An Introduction To Lingzhi 

ave you ever wondered just what Lingzhi is? Is Lingzhi a medicine? Is it good for our bodies? Which is better, cultivated or wild Lingzhi? 

      Actually, it's not just drugs that have medicinal effects, foods do too. As for which kind of Lingzhi is best, in fact there are many different varieties of Lingzhi: some wild varieties may be in good quality, some may be ineffective, and some may even be toxic. What's more, Lingzhi that has not been harvested at the right time will toughen and be as useless as a piece of wood. No wonder people question the benefits of poor-quality Lingzhi. 

      While research done in China and the West over thousands of years has affirmed the benefits of Lingzhi, it is no magic cure-all; certainly persons with acute conditions must seek medical treatment from a physician. But you will find that Lingzhi offers great benefits with regard to maintaining good health and preventing disorders. 

An "Efficacious Medicine"
      According to the famous Chinese medical classic Herbal Compendium of Shen Nong, Lingzhi (also known as Ganoderma, Reishi, or Reishi Mushroom)is one of the most esteemed and potent herbal medicines. Considered an efficacious "divine" medicine used for health maintenance, Lingzhi is entirely without side effects even when taken in large amounts over long periods of time. It is able to regulate and normalize a person's physical constitution, and is amazingly effective against many hard-to-cure conditions. 

      Lingzhi belongs to the genus Ganoderma, which is distinguished by an egg-like form, yellowish-brown color, and a basidiospore with a two-layer wall. The various species in the Ganoderma are identified by the external form and internal structure of their fruiting bodies. Because the fruiting bodies have evolved to perform reproductive functions as the fungi adapted to different kinds of environment, the fruiting bodies of different Lingzhi species have very different forms and internal structures. 

Dissecting Lingzhi
      The fruiting body of Lingzhi (Ganoderma) is generally annual and consists of a cap and a stalk. 
* The cap is semicircular or shaped like a kidney or seashell. The surface features concentric rings or radiating longitudinal lines. Apart from G. applanatum, most possess a glossy varnished-looking surface that is whitish-gray, yellowish-brown, reddish-violet, or reddish-black in color. The cap may sometimes have patches of different colors reflecting different states of maturity. Because Lingzhi ordinarily grows from the lower rim of the cap, the cap is typically palest at the rim and grows darker towards the interior. 

* The stalk also possesses a glossy varnished-looking surface with colors similar to or darker than those of the cap. In addition, in some species, such as G. applanatum and G. fornicatum, the fruiting body is directly attached to the host, and the stalk is reduced or absent. The internal structure of the Lingzhi fruiting body is an important means of identifying different species. A section of the cap shows three obvious layers: From the top to the bottom these are the upper crust, the central context layer, and the lower tubular layer. 

* The skin of the cap is composed of distinctive palisade-like hyphae. The color and varnished luster of the fruiting body both derive from this layer. 

* The color and microscopic structure of the fungal flesh, the length and color of the tubular layer, and the size, shape, and density of the tubule openings are important indicators distinguishing different species. There are currently approximately 150~200 reliably attested Ganoderma species with specimen records.

Types Of Lingzhi 

ountless individuals in China and the West have studied Lingzhi over the years, and they have come up with different types of classification schemes. Ancient Chinese records identify several different varieties of Lingzhi based on their flesh and external form. In the West, Lingzhi belongs to the genus Ganoderma under Alexopolus' 1979 classification of the fungi, and is a member of the kingdom Myceteae, phylum Amastigomycota, class Basidiomycetes, order Aphyllophorales, and family Polyporaceae. The genus Ganoderma was established as early as 1881 by the Finnish botanist Karsten on the basis of its shiny epidermis, and G. lucidum (W. Cust.: Fr.) Karst. was taken as the representative species for the genus. Later the definition of the Ganoderma was further refined by Donk, Murrill, Furtado, and Steyaert, etc., who felt that the distinguishing characteristic of the Ganoderma was a basidiospore with a thin, two-layer wall. The basidiospore is always egg-shaped in the Ganoderma, and the walls of cells in the outer layer are relatively thin and transparent. In contrast, the walls of cells in the inner layer are thicker, yellowish-brown in color, and nodular in shape. This indicates that the unifying key feature of the Ganoderma is a basidiospore that is "egg-shaped," "yellowish-brown," and has "two-layer cell walls." Members of the Ganoderma are no longer identified by their external appearance or color.

