Many buy reishi capsules to improve immune function, reduce fatigue, treat inflammation and support liver health. Reishi supplements are also taken for cancer, high blood pressure and high blood lipid levels.
Reishi is often referred to as a medicinal mushroom and has a long history of use in traditional medicine throughout Asia. In traditional Chinese medicine, lingzhi or Ganoderma Lucidum is sometimes referred to as the “elixir of immortality”.
Reishi mushroom capsules are used to “promote calmness, centeredness, balance and inner awareness and strength.” [2] It is considered to be a natural anti-aging supplement and is also used as a dietary ingredient in many foods.
More research is needed to support the medicinal use of reishi supplements based on scientific evidence. In laboratory and animal experiments, constituents of reishi have been observed to affect the function of immune cells, but additional research is needed to establish how these properties impact human health and immune function.



- Traditional Chinese immune modulator
- Promotes healthy blood pressure & cholesterol
- Anti-oxidant used for anti-aging benefits
The Reishi Mushroom
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The reishi mushroom has a wide geographical distribution. Species of Ganoderma can be found in both temperate and tropical forests.
Reishi mushroom grows on decaying logs and tree stumps from deciduous trees, particularly maple trees. The mushroom is able to break down the cellulose of the wood and use it for energy.
Although well adapted to their environment, reishi mushrooms are extremely rare in the wild. Their historical notoriety may be connected with their rarity; their use was traditionally reserved for the wealthy and influential.
Today reishi mushrooms are cultivated for supplement production and then ground into a fine powder to use in pill capsules. Major manufacturers exist in East Asia and North America. While there are several different colors of reishi, the red reishi is the most commonly cultivated variety.
Active Ingredients in Reishi Capsules
Contemporary research has revealed that reishi products contain a number of bioactive constituents, particularly polysaccharides, sterols and triterpenes.
Beta-Glucans: Reishi mushrooms contain beta-glucans, a naturally occurring polysaccharide (complex sugar) that is particularly common in medicinal mushrooms.
Beta-glucans have been observed to increase the action of some cells of the immune system in laboratory and animal experiments. In addition, reishi mushrooms have been observed to trigger immune responses in humans. [1]
The beta-glucans contained in reishi may partially explain what the mushroom is traditionally used to promote immune function.
Beta-glucans have also been observed to exhibit anti-cancer properties and have slowed the growth and production of tumors in laboratory experiments.
Clinical or human research on the anti-cancer and immune-modulating effects of reishi is limited. More research is needed to better understand if these anti-cancer and immune-modulating effects will be consistently observed in a human population.
Sterols and Triterpenes: Many buy reishi mushroom for its sterol content, which can act as precursors to hormone production. In addition, the triterpenes in reishi capsules may exhibit blood pressure-lowering and anti-allergy properties. [1]
Effects of Reishi SUpplements
In animal and laboratory experiments, reishi mushroom has exhibited a number of potentially therapeutic properties.
For instance, reishi mushroom capsules has been observed to exhibit anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective (liver-protecting) and renoprotective (kidney-protecting) properties in laboratory and animal experiments.
It has also exhibited a number of anti-cancer properties in preliminary studies. For example, reishi has been observed to do the following in laboratory experiments:
- increase the structural strength of tumor cell walls, making them less likely to be able to mutate and spread
- reduce blood flow to cancer cells
- increase the actions of natural killer cells (immune-system cells) that act against tumor cells
- make ovarian cancer cells more susceptible to the cancer drug cisplatin
As with most reishi research, more studies are needed to verify the use of the mushroom for any particular therapeutic application in humans
Buy Reishi Supplements
Customers can buy reishi supplements in a number of different forms, including capsules, powders, extracts and teas. Some of these products will list the concentration of beta-glucans or ganoderic acids available in the supplement.
The strength of reishi supplements will vary between form and brand. Be sure to follow the provided dosage instructions or establish a safe dose with a medical professional.
Reishi Supplement Health Risks
The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates reishi as “Possibly Safe” when used orally and appropriately and “Possibly Unsafe” when used orally in powder form. Prolonged powder supplementation has been connected with toxic liver effects and has been implicated in the death of one individual.
Anecdotally, reishi capsules are thought to be well tolerated by otherwise healthy individuals. However, some side effects have been reported, including:
- itching skin, watery eyes, sneezing and other allergic reactions;
- dryness in the nose, throat and/or mouth;
- nosebleeds;
- rashes;
- stool with blood spotting;
- stomach upset.
These side effects are often mild and temporary. However, natural substances like reishi mushrooms are not suitable for everyone. For instance, there is not enough information available to establish the safety of reishi mushroom supplements for pregnant and/or nursing women.
In addition, reishi products may interact with a number of prescription and over-the-counter medications. Be sure to speak with your doctor before buying reishi capsules to make sure it is safe for you.
- Integrative Medicine: Reishi Mushroom. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. 2015 December 30.
- Reishi Mushroom: Professional Monograph. Natural Medicines Therapeutic Research. Reviewed 2013 Feb 2. Updated 2015 Feb 16.
- University of Maryland Medical Center. Viral Hepatitis. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Guide. 2013 August 8
- Akramiene D, Kondrotas A, Didziapetriene J, Kevelaitis E. Effects of beta-glucans on the immune system. Medicina (Kaunas). 2007;43(8):597-606.
Article last updated on: March 13th, 2018 by Nootriment