharides such as hetero-beta-glucans and their protein complexes (e.g., xyloglucans and acidic beta-glucan-containing uronic acid), as well as dietary fibers, lectins, and terpenoids have been isolated from medicinal mushrooms. In Japan, Russia, China, and the U.S.A., several different polysaccharide antitumor agents have been developed from the fruiting body, mycelia, and culture medium of various medicinal mushrooms (Lentinus edodes, Ganoderma lucidum, Schizophyllum commune, Trametes versicolor, Inonotus obliquus, and Flammulina velutipes). Both cellular components and secondary metabolites of a large number of mushrooms have been shown to effect the immune system of the host and therefore could be used to treat a variety of disease states.

Due to damage by insects and weather, the quality of wild lingzhi is unpredictable. Only the fruit body can be harvested, when the active ingredients have already decreased. The dried mushrooms may not have the potency of the fresh mushroom. After it matures, the fruit body is hardened by fibers which makes it more difficult to extract and digest the active ingredients. The spores are of microscopic dimensions, similar to the size of bacteria. They are protected by two layers of hardened cell walls. These cell walls trap the active ingredients inside and are indigestible.

Although wild lingzhi fruit body and the spores are all effective products, our ancestors had to use a large quantity of lingzhi to get a little benefit. As it was impossible to cultivate, this rare mushroom was available only to emperors.

Modern bio-engineering technology has made lingzhi available to the general public in large quantities. The quality can be carefully controlled by providing the best conditions and sufficient nutrients. Further investigations have discovered that the largest amount of active ingredients exist in the mycelium, and that the mycelium is more digestible. The extraction process can be timed at the precise stage when the mycelium contains the largest amount of active ingredients. Fresh mycelium is available, and there is no chance for mistaken identity. Without the obstacles of the fibers, the extraction is more complete and the extract is more digestible. Therefore, the latest research on the medicinal properties of lingzhi are done on the mycelial extracts.

Lingzhi is now available in capsule or tablet form, which makes it possible to avoid the bitter taste and standardize the dosage. However, not all lingzhi capsules are the same. Some capsules are made from the fruit body, which contain a large quantity of dietary fibers. Some capsules contain other herbs, which may lead to side-effects. Some capsules made from the mycelium contain also the grain from which the mycelium is grown (so only a small fraction of the capsule is actually lingzhi mycelium). The differences can be readily identified by tasting the powder. Pure lingzhi has an intense, pure bitter taste. The best lingzhi capsule is the extract of pure lingzhi mycelium without the grain.