      According to the classification scheme of the contemporary Chinese Lingzhi specialist Zhao Jiding, who spent nearly 50 years working in this area, Lingzhi can be classified as the following six types: 

Red Lingzhi
"Also known as cinnabar Lingzhi, red Lingzhi is found on Mt. Huo. In flavor it is bitter, neutral, and nontoxic. It is indicated for thoracic oppression, and is beneficial for the qi of the heart..." Ordinary Lingzhi [G. lucidum (W.curt.: Fr.) Karst.] is the representative species of this type, whose main characteristics include a kidney-shaped cap, a semicircular or nearly circular form, a reddish-brown color, a varnish-like luster, and a stalk that is the same color or darker than the cap. 

Violet Lingzhi
 "Also known as wood Lingzhi, violet Lingzhi is sweetish, warm, and nontoxic. It is indicated for deafness, assists the joints, and is beneficial for the essential qi. It strengthens the bones and muscles, improves the complexion, cures consumptive disease, and relieves piles." The main characteristics of violet Lingzhi include a brown, violet-brown, or nearly black cap, evenly brown flesh, and a basidiospore larger than that of ordinary red Lingzhi. Chinese violet Lingzhi [G. sinense Zhao, Xu, and Zhang] is the representative species of this type. 

Yellow Lingzhi
 "Also known as gold Lingzhi, yellow Lingzhi is sweetish, neutral, and nontoxic. It is indicated for the five disorders of the heart and bowels, is beneficial to the spleen qi, and calms the spirit." Ge Hong (a famous  medicine scientist in ancient China) describes yellow Lingzhi thus in the Bao Puzi (a dispensatory written by Ge Hong): "Lingzhi are classified as red, white, black, green, and yellow types. The yellow appears like purple gold; large specimens may weigh ten or more pounds, while small specimens typically weigh three or four pounds." It is thought that one kind of yellow Lingzhi may be the sulfur fungi Laetiporus Sulphureus (Bull.: Fr.) Murr. The cap of this fungus is full of juice when fresh, and fresh specimens may weigh several kilograms. 

White Lingzhi
 "Also known as jade Lingzhi, white Lingzhi is acrid, neutral, and nontoxic. It is indicated for coughing and reversal of the upper qi. It is beneficial to the lung qi, decongests the mouth and nose, strengthens the will, and calms the soul." The Bao Puzi describes white Lingzhi as "cut-off fat," which suggests that Fomitopsis officinalis (Vill.: Fr.) Bond. and Sing is of this type. This type of Lingzhi has white flesh and is shaped like a horse's hoof. Large specimens may weigh several kilograms, and it grows on pines and other conifers. 

Black Lingzhi
 "Also known as Xuan Lingzhi, black Lingzhi is salty, neutral, and nontoxic. It is indicated for anuria, assists the aqueous vessels, and is beneficial to the kidney qi. It frees the nine orifices and sharpens the wits." Records on old paintings suggest that black Lingzhi grows in the shade of deep mountain valleys, has a black cap with a red interior, grows on a black stem, and is salty and bitter in flavor. These records indicate that black Lingzhi may possibly be Amauroderma rugosum (Bl. and Nees) Tarrend and Polyporus melanopus Fr., both of which possess a black cap and stalk. 

Green Lingzhi
 "Also known as Dragon Lingzhi, green Lingzhi is acidic, neutral, and nontoxic. It is indicated for clarifying the eyes, strengthens the liver qi, and calms the soul and essential." Bao Puzi states: "Green Lingzhi resembles the feathers of the kingfisher." It is thought that Coriolus versicolar (L.: Fr.) Quel. is a representative form of green Lingzhi. This type of Lingzhi has a tough cap and a surface covered with short hairs, which give it a wide range of color variations. 

