Lingzhi, ''Ganoderma lingzhi'', also known as reishi, is a
polypore
Polypores are a group of fungi that form large fruiting bodies with pores or tubes on the underside (see Delimitation for exceptions). They are a morphological group of basidiomycetes-like gilled mushrooms and hydnoid fungi, and not all polypor ...
fungus
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...
("bracket fungus") native to
East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...
belonging to the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''
Ganoderma
''Ganoderma'' is a genus of polypore fungi in the family Ganodermataceae that includes about 80 species, many from tropical regions. They have a high genetic diversity and are used in traditional Asian medicines. ''Ganoderma'' can be differenti ...
''.
Its reddish brown varnished kidney-shaped
cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...
with bands and peripherally inserted
stem
Stem or STEM may refer to:
Plant structures
* Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang
* Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure
* Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...
gives it a distinct
fan-like appearance. When fresh, the lingzhi is soft, cork-like, and flat. It lacks
gills
A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...
on its underside, and instead releases its
spores
In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...
via fine pores (80–120 μm) in yellow colors.
The lingzhi mushroom is used in
traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...
.
There is insufficient evidence to indicate that consuming lingzhi mushrooms or their
extract
An extract is a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol, oil or water. Extracts may be sold as tinctures, absolutes or in powder form.
The aromatic principles of many spices, nuts, h ...
s has any effect on human health or diseases.
[
In nature, it grows at the base and stumps of ]deciduous tree
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, afte ...
s, especially that of the maple
''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...
. Only two or three out of 10,000 such aged trees will have lingzhi growth, and therefore its wild form is rare. Lingzhi may be cultivated on hardwood
Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...
logs, sawdust
Sawdust (or wood dust) is a by-product or waste product of woodworking operations such as sawing, sanding, milling, planing, and routing. It is composed of small chippings of wood. These operations can be performed by woodworking machinery, ...
, or woodchips
Woodchips are small- to medium-sized pieces of wood formed by cutting or chipping larger pieces of wood such as trees, branches, logging residues, stumps, roots, and wood waste.
Woodchips may be used as a biomass solid fuel and are raw material ...
.
Taxonomy and ecology
Lingzhi, also known as ''reishi'' from its Japanese pronunciation, is the ancient "mushroom of immortality", revered for over 2,000 years. Uncertainty exists about which ''Ganoderma'' species was most widely utilized as lingzhi mushroom in ancient times, and likely a few different common species were considered interchangeable. However, in the 16th century Chinese herbal compendium, the ''Bencao Gangmu
The ''Bencao gangmu'', known in English as the ''Compendium of Materia Medica'' or ''Great Pharmacopoeia'', is an encyclopedic gathering of medicine, natural history, and Chinese herbology compiled and edited by Li Shizhen and published in the ...
'' (1578), a number of different lingzhi-like mushrooms were used for different purposes and defined by color. No exact current species can be attached to these ancient lingzhi for certain, but according to Dai et al. (2017), as well as other researchers, and based on molecular work, red reishi is most likely to be ''Ganoderma lingzhi'' (Sheng H. Wu, Y. Cao & Y.C. Dai, 2012). This is the species that is most widely found in Chinese herb shops today, and the fruiting bodies are widely cultivated in China and shipped to many other countries. About 7-10 other ''Ganoderma'' species are also sold in some shops, but have different Chinese and Latin names, and are considered different in their activity and functions. The differences are based on concentrations of triterpenes
Triterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of three terpene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of six isoprene units. Animals, plants and fungi all produce triterpenes, including squale ...
such as ganoderic acid
Ganoderic acids are a class of closely related triterpenoids ( derivatives from lanosterol) found in '' Ganoderma'' mushrooms. For thousands of years, the fruiting bodies of ''Ganoderma'' fungi have been used in traditional medicines in East Asia ...
and its derivatives, which vary widely among species. Research on the genus is ongoing, but a number of recent phylogenetic analyses have been published in the last number of years.
Nomenclature
Petter Adolf Karsten
Petter Adolf Karsten (16 February 1834 – 22 March 1917) was a Finnish mycologist, the foremost expert on the fungi of Finland in his day, and known in consequence as the "father of Finnish mycology".
