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Chinese medicine has used medicinal mushrooms for thousands of years.
Reishi, or Ling zhi is the extract of the Ganoderma lucium mushroom. This mushroom has been used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicines for thousands of years, who place it in the highest class of tonic medicines, those who benefit the vital life energy or Qi. Reishi mushrooms are commonly prescribed for a host of conditions such as anxiety, high blood pressure, bronchitis, insomnia, and asthma but is particularly renowned for its use in hepatitis and other diseases of the liver and for promoting longevity.
The Western foucus on reishi is on the mushroom's immuno-enhancing and anti-tumor activities, the exact mechanism is still unknown. |
Prep Methods :Tea from the dried mushroom, which Chinese medicine usually call for 1-8 grams of dried mushroom per cup of tea (6-8 ounces) Powdered root sprinkled on food or in beverages, as a liquid herbal extract (non-standardized), and as an encapsulated (non-standardized) product from whole mushroom tops.
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- Energy Tea with Reishi Mushroom
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Cordyceps is another immune-modulating medicinal mushroom that possesses anti-tumor properties and stimulates tumor necrosis factor, a cytokine protein that destroys cancer cells. The name cordyceps in Chinese literally means "winter bug summer herb." It is an antlered fungus that grows in insect larvae, usually before the insect's cocoon is formed. Cordyceps relieves conditions that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) associates with the kidneys, including high cholesterol and ringing in the ears. The herb is an aphrodisiac that has been used as a cure for impotence. |
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Liver |
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Reishi is used to prevent "fatty-liver" and cirrhosis due to alcohol abuse. Reishi mushrooms are particularly renowned in Asian traditions use in diseases of the liver and for promoting longevity. |
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Liver |
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Preliminary studies indicated that ganoderic acids, a major active ingredient in reishi helps to improve oxygen utilization and improve liver functions. |
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Stress |
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Reishi tones the adrenals and acts on the many body systems that can be affected by stress. Traditional and contemporary Chinese medicine admire it as a tonic benefiting vital energy or Qi. Linda B. White, M.D., The Herbal Drugstore (2003) |
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Hypertension HBP |
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Triterpene-rich reishi mushrooms is also reputed to reduce hypertension. |
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| Side Effects: |
| Though rare, side effects including dry throat, nosebleeds, stomach upset have been reported after three to six months of continuous use. |
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Reishi is a polypore mushroom, growing in damp, dark forests and the occasional rotting log. Modern day demand has forced its cultivation in Japan, China and the United States which is promising for the wild stands of Reishi.
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