      In addition, ancient Chinese records also analyze the distribution of these six types of Lingzhi. According to these texts, red Lingzhi, violet Lingzhi, and black Lingzhi are found on Mt. Heng, Mt. Gaosha, and Mt. Chang, all of which are drained by tributaries of the Yangtze River. In contrast, yellow Lingzhi, white Lingzhi, and green Lingzhi are found on Mt. Song, Mt. Hua, and Mt. Tai, all of which are drained by tributaries of the Yellow River. It can be known from this that the ecological habits and geographical distribution of fungi are intimately connected. 

      The six kinds of Lingzhi are not unitary types, but are rather six groups. Taking red Lingzhi as an example, the most common species are G. lucidum and G. tsugae. The most common forms of violet Lingzhi are G. neojaponicum and G. sinense. Most research on the cultivation, pharmacology, and clinical use of Lingzhi has focused on these two types. In other words, apart from red Lingzhi and violet Lingzhi, to date little formal work has been published on the classification and pharmacology of yellow, white, green, or black Lingzhi.

Common Wild Lingzhi of Taiwan and their Characteristics

Lingzhi plus pollen, 
an utmost pair in preventive medicine 

      Using modern technology in medical research and development, people have already proven almost every each one of the beneficial and therapeutic functions of Lingzhi claimed by our ancestors.  On the other hand, people living in advanced countries in Europe and North America are rather in favor of pollen on their health food supplement lists.  Now we put the two together and the result is, we sincerely believe an utmost pair in modern preventive medicine.

      Until quite recently, peoples everywhere in the world had been totally relied on natural products for foods.  Peoples with long history accumulated many precious facts of knowledge in their abundant food intaking experiences, from the very basic of which one is eatable and good to stuff a starving stomach, to which one has certain effects of keeping good health going.  From those experiences, pollen apparently has received more attention than many others and stood out as one of the most popular traditional foods common in all great civilizations.

      What we are talking about are the peoples with thousands of years of history, such as Egyptians, Chinese, Romans, Greeks, Arabians, and American Indians.  Although they had no idea what essences were present in pollen, the wonderful results on good human health it repeatedly demonstrated in real life for thousands of years bewildered people and made it one of the most important food supplements in their diets.  The beneficial effects of pollen experienced by those ancient people can be summarized into ¡¡¡Ómaking people live longer and happier, have better figures and complexion, and become physically stronger and healthier.¡¨

      Because of the claimed goodness of pollen being from so many diversified sources, modern scientists couldn¡¦t wait to find out if those claims are true and what¡¦s in it to make those effects happen in case they are real.  According to a book recently published in Taiwan titled ¡¡¡ÓPollen and Medical Treatments,¡¨ the modern scientific researches have verified that eating pollen does help a person to keep good health.  Scientists have so far found more than two hundred individual nutritious ingredients in pollen, including many necessary nutrients to keep good health going and many trace elements as well.  For instance:

1.      Various enzymes and co-enzymes: Those can keep metabolism in a human body running smoothly and trouble-free.

2.      Vitamins: More than 16 kinds.

3.      Amino acids: Most proteins found in pollen contain ionized amino acids, which are easier to be absorbed and digested.

4.      Minerals: More than 16 kinds.

5.      Carbohydrates and others: Many in numbers.

Modern people can no longer rely on their daily three regular meals to secure a sound or well-balanced nutrition.

      As everybody has noticed, a well-balanced nutrient intake is one of the most essential factors for maintaining good health.  However, due to the vast diversity of modern life, people are all subject to an ever-increasing pressure of work and play, it¡¦s almost impossible for a regular person like you and me to keep a well-scheduled daily routine and particularly a balanced food intake.  Also, with circumstantial situations like the so-called advanced technologies in food processing, refining and preserving industry having in fact robbed many essential nutritious elements of the originally wholesome foods for human consumption and others, the results is that in nowadays, no one can really rely on the traditional three meals to get all the necessary nutrients he or she needs.  Therefore, the updated, correct modern nutrition concept is that if any one wants top-notch health or well being, he or she has to take supplements other than regular meals.

