For over 2000 years Red Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) has been recognized by Chinese doctors as a valuable medicine. Dr. Shi-Jean Lee, the most famous medical doctor of the Ming Dynasty, strongly endorsed the effectiveness of Reishi in his famous book, Great Pharmacopoeia. Dr. Lee said that the "long-term taking of Reishi (Ling zhi) will build a strong, healthy body and assure a long life."

Studies of Red Reishi in cancer research have scientifically proven Reishi to have an anti-tumor effect.  
In 1986, A 39 -year old Japanese woman approached Dr. Fukumi Morishige, M.D., a renowned Japanese surgeon and a member of the Linus Pauling Institute of Medicine, for help in treating her advanced, terminal lung cancer. It was a complicated case, and she had been refused an operation by several hospitals. Hopeless, she returned home where she found her husband had collected Reishi in the forests. He boiled the mushroom and gave it to her to drink as a tea.

She returned to Dr. Morishige six months later. The doctor was surprised when he found no increase in swelling, and on her X-rays her tumor showed as only a trace! She told him she had been drinking Reishi tea, and now Dr. Morishige operated on her with great curiosity. He was "astonished" to find only scar tissue, and although some cancerous cells remained, they were now benign.

That case was the impetus for Dr. Morishige to begin his studies of Reishi as a treatment for cancer, especially cases given up as hopeless. He now believes that Reishi is also an effective cancer preventive. The active anti-cancer constituents in Reishi are called Beta-D-glucan, a polysaccharide that activates immune cells such as macrophage and helper T-cells. Reishi also increases the immunoglobin antibody levels to produce a heightened response to foreign cells, whether bacteria, viruses, or tumor cells.Dr. Morishige found that the effectiveness of Reishi could be increased by combining it with vitamin C, which helps to break down the large Reishi molecules that are hard to absorb, thus increasing Reishi's anti-cancer and immune-stimulating effects.

Healing Nerves & Insomnia
Reishi is recommended by Chinese and Japanese herbalists for insomnia due to its "sleep-promoting factor". Long-term use of Reishi causes a significant promotion of slow wave sleep. Slow wave sleep is required for muscles to fully relax. Also used for neurological afflictions, fibromyalgia, anxiety, muscle tension and anorexia.

Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Allergy
    During the 1970s and 1980s, Reishi's anti-allergy action became the subject of ongoing research. Studies showed that Reishi extract significantly inhibited all four types of allergic reactions, including asthma, bronchitis, and swelling from contact dermatitis. In 1990, researchers at the University of Texas in San Antonio found that Reishi could be effectively used in treating stiff necks, stiff shoulders, inflammation of the eye and eyelids, bronchitis, rheumatism, and improving the immune system, all without any significant side-effects.

Part of the anti-inflammatory effect of Reishi is because it significantly elevates the free radical scavenging ability of the blood, especially against the particularly harmful hydroxyl radicals. The scavenging effect of Reishi is so strong that even after Reishi was absorbed and metabolized, the scavenging action of Reishi still continued.

Healing the Liver
    Reishi is commonly prescribed in China for the treatment of chronic hepatitis. In treatments lasting 2 to 15 weeks, the overall rate of efficiency was 70% to 98%. In Japan, Reishi has been reported to be effective in treating patients with liver failure.

In animal studies of mice with carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatitis, the extent of liver damage was significantly inhibited by continuous dosing with Reishi, and the regeneration of the liver was promoted. Reishi is also successfully used for immune dysfunction syndromes such as HIV and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

"I had an asthma attack at my office and my throat started closing up. I thought I would have to go home.  But I mixed a spoonful of Reishi powder into hot water and drank it.  Within minutes my throat relaxed and I could breathe regularly again.  It worked so quickly, I was amazed."  - Ron Leos

"I was able to eliminate allergy attacks after mowing weeds by taking Red Reishi Drops before starting. It prevented the weed allergy symptoms and has saved me hours of sneezing and misery."  - Bill

"I was bitten on the tongue by an insect and my tongue swelled up so badly that I went to the emergency room, afraid that my throat would close. They told me to use Benedryl which I did.  Benedryl did not work at all, and the next day my tongue was still badly swollen.  I then started using Reishi powder in hot water and in less than a day my tongue was back to normal.  Reishi is better than any antihistamine I ever used." -Pat Yee