Karsten was born in Merimasku near Turku, st ...
named the genus ''Ganoderma'' in 1881. English botanist William Curtis
William Curtis (11 January 1746 – 7 July 1799) was an English botanist and entomologist, who was born at Alton, Hampshire, site of the Curtis Museum.
Curtis began as an apothecary, before turning his attention to botany and other natural his ...
gave the fungus its first binomial name, ''Boletus lucidus'', in 1781. The lingzhi's botanical name
A botanical name is a formal scientific name conforming to the '' International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar or Group epithets must conform to the ''Intern ...
s have Greek and Latin roots
The English language uses many Greek and Latin roots, stems, and prefixes. These roots are listed alphabetically on three pages:
* Greek and Latin roots from A to G
* Greek and Latin roots from H to O
* Greek and Latin roots from P to Z.
Some ...
. ''Ganoderma'' derives from the Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
''ganos'' (γανος; "brightness"), and ''derma'' (δερμα; "skin; together; shining skin"). The specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
, ''lingzhi,'' comes from Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
, meaning "divine mushroom."
With the advent of genome sequencing, the genus ''Ganoderma'' has undergone taxonomic reclassification. Prior to genetic analyses of fungi, classification was done according to morphological characteristics such as size and color. The internal transcribed spacer region of the Ganoderma genome is considered to be a standard barcode marker.
Varieties
It was once thought that ''Ganoderma lingzhi'' generally occurred in two growth forms: a large, sessile
Sessility, or sessile, may refer to:
* Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about
* Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant
* Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...
, specimen with a small or nonexistent stalk, found in North America, and a smaller specimen with a long, narrow stalk, found mainly in the tropics. However, recent molecular evidence has identified the former, stalkless, form as a distinct species called ''G. sessile'', a name given to North American specimens by William Alfonso Murrill in 1902.
Environmental conditions play a substantial role in the lingzhi's manifest morphological characteristics. For example, elevated carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...
levels result in stem elongation in lingzhi. Other formations include antlers without a cap, which may also be related to carbon dioxide levels. The three main factors that influence fruit body development morphology are light, temperature, and humidity. While water and air quality play a role in fruit body development morphology, they do so to a lesser degree.
Habitat
''Ganoderma lingzhi'' is found in East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...
growing as a parasite
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...
or saprotroph
Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi (f ...
on a variety of trees. ''Ganoderma curtisii
''Ganoderma curtisii'' is a wood-decaying polypore whose distribution is primarily in the Southeastern United States. Craig and Levetin claim to have observed it in Oklahoma.
Taxonomic history
The name was originally established by Miles Berke ...
'' and ''Ganoderma ravenelii
''Ganoderma'' is a genus of polypore fungi in the family Ganodermataceae that includes about 80 species, many from tropical regions. They have a high genetic diversity and are used in traditional Asian medicines. ''Ganoderma'' can be differenti ...
'' are the closest relatives of the lingzhi mushroom in North America.
In the wild, lingzhi grows at the base and stumps of deciduous trees, especially that of the maple. Only two or three out of 10,000 such aged trees will have lingzhi growth, and therefore it is extremely rare in its natural form. Today, lingzhi is effectively cultivated on hardwood logs or sawdust/woodchips.
File:Jreishi2.jpg, Grown lingzhi Mushroom
File:Hokkaido_Reishi's_Deer_Horn_Shape_Reishi.JPG, Depending on environmental or cultivation conditions lingzhi may resemble antlers, with no umbrella cap.
History
In the chronicles of ''Shiji
''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese hist ...
'' 1st c. BC from Sima Qian
Sima Qian (; ; ) was a Chinese historian of the early Han dynasty (206AD220). He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for his ''Records of the Grand Historian'', a general history of China covering more than two thousand years b ...
, is attested the initial use of nearby separately related words with «芝 ''zhi
There are many Chinese characters transcribed in Hanyu Pinyin as ''zhi'' ( Wade-Giles ''chih''):
* 志 zhì, aspiration, will. The "will" is a fundamental concept in the philosophy of Mencius, leading authorities such as David Nivison to c ...
