King of Herbs.....

A Wonderful Herb

For thousands of years Ganoderma has been considered the King of Herbs by the Chinese. The so-named Magical Mushroom does not have any side effects, even after prolong use. It can improve one’s constitution, increase the body’s healing ability, help maintain a healthy body and promote longevity.

Magic effects of ganoderma:

Ganoderma has always been shrouded with a mysterious curtain for more than a thousand years. People only know “Ganoderma can keep one young and give one a long life if taken continuously”, but no one has ever scientifically investigated why it is so effective. Under the attentive research done by both Chinese and foreign scholars in recent years and the cooperative analysis and clinical experiments done by hospitals, colleges and pharmaceutical manufacturers, its efficacy has finally been discovered.

Important components of Ganoderma:

1) Polysaccharides: These can improve the body’s immune system and eliminate viruses.[1,2,3,4,7]

2) Triterpenes : They are a highly efficient anti-oxidant and can reduce oxidative damage by directly scavenging free radicals generated in the cells [5]. Besides that, Triterpenes are also found to have anti-inflammatory properties[6,7].

3) Its bitter taste. The efficacy is a result of the inter-relation of triterpenes and polysaccharides. Some plants may contain one or the other, but Ganoderma is much more effective as it contains both. The combination of components is different from other plants and all of the components are preserved to ensure efficiency. 

References :

1) Gao, Y., S. Zhou, W. Jiang, M. Huang and X. Dai. Effects of ganopoly (a Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide extract) on the immune functions in advanced-stage cancer patients. Immunol. Invest. 32: 201 – 215, 2003.

2) Gao, Y., W. Tang, X. Dai, H. Gao, G. Chen, J. Ye, E. Chan, H.L. Koh, X. Li and S. Zhou. Effects of water-soluble Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides on the immune functions of patients with advanced lung cancer. J. Med. Food 8: 159 – 168, 2005b.

3)_Zengtao.X.,XP Chen,ZF Zhong, LD Chen, Ganoderma lucidum Polysaccharides: Immunomodulation and Potential Anti-Tumor Activities.The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, Vol. 39, No. 1, 15 – 27. DOI: 10.1142/S0192415X11008610

4) Gao Y. H, Zhou S. F, Chen G. L, Dai X. H, Ye J. X.,Gao H. A phase I/II study of a Ganoderma lucidum (Curr.: Fr.) P. Karst. (Ling Zhi, Reishi Mushroom) Extract in patients with Chronic Hepatitis B. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2002;4:pp321-327.

5) Smina TP, Mathew J, Janardhanan KK, Devasagayam TP: Antioxidant activity and toxicity profile of total triterpenes isolated from Ganoderma lucidum (Fr.) P. Karst occurring in South India. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2011, 32(3):438-446.

6) Dudhgaonkar S, Thyagarajan A, Sliva D: Suppression of the inflammatory response by triterpenes isolated from the mushroom Ganoderma lucidum. Int Immunopharmacol. 2009, 9(11):1272-1280.

7) Chi H.J. Kao, Amalini C. Jesuthasan, Karen S. Bishop, et. al..Anti-cancer activities of Ganoderma lucidum: active ingredients and pathways. Functional Foods in Health and Disease 2013; 3(2):48-65