Shennong Materia Medica has recorded the types, properties and efficacies of Reishi mushroom in detail and summarized that “long-term consumption of Reishi helps relieve the body of its weight and extend the years of life”. Today, the health benefits of Reishi mushroom are well known to most people.
Therefore there is a wide variety of Reishi products on the market today. But which Reishi product is more suitable for you? Most people are still confused about this.
First of all, you need to know that products made from different parts of Reishi mushroom such as Reishi mushroom fruiting body slices, Reishi mushroom extract, Reishi mushroom spore powder and Reishi mushroom spore oil have different active ingredients with different contents.
Therefore, there are more suitable choices for different groups of people.
1.Elderly people with underlying medical conditions
Immune decline is inevitable for the elderly. Immune imbalance is even more serious in the elderly with cardiovascular disease.
How does taking Reishi mushroom improve their health?
For the elderly with an average age of 65 years old suffering from hyperlipidemia or cardiocerebral atherosclerosis, after taking 30 days of Reishi powder (4.5 grams per day), the activity of natural killer cells and the concentrations of IFN-γ and IL-2 in the blood were significantly improved, and the effect persisted even after Reishi mushroom was discontinued for 10 days (Figure 1).
Figure 1 Reishi mushroom can improve the immune function of the elderly with cardiovascular disease
(Data source: Chinese Journal of Geriatrics, 1993, 12(5): 298-301.)
The improvement of these three immune indicators, including natural killer cells, interferon-γ and interleukin-2, means that the immune system’s ability to resist viruses has been strengthened; with stronger immunity, there is a better chance to fight a protracted battle against underlying diseases!
● Reishi mushroom extract and Reishi mushroom spore oil are good choices for the elderly with underlying diseases. In addition, it is recommended to take Reishi products at a staggered time with Western medicine, which can enhance the therapeutic effect of Western medicine and reduce the damage of Western medicine to the liver.
2.Middle-aged people suffering from highwork stress
For middle-aged people suffering from high stress at work, drinking and socializing have become a daily routine, and they suffer all minor ailments by themselves, but their liver function tests can be abnormal.
How does taking Reishi mushroom improve their health?
A study compared the difference in antioxidant capacity between 39 healthy people aged 40-54 who ate Reishi mushroom and those who did not.
The Reishi mushroom group took 225 mg of Reishi mushroom fruiting body extract preparation every day. After 6 months, the various antioxidant indicators of the subjects increased (Table 1) while their liver function improved—the average values of AST and ALT decreased by 42% and 27% respectively. Instead, the placebo group underwent “no significant difference” compared to before.
Changes of antioxidant indexes in healthy middle-aged adults before and after the experiment
(Data source: Pharm Biol. 2017 Dec;55(1):1041-1046.)
Experiment source: Clinical research published in Pharmaceutical Biology by Professor Chin-Kun WANG of Chung Shan Medical University in 2017
Only by taking good care of the liver can we have more strength to protect the family.
● Middle-aged people with high work stress and extensive social engagements can prioritize taking Reishi mushroom spore oil which can help protect against chemical liver Injury.
3.Sub-healthy young people who often stay up late
Staying up late and feeling tired…how does taking Reishi mushroom improve their health?
First of all, we must know that sub-health belongs to deficiency-taxation in traditional Chinese medicine, that is, various factors lead to the imbalance of yin and yang in the qi and blood in the five zang viscera. Reishi mushrooms can enter the five meridians to adjust the five zang viscera, balance yin and yang, and help the human body to strengthen healthy qi.
In essence, sub-health is manifested as an obstacle to the homeostasis regulation of the human body, which is caused by the reduced ability of the human body to adapt to changes in the internal and external environment. Reishi mushroom has a homeostasis-regulating effect, which can stabilize the internal environment of the human body and enhance the human body’s ability to adapt to changes in the internal and external environment, so that blood pressure, blood lipids, blood viscosity and blood sugar can all be maintained at normal levels, thereby regulating immunity and enhancing resistance.
[The above text is excerpted from Lingzhi From Mystery to Science, pp. 88 and 89
● Young people who often stay up late and are sub-healthy can choose to take sporoderm-broken Reishi spore powder to enhance immunity; they can also try decocting organic Reishi slices to make tea. If they continue to take Reishi for a long time, they will enjoy the effect of preventing disease and strengthening body resistance.
Reishi mushroom is good at fighting alone, and it can also be combined with different ingredients to meet the health needs of people of different ages and physiques. Its performance is satisfactory.
Reference: Wu Tingyao. “Clinical Research｜How Does Ganoderma Lucidum Improve Immunity or Antioxidative capacity of People of Different Ages”. 2020.06.01