'' — woody mushroom» and «靈 ''ling'' — divine spirit» in the poems of Emperor Wu of Han
Emperor Wu of Han (156 – 29 March 87BC), formally enshrined as Emperor Wu the Filial (), born Liu Che (劉徹) and courtesy name Tong (通), was the seventh emperor of the Han dynasty of ancient China, ruling from 141 to 87 BC. His reign la ...
. Later, in the 1st c. CE through the poetry of Ban Gu
Ban Gu (AD32–92) was a Chinese historian, politician, and poet best known for his part in compiling the ''Book of Han'', the second of China's 24 dynastic histories. He also wrote a number of '' fu'', a major literary form, part prose ...
, occurred the first combination of the hieroglyphs «靈芝» together into a single word, in an ode
An ode (from grc, ᾠδή, ōdḗ) is a type of lyric poetry. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structured in three majo ...
dedicated to «Lingzhi».[russian]
Философско-эстетический смысл так называемого «божественного гриба» («линчжи») в искусстве Китая
} / // Научные сообщения Государственного музея искусства народов Востока // М.: Наука, 1977. — Вып. 9. — С. 40—46.
Since ancient times, Taoist temples were called «the abode of mushrooms» and according to their mystical teachings, the use of woody mushrooms ''zhi'' (Ganoderma) or ''lingzhi'' «spirits mushroom», in particular making from it a concentrated decoction of hallucinogen
Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorized ...
ic action, gave followers the opportunity to see spirits or become spirits themselves by receiving the magical energy of the immortals '' xians'', located on the «fields of grace» in the heavenly «mushroom fields» ''zhi tian
''Tiān'' () is one of the oldest Chinese terms for heaven and a key concept in Chinese mythology, Chinese philosophy, philosophy, and Chinese folk religion, religion. During the Shang dynasty (17th―11th century BCE), the Chinese referred to ...
''.
In the philosophical work ''Huainanzi
The ''Huainanzi'' is an ancient Chinese text that consists of a collection of essays that resulted from a series of scholarly debates held at the court of Liu An, Prince of Huainan, sometime before 139. The ''Huainanzi'' blends Daoist, Confuci ...
'', it is said about the lingzhi mushroom as the personification of nobility; from which shamans brewed a psychedelic drink.
The ''Shennong bencao jing
''Shennong Bencaojing'' (also ''Classic of the Materia Medica'' or ''Shen-nong's Herbal Classics'' and ''Shen-nung Pen-tsao Ching''; ) is a Chinese book on agriculture and medicinal plants, traditionally attributed to Shennong. Researchers belie ...
'' (''Divine Farmer's Classic of Pharmaceutics'') of c.200–250 CE, classifies ''zhi'' into six color categories, each of which is believed to benefit the '' qi'', or "life force", in a different part of the body: ''qingzhi'' (青芝; "Green Mushroom") for the liver, ''chizhi'' (赤芝; "Red Mushroom") for the heart, ''huangzhi'' (黃芝; "Yellow Mushroom") for the spleen, ''baizhi'' (白芝; "White Mushroom") for the lungs, ''heizhi'' (黑芝; "Black Mushroom") for the kidneys, and ''zizhi'' (紫芝; "Purple Mushroom") for the Essence. Commentators identify the red ''chizhi'', or ''danzhi'' (丹芝; "cinnabar mushroom"), as the ''lingzhi''.
In taoist treatise of ''Baopuzi
The ''Baopuzi'' () is a literary work written by Ge Hong (also transliterated as Ko Hung) (), 283–343, a scholar during the turbulent Jin dynasty. ''Baopuzi'' is divided into two main sections, the esoteric ''Neipian'' () "Inner Chapters" an ...
