The Reishi herb is a major ingredient in Chinese medicine. In general, traditional Chinese medical texts recommend using 1.5 to 9 grams of dried mushroom per day, equivalent to 150-900 mg of concentrated Reishi extract. Reishi has traditionally been recommended by specialists in herbs (Chinese and Japanese) for insomnia due to its “sleep promoting factor.” It is also prescribed in China for a large number of psychiatric and neurological disorders. In Japan, Reishi has been shown to be highly effective in the treatment of neuroses caused by “environmental stress.” Additionally, several studies showed that aid in the improvement of Alzheimer’s, which can be used as a painkiller and muscle relaxant that relieves anxiety and it has soothing properties without being narcotic nor a hypnotic. For centuries, Reishi has been known as a cardiotonic herb. It was routinely prescribed for people with symptoms of “chest tightness and knotting” (related coronary artery disease with angina pectoris).
Researchers in China found that Reishi improved low blood flow and oxygen consumption of heart muscle. Similar results were also found by Japanese scientists, who found that Reishi contains ganoderic acid, which lowers blood pressure and cholesterol and inhibits platelet aggregation, which can lead to heart attack and other circulatory problems. Recently, Russian scientists have taken an interest in Reishi. They found that in addition to the cardiovascular benefits mentioned above, Reishi has a significant preventive and therapeutic action against the construction of “board” (the “plaque” is a kind of greasy rubber formed by the combination of oxidized cholesterol, calcium and white blood cells degenerate is deposited on the walls of the arteries and restricts blood flow through narrowing of the arteries step resulting in atherosclerosis). And as if this were not enough, in Japan there have been extensive studies of Reishi in cancer research, and checked Scientifically it has anti-tumor effects.
This research has continued in Korea, Japan and China. The anti-cancer active constituents found in Reishi are called Beta-D-glucan. The Beta-D-glucan is a polysaccharide, basically a huge sugar molecule built by many sugar molecules chained together smaller to amino acids. These intricate sugars stimulate or modulate the immune system by activating immune cells such as macrophages and T cells, as well as increased levels of immunoglobulin to produce a high response against bacteria, viruses and tumor cells. Reishi extracts significantly inhibited four types of allergic reactions, including positive effects against asthma and contact dermatitis. Likewise, Reishi can be used effectively in the treatment of torticollis, stiff shoulders, conjunctivitis, bronchitis and rheumatism. And talking about “modern diseases”, you must noted that the Reishi is used in the symptomatic relief of arthritis and menopausal anxiety. It is also used in the treatment of allergic asthma, hypertension, hypothyroidism, generalized anxiety and stress, and is often the main ingredient in herbal formulas for immune dysfunction syndromes, such as chronic fatigue syndrome.