Great Ganoderma: Reishi Mushroom; Herb of Spiritual Potency and Medical Wonder.
Terry Willard. Research by Ken Jones. 1990, Sylvan Press, 1420 Gilman Blvd.,#2265, Issaquah, WA 98207. 167 pp. softcover. $14.95.
Here is the first book of its kind in English, at least to my knowledge. The Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum), known as Ling zhi in Chinese, has been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for its anti-inflammatory properties and as a general tonic, among other uses.
Reishi Mushroom for Liver Fibrosis
Reference: Park E-J, Ko G, Kim J, Sohn DH. Antifibrotic effects of a polysaccharide extracted from Ganoderma lucidum, glychyrrhizin, and pentoxifylline in rats with cirrhosis induced by biliary obstruction. Biol Pharm Bull 1997; 20:417-20.
Reishi may be the king of mushrooms. Exalted in both China and Japan, reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) is mentioned in the first Chinese herbal, dating back to 2800 BC. Ancient Chinese healers called it "holy mushroom" and "mushroom of immortality." In Japanese, reishi translates to divine or spiritual mushroom. At a recent conference, Dr. Willard stated, "The reishi is by far my favorite of the medicinal mushrooms." Christopher Hobbs uses reishi extract daily, writing that it is a "deep level tonic" used traditionally as a blood cleanser.
North Americans have only recently accepted mushrooms as part of the family of medicinal herbs. Now Canadian herbalist, Dr. Terry Willard says, in his opinion, the reishi mushroom is tops in the top group of herbal medicines. He calls it "a medical wonder--potent but gentle."
"We use it in the Wild Rose Health Centre (Vancouver and Alberta) in all treatment of cancer, AIDS, chronic fatigue, and allergic asthma," he says.