'' from Ge Hong
Ge Hong (; b. 283 – d. 343 or 364), courtesy name Zhichuan (稚川), was a Chinese linguist, Taoist practitioner, philosopher, physician, politician, and writer during the Eastern Jin dynasty. He was the author of '' Essays on Chinese Characte ...
indicated the zhi-mushroom (lingzhi 靈芝) is used for immortality.[Ancient Chinese People's Knowledge of Macrofungi during the Period from 220 to 589](_blank)
/ ''Lu Di'' // «East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine», № 37 (2013)/2014: 36-68.[Traditional uses, chemical components and pharmacological activities of the genus Ganoderma P. Karst.: a review](_blank)
/ ''Li Wang, Jie-qing Li, Ji Zhang, Zhi-min Li,b Hong-gao Liu, Yuan-zhong Wang'' // RSC Advances
''RSC Advances'' is an online-only peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research on all aspects of the chemical sciences. It was established in 2011 and is published by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The editor-in-chief is Russell J. Cox ( Le ...
: Issue 69, 2020.
The (1596) ''Bencao Gangmu
The ''Bencao gangmu'', known in English as the ''Compendium of Materia Medica'' or ''Great Pharmacopoeia'', is an encyclopedic gathering of medicine, natural history, and Chinese herbology compiled and edited by Li Shizhen and published in the ...
'' (''Compendium of Materia Medica'') has a ''Zhi'' (芝) category that includes six types of ''zhi'' (calling the green, red, yellow, white, black, and purple mushrooms of the ''Shennong bencao jing'' the ''liuzhi'' (六芝; "six mushrooms") and sixteen other fungi, mushrooms, and lichens, including ''mu'er'' (木耳; "wood ear"; "cloud ear fungus
''Auricularia cornea'' (毛木耳, maomuer or cloud ear) is a species of fungus in the order Auriculariales. It is commercially cultivated for food in China. The species was previously referred to ''Auricularia polytricha'', but the latter speci ...
", ''Auricularia auricula-judae
''Auricularia auricula-judae'', which has the recommended English name jelly ear, also known as Judas’s ear or Jew’s ear, is a species of fungus in the order Auriculariales. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are brown, gelatinous, and have a noti ...
''). The author Li Shizhen
Li Shizhen (July 3, 1518 – 1593), courtesy name Dongbi, was a Chinese acupuncturist, herbalist, naturalist, pharmacologist, physician, and writer of the Ming dynasty. He is the author of a 27-year work, found in the ''Compendium of M ...
classified these six differently colored ''zhi'' as ''xiancao'' (仙草; "immortality herbs"), and described the effects of ''chizhi'' ("red mushroom"):
Stuart and Smith's classic study of Chinese herbology
Chinese herbology () is the theory of traditional Chinese herbal therapy, which accounts for the majority of treatments in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). A ''Nature'' editorial described TCM as "fraught with pseudoscience", and said that t ...
describes the ''zhi''.
The ''Bencao Gangmu'' does not list ''lingzhi'' as a variety of ''zhi'', but as an alternate name for the ''shi'er'' (石耳; "stone ear", ''Umbilicaria esculenta
''Umbilicaria esculenta'' is a lichen of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grows on rocks, also known as rock tripe. It can be found in East Asia including in China, Japan, and Korea. It is edible when properly prepared and has been used as a food ...
'') lichen. According to Stuart and Smith,
In Chinese art
Chinese art is visual art that originated in or is practiced in China, Greater China or by Chinese artists. Art created by Chinese residing outside of China can also be considered a part of Chinese art when it is based in or draws on Chinese ...
, the ''lingzhi'' symbolizes great health and longevity, as depicted in the imperial Forbidden City
The Forbidden City () is a Chinese palace, palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples includ ...
and Summer Palace
The Summer Palace () is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It was an imperial garden in the Qing dynasty. Inside includes Longevity Hill () Kunming Lake and Seventeen Hole Bridge. It covers an expanse of , three-quarter ...
. It was a talisman
A talisman is any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made. Talismans are often portable objects carried on someone in a variety of ways, but can also be installed perm ...
for luck in the traditional culture of China
Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...
, and the goddess of healing Guanyin
Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...
is sometimes depicted holding a lingzhi mushroom.
