Ganoderma

Learning about Ganoderma

Ganoderma the scientific name for Ling Zhi in Chinese or Reishi in Japanese, is a basidiomycete fungus which has been widely used for medical purposes in many Asian countries such as China, Japan, Korean, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan. It is regarded as the "Top Medicine" in the first Chinese medical encyclopeida, Shen Nong's 'Herbal Classic' dating from more than 2000 years ago.

Physiologically active components of ganoderma

In order to discover how human health is restored as a result of initiating various positive mechanisms in the human body by means of consuming ganoderma, it is necessary to probe into the physiologically active components of ganoderma. Ganoderma made its debut in the modern medical research field in China and Japan as early as the 1970s. Early studies were conducted by using animals via oral, intra-gastric, intravenous or intra-peritoneal administration. The remarkable results broke new ground in exploring the physiologically active components of ganoderma. Various breakthroughs have been achieved following extensive research efforts. From the 1980s to 2006, the efficacy of ganoderma and its corresponding physiologically active components have been explored continuously, and frequent reports of new components were published in a number of scientific journals and periodicals. From the research findings over the past thirty years, the physiologically active components of ganoderma can be categorized in the following five main substances and their bioactivity:

1. Ganoderma Triterpenoids/Terpenes

   • Anti-cancer and Inhibition of Tumor Metastasis Effects

   • Protection of the Liver

   • Immune Modulation

   • Cholesterol Reduction

   • Anti-oxidation

2. Polysaccharides or Polysaccharide peptides

   • Anti-Tumor

   • Immunity Enhancement

   • Blood Sugar Modulation and Anti-oxidation

3. Nucleotides

   • Effects on Cardiovascular and Nervous Systems

   • Soothing and Calming Effect

   • Adenosine and Platelets

4. Phto-sterols, e.g. LZ-8 (a type of protein with a molecular weight around 10,000 Daltons)

   • Enhance anti-oxidative capability of brain cells

5. Polypeptides

   • Immune Modulation

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