We often encounter many “mushrooms” that look like الجانوديرما in our daily life.
لكن, most of them are “in the same family and different genus” withغانوديرما لوكيدوم, just like there is a huge difference between humans and chimpanzees.
The “Monkey Bench” that grows on tall trees and is often used by monkeys to climb and view far is considered a “millennium-old الجانوديرما". في الحقيقة, it is classified as “Fomitopsis pinicola” that can grow to a size larger than an adult’s arms spread out. لكن, it is not a الجانوديرما and cannot be consumed due to its lignification.
▲Fomitopsis pinicola, often regarded as “Millennium Ganoderma” (provided by Ruey-Shyang Hseu)
There are huge differences between the two types of mushrooms in the same “family” and different “genus”.
First of all, we need to know that غانوديرما لوكيدوم is a fungus, not a plant.
Fungi cannot photosynthesize and must thrive on decaying plant or animal remains.
The position of “الجانوديرما” in the modern biological classification system
Myceteae
(1) Most fungi have a “nucleus + cytoplasm + cell membrane + cell wall” structure.
(2) They do not carry out photosynthesis, but use decomposed animal and plant residues as nutrients.
(3) They often form mycelium.
(4) They reproduce by spores.
Amastigomycota
The spores have no flagella, do not swim, and grow wherever they land.
Basidiomycetes
It has a “basidium” structure. The basidium is the cradle for breeding spores, so the spores are also called basidiospores. The basidium ofالجانوديرما is located inthe “tube layer” of the cap, and one basidium will produce 4 spores.
Aphyllophorales
There are many gills at the bottom of the cap of shiitake mushrooms while the bottom of the cap ofغانوديرما لوكيدوم is flat.
Polyporaceae
There are fine hole-like structures at the bottom of the cap of غانوديرما لوكيدوم, behind each hole is a tube, and the spores are released from these holes.
الجانوديرما
The structure of the spores must meet the following conditions for fungi to become members of the “الجانوديرما” family:
(1) It is asymmetrically oval.
(2) There are double cell walls.
(3) The outer cell wall is thin and transparent.
(4) The inner cell wall is thicker, brown in color, and has verrucous protrusions.
According to the appearance and internal structure of the fruiting body, different “species” of Ganoderma can be further distinguished. Only Ganoderma of the same species can mate with each other and grow another Ganoderma.
Each level represents some important biological features. The higher the level is, the less everyone has in common; the lower the level, the more subdivided the groups are, the more common points they have with each other, and the closer the relationship.
To be called Ganoderma, a mushroom must be a member of thegenus“Ganoderma”.
The following types of mushrooms, which are often compared with غانوديرما لوكيدوم, belong to “the same family but different genus” with غانوديرما لوكيدوم. They are quite different from each other!
None of the following areالجانوديرما!
Coriolus versicolor
Coriolus versicolor, this kind of fungus looks like a turkey’s tail. Its cap is semicircular to shell-shaped. It is a common large-scale fungus, mainly wild. It grows on various broad-leaved tree stumps, fallen logs and branches.
Although it does not belong to the الجانوديرما family, and its efficacy is not as extensive as that of غانوديرما لوكيدوم, the drug PSK (polysaccharopeptide Krestin), which is made of Coriolus versciclor السكريات, has been successfully used in clinical adjuvant therapy for tumor radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and can be said to be a pioneer in the medical use of mushroom polysaccharides.
Amauroderma
Amauroderma, with a round cap, a central depression resembling an umbilicus, and a drooping cap near the edge; FreshAmauroderma has the color of a mouse, is gray in color, and turns black after drying. They are often used to mix and pretend to be “blackالجانوديرما” to deceive consumers.
Fomitopsis officinalis
Also known as “Yuzhi”, Fomitopsis offcinalis, with white context, mainly grows on pine trees and other coniferous trees, in Xinjiang, Tibet and other places, and has become popular in recent years, but it is not الجانوديرما, and there is little scientific research related to it.
Antrodia camphorata
Among all the “non-الجانوديرما", the most famous isAntrodia camphorata. It got its Chinese name because it grows only on the endemic treeCinnamomum kanehirae. It was officially published in scientific journals in 1995, and it was confirmed by genetic identification that it should be “Antrodia genus”, so it is notالجانوديرما.
Many distributors of Antrodia camphorata claim that its triterpenoid content is much higher than that of غانوديرما لوكيدوم, so the effect is better than that of غانوديرما لوكيدوم, which is actually misleading.
“Terpene” is a general term. As long as there are “three terpenes” in the chemical structure, it can be called “triterpene”.غانوديرما لوكيدوم triterpenes also have subsidiary structures, and different subsidiary structures have different effects. There are nearly 300 kinds of triterpenes inغانوديرما لوكيدوم alone, and these triterpenes are unique toغانوديرما لوكيدوم; whileAntrodia camphorata does not have triterpenes fromغانوديرما لوكيدوم, even if its triterpene content is high, it is also triterpenes fromAntrodia camphorata, not triterpenes fromغانوديرما لوكيدوم.
—Excerpted from p67 ofالشفاء بالجانوديرما written by Wu Tingyao
So what exactly isالجانوديرما?
في الوقت الحالي, only غانوديرما لوكيدوم و Ganoderma sinense are included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. These two types of الجانوديرما are also the الجانوديرما that have been studied the most by scientists and are most widely used among the people.
The Chinese Pharmacopoeia records thatغانوديرما لوكيدوم orGanoderma sinense have the effects of supplementing qi and quieting the spirit, suppressing cough and calming panting, and are often used for disquieted heart spirit, insomnia, palpitations, deficiency-taxation, shortness of breath, and no thought of food and drink.
Next time you find mushrooms that look like Reishi, don’t dance with joy and treat them as treasures. Most of them are not real Reishi. For the real ريشي, you have to go to regular stores or pharmacies to buy them, so that you can eat them with confidence!
Information reference:
1. “Wonderful丨Fomitopsis pinicola وAntrodia camphorata are “not”الجانوديرما", GanoHerb Organic Ganoderma, 2019.03.22
2. “Wonderful丨Myth ofغانوديرما لوكيدوم السكريات وغانوديرما لوكيدوم triterpenes”, GanoHerb Organic Ganoderma, 2019.04.19
