Reishi: Mushroom of Immortality

Young reishi (Ganoderma tsugae) growing on an eastern hemlock log

The half-moons of reishi, scientifically called Ganoderma, illuminate our shaded, densely green, forests here in northeastern Pennsylvania. June is this fungi's preferred month for fruiting, bearing mushrooms rich with spores. Reishi has a long history of use and has earned itself such titles as "The Mushroom of Immortality" and "The Great Protector." In this post I'll share with you how to identify and prepare these alluring woodland inhabitants, but first let's talk about this mushroom's multitude of medicinal attributes.

Maturing reishi (Ganoderma tsugae), however still in its growth stage, on eastern hemlock. Notice varnished looking cap, rippled and bumpy near stout stem, these are not uncommon features.

Reishi is primarily considered an immune-modulator. In the herbal world, this means a plant or fungi that works to balance the immune response. If the immune system is under-performing, evidenced by frequent infections, it will strengthen the immune response. However if the immune system is overzealous, illustrated by chronic allergies or autoimmune disorders, reishi will quell overreaction. Although I am sure reishi has an innate intelligence it employs for its own purposes, this modulating action occurs rather scientifically. In the most general terms, our immune system has two modes: clean-up, which uses antibodies to capture and dispose of harmful pathogens, and immune facilitation, which uses antibodies to stimulate histamine and in turn allows for easier transport of white blood cells to an infected site. Reishi encourages clean-up rather than histamine response, activating the immune system to recognize and rid the body of that which doesn't belong.

But reishi works on far more than just the immune system. Reishi contains a wide spectrum of antioxidants (polysaccharides, terpenes, and triterpenes) that nourish and support the body as a whole. In fact, it has been discovered that fifty of these chemicals have not been recognized in other fungi and are unique to reishi. Their effects are anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic (reduce blood sugar), anti-ulcer, anti-mutagenic, and hypolipidemic (reduce lipids in blood). To top it off, reishi has also been shown to decrease the body's reaction to stress (cortisol production), protect the liver, and assist the body in more efficiently utilizing oxygen, therefore benefitting the heart and lungs. Reishi inhibits viral reproduction. I have used reishi for not only fighting lyme disease but reducing severity of symptoms, in rebounding after surgery and prolonged disease, as a heart tonic, as well as a tonic for general health. Reishi has been used by the Chinese for thousands of years to support both health and mental clarity. Chinese monks even used it in preparation for sitting in meditation for long periods. Today in China, it is used in healing countless maladies, and as a common adjunct to chemotherapy to improve the immune system.

Young reishi growing on eastern hemlock stump

So just how do we find this miraculous reishi in the wild and make a certain identification? Firstly, lets clarify just how dangerous a misidentification of any mushroom can be. Mushrooms are loaded with chemicals of all kinds and many more mushrooms will harm rather than help. Consuming mushrooms from the wild is inherently dangerous, some mishaps may cause irreparable damage to the liver and others are deadly. However, reishi is a good beginning forager's mushroom because there is not all that much with which it could be confused and true look-a-likes are not poisonous.

Reishi grows shelf-like on stumps, fallen logs, or living trees. The two species which we may find in the northeast are Ganoderma tsugae and Ganoderma lucidum. Both can be used interchangeably. Ganoderma tsugae will be found growing on eastern hemlock trees (Tsugae canadensis), whereas Ganoderma lucidum is found on hardwoods. Besides their chosen host, species are indistinguishable.

Plate-like or half-moons of reishi on eastern hemlock - notice the burgundy, yellow, and white coloring

Reishi is a polypore, meaning that the cap's underside bears pores rather than gills. Undersides of reishi mushrooms are white, easily bruising brown, with pores are so tiny that they are nearly imperceptible. With age, undersides brown. The topmost portion of reishi's cap has a varnished appearance. When young, it is burgundy in color, brightening to yellow and finally white at the outermost edge. As reishi matures, yellow and white will darken to burgundy as well. The mature mushroom's general form is stemless and looks like half of a plate protruding from a tree trunk. When very young, some mushrooms may have short stout stems attached to bulbous caps. Reishi is tough and feels more like wood rather than the soft, squishy mushroom we would purchase in a grocery store. For this reason, we would not eat reishi as a food, but it is perfect for using in tea and tincture.

White undersides of reishi, a polypore mushroom, which bears pores rather gills.

As far as look-a-likes, there aren't many. The only mushroom I have encountered in our neck of the woods that even resembles it is Ischnoderma resinosum. It too is a polypore and grows shelf-like on hardwoods and conifers, but it has a velvety cap that is mostly brown in color, gradually bleeding to a muted yellow and finally, white ring. Also, its new growth appears in the fall rather than late spring and early summer. The good news is, if you still make an error, it is edible and safe for consumption.

Harvested reishi, ready to be prepared

Harvest your reishi with a sharp knife, where the cap or stem meet the trunk of the tree - do nut cut into the tree - and carry home to the kitchen. Using a damp cloth, wipe the mushrooms clean of any dirt, bark shavings, or bugs. Then slice thinly, 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. I put mine in an oven at 150 to 180 degrees and "bake" for roughly two hours, checking and turning them over periodically. Your reishi may take more or less time depending on moisture content. Bear in mind reishi will harden as they cool. You may dry reishi in  a well ventilated room free of humidity as well, by spreading on a screen or hanging slices on strings, but be careful not to let them mold. If you have a dehydrator, even better.

Reishi slices in process of being dehydrated in oven

Once reishi slices are thoroughly dried, crisp and mostly inflexible, they may be stored until needed, remaining potent up to roughly one year. To prepare reishi as tea, simmer slices in hot water, strain and sip. To prepare reishi as a tincture requires an extra step than the typical tincture - a double extraction - so that your medicine contains both reishi's water and alcohol soluble constituents. Infuse slices in alcohol for 4-6 weeks, then strain, be sure to retain mushrooms as well as your alcohol extract. Then simmer mushrooms in water (using 1/2 gal of water to 2 c mushrooms) until water is reduced to roughly 1/3 of alcohol extract. Combine water and alcohol - voila! A reishi mushroom tincture at your ready!

So keep your eyes peeled for this luminous medicinal mushroom, reishi. It's presence is sure to brighten your spirit, and its medicine, your body. You will inherit the strength and resolve to persist through many a season, as does reishi, long after its fresh growth has matured. This find is surely a woodland treasure.