Ganoderma Information

Ganoderma lucidum, is an absorbing shelf bane that is important as a anesthetic in the Far East, in places such as China, Japan and Korea. G. lucidum is of accurate assimilation because it has been portrayed as a "fix-it-all" herbal antidote for maladies such as: HIV, cancer, low claret pressure, top claret pressure, diabetes, rheumatism, affection problems, paralysis, ulcers, asthma, tiredness, hepatitis A, B, and C, insomnia, sterility, psoriasis, mumps, epilepsy, alcoholism, and the account goes on. These claims are mostly fabricated by the humans who are affairs G. lucidum herbal supplements, but G. lucidum, aswell accepted as Reishi, ling chih, and ling zhi has a continued history of getting acclimated as an herbal remedy. We will get to that later. 

First, how do you analyze Ganoderma lucidum? Ganoderma is a affiliate of the Polypores, a accumulation of fungi characterized by the attendance of pores, instead of aspect on the base of the fruiting body. G. lucidum, advised by abounding mycophiles to be one of the a lot of admirable shelf fungi, it is acclaimed by its varnished, red surface. If it is adolescent it aswell has white and chicken shades on the varnished surface, differing from the addled apparent of Ganoderma applanatum, the artist's conk. G. lucidum is a saprophytic bane that tends to abound added prolifically in balmy climates on corrupt balk logs and stumps. This affection helps to analyze it from a agnate searching Ganoderma tsugae, which aswell has a admirable red varnished surface, but alone grows on the stumps and logs of conifers, abnormally hemlock (as you ability assumption from the name). Another appropriate appropriate is the beef of G. tsugae is white admitting the beef of G. lucidum is brown. Besides the shelf form, both G. tsugae and G. lucidum can be stalked. The corpuscle prints of both breed are amber and the spores are actual agnate in admeasurement and shape. 

Ganoderma curtisii is advised by some mycologists to be a altered breed because of its brighter chicken colors and geographic brake to the southeaster United States. However, a lot of accede Ganoderma. lucidum and G. curtisii to be the aforementioned breed because of their agnate actualization and habitats; they both adopt to abound on hardwoods. In "North American Polypores," about the bible for wood-decaying poroid fungi, Gilbertson and Ryvarden, do not accede G. curtisii a breed abstracted from G. lucidum. Another bane that resembles G. lucidum is Ganoderma oregonense, which, like G. tsugae grows on conifers, but is begin in the Pacific Northwest and New Mexico. G. oregonense can get up to 1 beat beyond and has hardly beyond spores than G. lucidum and G. tsugae. There are arguments that these four abstracted breed (G. lucidum, G. tsugae, G. curtisii, and G. oregonense) should be advised one species. The affidavit for befitting them afar are primarily due to the host specificity of anniversary fungus. Interestingly, if accustomed alone either balk or conifer copse in culture, anniversary of the four breed can abound and aftermath fruiting bodies, admitting their accustomed accident on alone one of those substrates. 

In 1995, Moncalvo, Wang and Hseu, abandoned the DNA of G. tsugae and G. lucidum and begin that it was harder to acquaint the aberration amid the two species. An even added contempo abstraction in 2004 by Hong and Jung, begin that G. lucidum from Asia was in its own group, whereas, G. lucidum from Europe and the Americas was added carefully accompanying to G. tsugae. Clearly, added assay into the atomic accomplish up of these two breed is needed. For added advice about the relationships of the breed Ganoderma For added information, see these papers: Moncalvo, J.M., Wang, H. H. & Hseu, R. S. (1995). Phylogenetic relationships in Ganoderma accepted from the centralized transcribed spacers and 25S ribosomal DNA sequences. Mycologia 87: 223-238, and Hong, S.G., Jung, H. S. (2004) Phylogenetic assay of Ganoderma based on about complete mitochondrial small-subunit ribosomal DNA sequences. Mycologia 96: 742-755. 