Regional names
Chinese
The Old Chinese
Old Chinese, also called Archaic Chinese in older works, is the oldest attested stage of Chinese language, Chinese, and the ancestor of all modern varieties of Chinese. The earliest examples of Chinese are divinatory inscriptions on oracle bones ...
name for lingzhi was first recorded during the Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
(206 BC – 9 AD). In the Chinese language
Chinese (, especially when referring to written Chinese) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and many minority ethnic groups in Greater China. About 1.3 billion people (or approximately 16% of the wor ...
, () is a compound. It comprises (); "spirit, spiritual; soul; miraculous; sacred; divine; mysterious; efficacious; effective)" as, for example, in the name of the Lingyan Temple in Jinan
Jinan (), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanization of Chinese, romanized as Tsinan, is the Capital (political), capital of Shandong province in East China, Eastern China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is the second-largest city i ...
, and (); "(traditional) plant of longevity; fungus; seed; branch; mushroom; excrescence"). Fabrizio Pregadio Fabrizio Pregadio (born January 14, 1957) is a Sinologist and a translator of Chinese language texts into English related to Taoism and Neidan (Internal Alchemy). He is currently affiliated with the International Consortium for Research in the Human ...
notes, "The term ''zhi'', which has no equivalent in Western languages, refers to a variety of supermundane substances often described as plants, fungi, or 'excrescences'." ''Zhi'' occurs in other Chinese plant names, such as (; "sesame" or "seed"), and was anciently used a phonetic loan character
All Chinese characters are logograms, but several different types can be identified, based on the manner in which they are formed or derived. There are a handful which derive from pictographs () and a number which are ideographic () in origin, inc ...
for (; "Angelica
''Angelica'' is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as Iceland, Lapland, and Greenland. They grow t ...
iris"). Chinese differentiates ''Ganoderma'' species into (; "red mushroom") ''G. lingzhi'', and (; "purple mushroom") '' Ganoderma sinense''.
Lingzhi has several synonyms
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
. Of these, (; "auspicious plant") ( ; "auspicious; felicitous omen" with the suffix ; "plant; herb") is the oldest; the ''Erya
The ''Erya'' or ''Erh-ya'' is the first surviving Chinese dictionary. Bernhard Karlgren (1931:49) concluded that "the major part of its glosses must reasonably date from the 3rd century BC."
Title
Chinese scholars interpret the first title chara ...
'' dictionary (c. 3rd century BCE) defines , interpreted as a miscopy of (; "mushroom") as (; "mushroom"), and the commentary of Guo Pu
Guo Pu (; AD 276–324), courtesy name Jingchun () was a Chinese historian, poet, and writer during the Eastern Jin period, and is best known as one of China's foremost commentators on ancient texts. Guo was a Taoist mystic, geomancer, collector ...
(276–324) says, "The 'zhi''flowers three times in one year. It is a 'ruicao''felicitous plant." Other Chinese names for ''Ganoderma'' include (; "auspicious mushroom"), (; "divine mushroom", with shen; "spirit; god' supernatural; divine"), () (with "tree; wood"), (; "immortality plant", with xian
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqin ...
; "(Daoism) transcendent; immortal; wizard"), and () or (; "mushroom plant").
Since both Chinese ''ling'' and ''zhi'' have multiple meanings, ''lingzhi'' has diverse English translations. Renditions include " hipossessed of soul power", "Herb of Spiritual Potency" or "Mushroom of Immortality", "Numinous Mushroom", "divine mushroom", "divine fungus", "Magic Fungus", and "Marvelous Fungus".
English
In English, ''lingzhi'' or ''ling chih'' (sometimes spelled "''ling chi''", using the French EFEO Chinese transcription
The Chinese transcription of the École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO) was the most used phonetic transcription of Chinese in the French-speaking world until the middle of the 20th century. While it is often deemed to have been devised by ...
) is a Chinese loanword. It is also commonly referred to as "''reishi''", which is loaned from Japanese.
The ''Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...
'' (OED) gives the definition, "The fungus ''Ganoderma lucidum'' (actually ''Ganoderma lingzhi'' (see ''Ganoderma lucidum
''Ganoderma lucidum'' is a red-colored species of ''Ganoderma'' with a limited distribution in Europe and parts of China, where it grows on decaying hardwood trees. Wild populations have been found in the United States in California and Utah, but ...