      Besides, when body absorbs nutrients, it needs mutual assistance from each other to get the best results.  So too much or too little amount of any one particular kind of food ingredients at each intake will only hamper the normal absorption to a certain extent.  Therefore, picking eaters as well as over-eating people should by all means try to get their nutrition right by taking proper supplements.  Pollen with its more than two hundred kinds of  built in ¡¡¡Óbalanced¡¨ nutrients is of course one of the best choices of food supplements outside of three meals.

How to choose high quality pollen

      Pollen is not only a good source of sufficient and balanced nutrients, its characteristic abnormally high activity is also another reason of getting it so much attention from people in past centuries.  Because of this activity, once entered human body, it can disintegrate more readily into smaller molecules of nutrients and can be absorbed than other average foods.  However, among numerous available kinds of pollen, which one should be in the royal class in the view of modern people?  The following criteria can be used as discriminating factors.  First of all, after the pollen going through the standard sterilization process for hygienic and safety concerns, its color should be in bright golden yellow as the sunshine, it feels delicate, ready to dissolve in your mouth and tastes fresh and fragrant, and its granules are uniformly even in size.  In other words, it should reach a certain high standard in its look, smell, and taste at the same time to be classified as the most precious product.

      Top quality standard of Lingzhi ¡V high content of triterpenoids

Just like the traditional food pollen of being a ¡¡¡Óbalanced nutrition¡¨ source, lingzhi is also one of the traditional miraculous foods, and recognized by Traditional Chinese Medicine as a mild and non-drastic nourishing food.  According to Pen Tsao Kang Mo, a classic masterwork of Traditional Chinese Medicine, long-term consumption of lingzhi will make a person agile and relaxed both in body and mind, to gain longevity and slow anti- aging process.  However, there is a distinct difference between the two as some of the ingredients found in lingzhi are not so common in other foods as those in pollen although lingzhi and pollen are both reputed helpful to people¡¦s health.  One group of comparatively unusual ingredients found in lingzhi turned out to be some polysaccharides and empirical data showed that they could restore the subsiding or weakening immunity of modern people.  But polysaccharides are really not that unusual, as you can find them in common Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) or Jing-chen mushroom (Velvet-shank).  Therefore, in order to improve immune system, you can eat more mushrooms at regular meals as a replacement.

      So far the most unusual ingredients of lingzhi drawing people¡¦s attention are its triterpenoids.  On one hand, lingzhi triterpenoids are quite unique, i.e. you can hardly find them in other foods.  Initially, people found that these ingredients had some protective effects to liver, and then they found their seemly good therapeutic effects on cancer patients, which led to vast interests from researchers in tumorology and cancer therapists.  Therefore, nowadays content of triterpenoids in lingzhi has become the most important index of its quality.  For instance, in the volatile Japanese market of incredibly varied health foods, they are using content of triterpenoids to identify or grade a certain lingzhi product.  You can see the important connection between those triterpenoids and lingzhi quality, and its capability of maintaining good health. 

Representatives of good health providers ¡V top quality lingzhi and pollen

      Lingzhi contains unique ingredients.  Long-term consumption of it can rejuvenate declined immunity and stock up potential resistance in the body towards possible adverse encounters in the future.  To maximize its good effects, it is apparently important to choose the best quality lingzhi you can purchase.  Pollen, on the other hand, contains many activated nutrients, which is able to fulfil quickly whatever the body needs, instantly revitalize cells in the body, and help the individual to achieve the best state of well being.  Similarly, to maximize its benefits, pollen quality is the key and should never be overlooked.

      A modern human being should take full advantage of top quality lingzhi and top quality pollen if he or she knows how to choose them, shouldn¡¦t he?  He or she can then get the best nutrition balance money can buy, and at the same time activate all body cell functions and improve latent immunity.  Especially in the present worsening environment, in which signs show some already disappeared infectious diseases are making a comeback, and some new fatal disease are surfacing.  This complex situation is so gloomy that the modern medical profession seems fighting a losing battle.  It seems the only effective alternative for us human to take is preventive medicine, and no other way out absolutely.  Therefore, take and choose high quality lingzhi and pollen is the only sensible way to cope with the current environment we live in.  With good health provided by these two wonder food supplements, we can face any adverse incidents in the future and be confident to have a good life ahead of us.