Ganoderma lucidum, advised attenuate and harder to acquisition in attributes in China and Japan, is now frequently cultured. It can be able on logs that are alive in shady, clammy areas. G. lucidum can aswell be inoculated assimilate balk stumps. Under bartering agronomics conditions, G. lucidum is commonly developed on bogus sawdust logs, as apparent to the right. We'll awning this agronomics adjustment in added detail in a afterwards Bane of the Month. Added methods of cultivating G. lucidum and abounding added fungi can be begin in Paul Stamets' book, "Growing Gourmet and Alleviative Mushrooms" 

Now let's attending at the alleviative uses of G. lucidum or Reishi. If you feel the fruiting bodies, you'll apprehension that they're actual hard, so no one tries to eat them like a lot of (softer) mushrooms-- too tough! It has been acclimated as an herbal antidote for such things as health, recuperation, longevity, acumen and beatitude for centuries in Asian acceptable medicine. The aboriginal actual acknowledgment of G. lucidum was during the aphorism of the aboriginal Chinese emperor, Shin-huag of the Ch'in Dynasty, if the fungus's alleviative uses are aboriginal described. In fact, a Reishi Goddess, accepted as Reishi senshi, was admirable because she would accord health, activity and abiding youth. 

There are two altered types of Reishi, the acceptable wide, shelf-like fruiting physique and the antler shape, accepted as Rokkaku-Reishi. The antler actualization arises from capricious carbon dioxide levels and low light. These two types are accounted to accept altered healing characteristics. Recently, there accept been a ample bulk of accurate affidavit appear with abstracts attempting to quantify the aftereffect of G. lucidum on the animal body. The fungal abstract has been apparent to act on allowed arrangement cells, to plan adjoin canker virus, to lower cholesterol and stop corpuscle proliferation. Unfortunately, while account these affidavit it seems important to admonish you that we are still not abiding if G. lucidum and G. tsugae are abstracted species. 

Although the atomic accomplish up has yet to be bent conclusively, several biologically alive compounds from G. lucidum accept been characterized. These cover adenosine, said to accept an analgesic effect, R,S-ganodermic and ganasterone that accept an antihepatoxic effect, and glucans and polysaccharides that are amenable for the anti-inflammatory and antitumor backdrop of G. lucidum. 

Something abroad to accumulate in apperception is that all these abstracts were done in corpuscle lines, mice, rats and hamsters. So far no ample calibration aloof animal trials accept yet been performed, and the FDA does not yet accept use of Reishi as medical treatment. In adjustment to accretion FDA approval, antiseptic compounds from G. lucidum would accept to go through an accelerated bulk of screening in corpuscle curve and animals; abundant of this pre-clinical testing has already been performed. The next footfall would be a appearance one analytic trial, which assesses the abeyant drug's safety. Healthy volunteers are paid to yield the biologic for a assertive bulk of time, and the admixture is advised for its assimilation into the body, its metabolism, and its excretion. Once the abeyant biologic passes appearance one, which can yield up to several months, it moves on to appearance two. In appearance two, several hundred patients participate in what is alleged a bifold dark analytic trial, in which both the accommodating and the physician are dark of whether the accommodating is accepting the abeyant biologic or a placebo . Appearance two can endure from several months up to several years. If the abeyant biologic is accurate able afterwards appearance two, it moves to appearance three. Appearance three aswell consists of dark analytic trials, but on a abundant beyond scale. This appearance is acclimated to accept the drug's effectiveness, benefits, and the ambit of accessible adverse reactions. Without a doubt, G. lucidum and its advisers accept a continued alley advanced of them afore they can prove the mushrooms healing powers. 

I hoped you enjoyed acquirements about Ganoderma lucidum, its ancestors and abeyant uses. Although these breed of fungi can aftermath admirable fruiting bodies, who would accept accepted them to authority so abounding potentially advantageous chemicals?