Properties: Sweet, neutral
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Heart, Lung, Liver and Kidney
Divergent Channels: Large Intestine, Lung
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Tonifies Heart Qi, nourishes Heart Blood and calms the Spirit
Heart Blood and Heart Qi Deficiency failing to nourish the Spirit with insomnia, fright, palpitations and forgetfulness (can be used as a stand-alone herb)
- Tonifies the Lung Qi, transforms Phlegm and stops cough and wheezing
Cough and wheezing in patients with Deficiency Cold or Phlegm Dampness (can be used as a stand-alone herb)
Wheezing due to Lung and Kidney Deficiencies
- Tonifies Qi and nourishes Blood
Deficiency consumption with shortness of breath, lack of appetite and either icy extremities or irritability with a dry mouth
- Aids fasting
Several types differentiated by colour are mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, make the body light, prevent forgetfulness, prolong life and makes one an immortal. This may suggest it was part of supplementing the diet when engaging in an "avoiding grain" (Bigu 辟穀) fasting regime to cultivate life (Yangsheng 養生).
Suggested Daily Dosage: 6-12g in decoction. Mushrooms should ideally be decocoted for at least 40 minutes and preferably 1-2 hours to fully extract the polysaccharides from within the chitin cell walls.
Notable Constituents: Ganoderma contains:
- polysaccharides (α/Β/D-glucans)
- alkaloids
- triterpenoids (ganoderic acids, ganoderenic acids, ganoderol, ganoderiol, lucidenic acids)
- sterols/ergosterol
- proteins (LZ-8, LZ-9)
- nucleosides (adenosine, inosine, uridine)
- nucleotides (guanine, adenine)
For a full review see:
Ahmad, R., Riaz, M., Khan, A., Aljamea, A., Algheryafi, M., Sewaket, D., & Alqathama, A. (2021).
Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) an edible mushroom; a comprehensive and critical review of its nutritional, cosmeceutical, mycochemical, pharmacological, clinical, and toxicological properties.
Phytotherapy research : PTR, 35(11), 6030-6062.
Lin, Z., & Yang, B. (Eds.). (2019).
Ganoderma and Health: Pharmacology and Clinical Application.
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 1182.
Notes:
Ling Zhi is also a homonym for 靈汁 "Divine Juice" which is used in some Neidan alchemical texts as a reference to saliva (Biso, 2013, Golden Fluid & The Micro-Cosmic Orbit).
Appears in 4 formulae listed on this site: (click to display)
Research Links & References: (click to display)
Research Links:
Reference Notes:
Individual herb information has sourced mainly from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes. Zhou, Xie and Yan (2011): Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Vol. 5, has been used for entries not available from those sources with additional material searched for and filled in where available. Western herbs not appearing in the Chinese literature have used Ross (2010): Combining Western Herbs and Chinese Medicine: A Clinical Materia Medica, White Rabbit Institute of Healing and therapeutika.ch. Choices of which source to use or combine have been my own.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted. Actions and indications are taken from traditional uses and do not necessarily reflect the evidence base which should be researched independently. Dosages are for guidance only and will vary dependening on the potency of the batch and the tolerance of the individual so should be evaluated by a professional based on individual needs.
