Ganoderma lucidum – more commonly known as reishi mushroom – is a bitter mushroom, used for thousands of years by Chinese medicine in the treatment of multiple ailments. Called the "mushroom of immortality," it is an adaptogen, which assists the body in adapting to both mental and physical stress. Your adrenal system controls how your body's hormones relate to stressful conditions. An imbalance of this system causes anxiety, depression, and inflammation, which leads to disease.
Both the caps and the stems of Ganoderma contain a substance called beta-D-glucans, which boosts the immune system and can delay the onset of tumor growth. Its high antioxidant levels and immune enhancing benefits are so strong that it has been used in the treatment of AIDS and for damage from chemotherapy in cancer patients.
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What Are the Dangers and Side Effects of Taking Ganoderma?
While Ganoderma is proven to treat a wide array of ailments, check with your doctor before taking it as there can be side effects:
• Do not take for longer than 3 to 6 months. It is only meant to be an acute treatment for the best benefits • It has not been proven to be safe when taken by pregnant or nursing women, so use caution • Taking Ganoderma may increase bleeding, making you more susceptible to blood clots. If you are taking aspirin, or Warfarin – which are blood thinners – please consult your doctor before taking Ganoderma • Consult your doctor if taking reishi mushrooms along with certain chemotherapy medications, blood-thinning medications, or immunosuppressives. It may counteract these medications • If you experience dry mouth, rash, or itching, discontinue use, as this denotes an allergic reaction
How is Ganoderma taken?
Ganoderma can be taken in powder, capsule, or liquid form. There is even a coffee beverage made with Ganoderma, though it is bitter to the taste, so most prefer to take it in pill form.
Since Ganoderma is water-soluble and not fat-soluble it does not need to be taken with food. It should take a couple of weeks to build up in the body enough to start seeing real results. The suggested dosages vary on the method of delivery. For powder, 1 to 1.5 grams is indicated. For a liquid tincture, use 1 milliliter, either in a glass of water or under the tongue.
What are the Health Benefits of Ganoderma?
There are two main components that are attributed to the health benefits of taking Ganoderma. Polysaccharides, which are water-soluble, have been found to regulate blood pressure, enhance immunity, and slow tumor growth. The second ingredient is called triterpenes, and is what gives the mushroom its bitter flavor. It's been proven that these alleviate allergies, decrease inflammation, and aid in digestion.
What conditions does Ganoderma benefit?
Since the main benefit of Ganoderma is the reduction of inflammation, it can be taken for a variety of conditions that are caused or exacerbated by inflammation.
Primarily, it has being used in the treatment of anxiety, depression, AIDS, and cancer, but Ganoderma has also been shown to be effective in the treatment of lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, protecting against aging, reducing acne symptoms, alleviating allergies, balancing candida, treating colds, reducing uterine fibroids, and clearing up herpes.
It is important to be aware of the risks and the benefits before taking any supplement, so be aware and consult your doctor if unsure you should be taking Ganoderma.