'' for details), believed in China to confer longevity and used as a symbol of this on Chinese ceramic ware.", and identifies the etymology
Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...
of the word as Chinese: ''líng'', "divine" + ''zhī'', "fungus". According to the ''OED'', the earliest recorded usage of the Wade–Giles
Wade–Giles () is a romanization system for Mandarin Chinese. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Francis Wade, during the mid-19th century, and was given completed form with Herbert A. Giles's '' Chinese–English Dictionary'' of ...
romanization ''ling chih'' is 1904, and of the Pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...
''lingzhi'' is 1980.
In addition to the transliterated loanwords, English names include "glossy ganoderma" and "shiny polyporus".
Japanese
The Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
word () is a Sino-Japanese loanword deriving from the Chinese (; ). Its modern Japanese kanji
are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...
, , is the shinjitai
are the simplified forms of kanji used in Japan since the promulgation of the Tōyō Kanji List in 1946. Some of the new forms found in ''shinjitai'' are also found in Simplified Chinese characters, but ''shinjitai'' is generally not as extensiv ...
("new character form") of the kyūjitai
''Kyūjitai'' ( ja, 舊字體 / 旧字体, lit=old character forms) are the traditional forms of kanji, Chinese written characters used in Japanese. Their simplified counterparts are ''shinjitai'' ( ja, 新字体, lit=new character forms, lab ...
("old character form"), . Synonyms for ''reishi'' are divided between Sino-Japanese borrowings and native Japanese coinages. Sinitic loanwords include literary terms such as (, from ; "auspicious plant") and (, from ; "immortality plant"). The Japanese writing system
The modern Japanese writing system uses a combination of logographic kanji, which are adopted Chinese characters, and syllabic kana. Kana itself consists of a pair of syllabaries: hiragana, used primarily for native or naturalised Japanese wo ...
uses or () for "grass; lawn; turf", and ''take'' or () for "mushroom" (e.g., shiitake
The shiitake (alternate form shitake) (; ''Lentinula edodes'') is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is now cultivated and consumed around the globe. It is considered a Medicinal fungi, medicinal mushroom in some forms of tradition ...
). A common native Japanese name is (; "10,000-year mushroom"). Other Japanese terms for ''reishi'' include (; "departure mushroom"), (; "sage mushroom"), and (; "grandchild ladle").
Korean
The Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
name, (; ) is also borrowed from, so a cognate
In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...
with, the Chinese word (; ). It is often called ''yeongjibeoseot'' (; "''yeongji'' mushroom") in Korean, with the addition of the native word () meaning "mushroom". Other common names include (, ; "elixir grass") and (; ). According to color, ''yeongji'' mushrooms can be classified as (; ) for "red", (; ) for "purple", (; ) for "black", (; ) for "blue" or "green", (; ) for "white", and (; ) for "yellow". South Korea produces over 25,000 tons of mushrooms every year.
Thai
The Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
word () is a compound of the native word () meaning "mushroom" and the loanword () from the Chinese (; ).
Vietnamese
The Vietnamese language
Vietnamese ( vi, tiếng Việt, links=no) is an Austroasiatic languages, Austroasiatic language originating from Vietnam where it is the national language, national and official language. Vietnamese is spoken natively by over 70 million people, ...
word is a loanword from Chinese. It is often used with , the Vietnamese word for "mushroom", thus is the equivalent of "lingzhi mushroom".
Uses
Clinical research and phytochemistry
''Ganoderma lucidum'' contains diverse phytochemical
Phytochemicals are chemical compounds produced by plants, generally to help them resist fungi, bacteria and plant virus infections, and also consumption by insects and other animals. The name comes . Some phytochemicals have been used as poisons ...
s, including triterpenes
Triterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of three terpene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of six isoprene units. Animals, plants and fungi all produce triterpenes, including squale ...
