Reishi (and Cousins) – Fabulous Fungi!

What do you picture when you imagine "fungi"? Grocery bins replete with button and shiitaki? Mushroom tops dotting decaying logs in a deciduous forest grove?  Chantarelles sauteed in butter - an umami delectable? A stubborn toenail infection? A psychedellic portal? The first organism to colonize land over 1.3 billion years ago? The source of Penicillian? A potent medicinal tea?

Fungi are all of these and more. Home to an estimated 1.5 million fungal species (six times the species of plants!) - our planet is filled with fungi whose properties and functions are enormously diverse. Perhaps the most well known fungi in the herbal healing world is Reishi (known as Ling-Zhi in Chinese Medicine). Reishi is the Japanese name for Ganoderma lucidium, a species of mushroom native to Asia where it has been revered for its healing properties for over 2000 years.

Though Ganoderma lucidium does not grow wildly in the Pacific Northwest, two of it's close cousins - Ganoderma applanatum and Ganoderma oregonense - do!  All three Ganodermas are hard, woody, shelf mushrooms that harbor darker tops and white underbellies speckled with pores, rather than gills. All three break down decaying trees, thus returning vital nutrients to the soil and relaying water, minerals, sugars, and carbon to neighbor plants in need. And all three boast beneficial medicinal compounds.

Ganoderma lucidium (Reishi)

Chinese medicine practitioners know Ganoderma lucidium as a key support for patients seeking balance in a stressful world. I value it for its two-fold ability to not only calm and relax the mind and body, but to simultaneously engender energy and vitality when consumed in small doses over time. Whereas many herbs target specific body systems, Reishi cultivates whole body wellness. It supports the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, immune system, digestive system, and emotions.

For centuries, Chinese medicine practitioners have lauded Reishi for its ability to help folks stay healthy and resist disease. Recent research reveals why. Studies suggest Reishi possesses antibiotic properties (enhancing resistance to streptococci, pneumococci, e-coli, and more), immune boosting properties (augmenting monocytes, macrophages and t-lymphocytes) and cancer fighting properties (upping production of tumor fighting molecules interleukin and interferon). In one in vitro study of 58 mushroom species, Ganoderma lucidium was found to be the most effective at fighting cancer cells, yielding apoptosis of rodent and human tumor cells including bladder, liver, lung, prostate, cervical, and ovarian. Ongoing studies support Reishi's potential for aiding in cancer prevention and possibly even treatment.

Ganoderma applanatum (Artist's Conk)

Though you won't encounter Reishi on this summer's NW hiking adventures, you may discover its cousin Ganoderma applanatum (Artist's Conk) on a decaying hardwood tree or downed poplar, maple or alder log. In fact one literally fell on my boyfriend's foot when he was measuring a hardwood tree in a South Puget Sound forest yesterday as part of a carbon sequestration assessment. Of course I'm very much excited to turn this conk into a tea and share in its goodness! Like its Reishi cousin, Artist Conk is woodlike and too hard to chew. Instead, those fortunate to find this fungus can consider sustainably harvesting it, drying it, and preparing it as a tincture or tea. 

Whereas Reishi is an annual (growing and then dying each year), Artist's Conk, a perennial, adds new growth each year in the form of a furrow, such that the number of its furrows indicates its age - similar to a tree's rings!  The conk can live and grow for decades, occasionally reaching over 30 inches across, and can be found adding beauty to forests year round.

Artist's Conk is known to teem with many of the same health promoting chemical compounds as Reishi, including beta-glucans and triterpenes.  Research suggests that beta-glucans - potent immunomodulators found in mushrooms, seaweeds, oats and barley - could not only enhance the function of macrophages and natural killer cells, but also play a role in reducing hypertension and insulin resistance. Triterpentines have likewise been described as immunomodulators, and have further been appreciated for their antiviral, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antitumor promise. Historically Artist's Conk has been used medicinally to reduce indigestion and resolve phlegm.

Ganoderma oregonense  (Oregon Reishi)

Whereas Artist Conk can be spotted on local forested trails year round, its cousin Ganoderma oregonense (Oregon Reishi), an annual, comes into its prime in August.  By the end of September it begins to decompose, recycling its nutrients back to the forest floor and supporting a plethora of insect communities.

Despite its name, Ganoderma oregonense is not restricted to Oregon, but dots ancient conifers, with a particular affinity for hemlocks, from northern California to northern British Columbia.

Softer than many of the other 80 known species in the Ganoderma genus, young Ganoderma oregonense can actually be cut, sauteed, and eaten. It is chewy and relatively neutral in taste, ideal for soaking up and potentiating the flavors of garlic and tomatoes.

Compared with Reishi and Artist Conk, little is known about the potential medicinal and nutritional value of this fungi, but DNA similarities suggest it shares chemical properties with its medicinal Ganoderma relatives.  I look forward to learning more about its potential role in human health as ongoing research findings come to light. Until then, I appreciate this local conk for its rare red hue amidst a forest of greens and browns, for its vital participation in old growth forest ecology, and for its relatively soft, chewy flesh.

Next time you encounter the term "fungi" I hope you perceive it with a new appreciation for the potent healing power of Reishi, and an awareness of its local NW cousins.