Reishi mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum) have a long noteworthy history. Valued for their health support* in China and Japan for over 4,000 years, the Reishi mushroom has always been rare and expensive because of the difficulty cultivating them and finding them in the wild, in the areas of the world where they grow, including China, Japan, Korea and other parts of Asia.

Reishi has been referred to historically as “king of mushrooms”, and is referred to as Ling Zhi in TCM ( Traditional Chinese Medicine).

In the 1980s new and intricate methods of cultivating the Reishi made them more affordable, which led to more widespread use.

Reishi mushrooms are valued because they contain beneficial substances* and antioxidants*, such as plant sterols, beta-glucans, polysaccharides, and terpenes that may counteract the damaging effects of oxidation*.

Reishi is available in many forms, including dried and as powder, tinctures, tablets, full fruiting body and mycelia capsules, standardized extracts, syrup and in teas and tisanes.