The story
Reishi — lingzhi in Chinese — appears in Chinese medical texts going back roughly two thousand years, where it was reserved for royalty and associated with longevity. Too woody and bitter to eat as food, it has always been prepared as decoctions and extracts, which is exactly how it is used today.
Did U know
Its glossy, lacquered red cap makes it one of the most recognisable fungi on Earth.
Classical texts ranked it among the most prized of all herbs.
It is a wood-decay fungus, farmed on hardwood logs and sawdust blocks.
Reishi is consumed as tea, decoction or extract — never as a vegetable.
Why it matters
- Traditionally used to support immunity and calm — the classic 'tonic' mushroom.
- Rich in triterpenes, the bitter compounds unique to Ganoderma.
- A source of beta-glucans, extracted with hot water.
- Centuries of documented traditional use in Asian medicine systems.
Traditional-use information, not medical advice.
In the kitchen
Not a food mushroom — brewed, decocted or taken as extract; its bitterness is the mark of its triterpenes.
In the market
The anchor species of the global functional-mushroom market and of our own extract line.