(ganoderic acid
Ganoderic acids are a class of closely related triterpenoids ( derivatives from lanosterol) found in '' Ganoderma'' mushrooms. For thousands of years, the fruiting bodies of ''Ganoderma'' fungi have been used in traditional medicines in East Asia ...
s), which have a molecular structure similar to that of steroid
A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and a ...
hormone
A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones are required ...
s. It also contains phytochemicals found in fungal materials, including polysaccharide
Polysaccharides (), or polycarbohydrates, are the most abundant carbohydrates found in food. They are long chain polymeric carbohydrates composed of monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic linkages. This carbohydrate can react with wa ...
s (such as beta-glucan
Beta-glucans, β-glucans comprise a group of β-D-glucose polysaccharides ( glucans) naturally occurring in the cell walls of cereals, bacteria, and fungi, with significantly differing physicochemical properties dependent on source. Typically, ...
), coumarin
Coumarin () or 2''H''-chromen-2-one is an aromatic organic chemical compound with formula . Its molecule can be described as a benzene molecule with two adjacent hydrogen atoms replaced by a lactone-like chain , forming a second six-membered h ...
, mannitol
Mannitol is a type of sugar alcohol used as a sweetener and medication. It is used as a low calorie sweetener as it is poorly absorbed by the intestines. As a medication, it is used to decrease pressure in the eyes, as in glaucoma, and to lower ...
, and alkaloids
Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar st ...
. Sterol
Sterol is an organic compound with formula , whose molecule is derived from that of gonane by replacement of a hydrogen atom in position 3 by a hydroxyl group. It is therefore an alcohol of gonane. More generally, any compounds that contain the go ...
s isolated from the mushroom include ganoderol, ganoderenic acid, ganoderiol, ganodermanontriol
Ganodermanontriol is a lanostanoid triterpene
Triterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of three terpene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of six isoprene units. Animals, plants an ...
, lucidadiol, and ganodermadiol.
A 2015 Cochrane database
Cochrane (previously known as the Cochrane Collaboration) is a British international charitable organisation formed to organise medical research findings to facilitate evidence-based choices about health interventions involving health profess ...
review found insufficient evidence to justify the use of ''G. lucidum'' as a first-line cancer treatment.[ It stated that ''G. lucidum'' may have "benefit as an alternative adjunct to conventional treatment in consideration of its potential of enhancing tumour response and stimulating host immunity."][ Existing studies do not support the use of ''G. lucidum'' for treatment of ]risk factor
In epidemiology, a risk factor or determinant is a variable associated with an increased risk of disease or infection.
Due to a lack of harmonization across disciplines, determinant, in its more widely accepted scientific meaning, is often use ...
s of cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...
in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, ...
.
Folk medicine
Because of its bitter taste, lingzhi is traditionally prepared as a hot water extract product for use in folk medicine
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
. Thinly sliced or pulverized lingzhi (either fresh or dried) is added to boiling water which is then reduced to a simmer, covered, and left for 2 hours. The resulting liquid is dark and fairly bitter in taste. The red lingzhi is often more bitter than the black. The process is sometimes repeated to increase the concentration. Alternatively, it can be used as an ingredient in a formula decoction
Decoction is a method of extraction by boiling herbal or plant material (which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes) to dissolve the chemicals of the material. It is the most common preparation method in various herbal-medicine systems. De ...
, or used to make an extract (in liquid, capsule, or powder form).
Other uses
Lingzhi is commercially manufactured and sold. Since the early 1970s, most lingzhi is cultivated. Lingzhi can grow on substrates such as sawdust, grain, and wood logs. After formation of the fruiting body, lingzhi is most commonly harvested, dried, ground, and processed into tablets or capsules to be directly ingested or made into tea or soup. Other lingzhi products include processed fungal mycelia or spores. Lingzhi is also used to create mycelium
Mycelium (plural mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are found in and on soil and many other substrate (biology), substrates. A typical single ...
bricks, mycelium furniture, and leather-like products.
See also
*Medicinal fungi
Medicinal fungi are fungi that contain metabolites or can be induced to produce metabolites through biotechnology to develop prescription drugs. Compounds successfully developed into drugs or under research include antibiotics, anti-cancer drugs, ...
References
*
{{Authority control
Dietary supplements
Fungi described in 2012
Fungi of Asia
Fungi used in traditional Chinese medicine
Ganodermataceae
Medicinal fungi
Non-timber forest products
Fungi in cultivation