Known as reishi in Japan or ling-zhi in China, this herb is the fruiting body of a mushroom. It is produced commercially in China, Japan, and the United States. In Japan it grows in the wild on plum trees, but most of the supply is cultivated. Reishi has been a folk medicine in China for thousands of years. It is mentioned in the first class of herbs in Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing for calming, benefiting vital energy (qi), and even improving the complexion. Once available only to emperors, this important tonic was considered an “elixir of life”. The Chinese name ling zhi means “spirit plant”; in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) it was traditionally used to treat hepatitis, hypertension, arthritis, nervous conditions, insomnia, lung disorders, and as a general tonic to “lighten weight and increase longevity”.

Ganoderma.13760