AmericanHerbal Pharmacopoeia® and herapeutic ompendium Reishi Mushroom Ganoderma lucidum Standards of Analysis, Quality Control, and Therapeutics April 2006 Editor: Roy Upton Herbalist Associate Editor Cathirose Petrone Monograph Development Coordinator Alison Graff PhD Research Associate Diana Swisher BA Board of Directors Roy Upton President American Herbal Pharmacopoeia™ Santa Cruz, CA Michael McGuffin President American Herbal Products Association Silver Spring, MD Joseph Pizzorno ND Founding President Bastyr University Kenmore, WA Authors Therapeutics Robert L Gilbertson PhD Final Reviewers Department of Plant Pathology Pharmacokinetics and Raymond Chang MD FACP History, Commercial Sources and Pharmacodynamics University of Arizona Tucson, AZ Department of Medicine Handling, Constituents James Mattioda RPh DHom Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Roy Upton Herbalist Arcana Pharmacy Constance Grauds RPh Center and American Herbal Pharmacopoeia™ Del Mar, CA Association of Natural Medicine Cornell Medical College Santa Cruz, CA James Mutch RPh Pharmacists New York, NY Integrated Healing Arts San Rafael, CA Macroscopic Identification Alice W Chen PhD Los Altos, CA Christopher Hobbs LAc Herbalist Rochester Area Mycological Alison Graff PhD Roy Upton Herbalist Institute for Natural Products Association American Herbal Pharmacopoeia™ American Herbal Pharmacopoeia™ Research Department of Biological Sciences Santa Cruz, CA Santa Cruz, CA Williams, OR State University of New York Microscopy Ping Qi Kang LAc Penfield, NY Traditional Chinese Medicine American College of Traditional Prof Dr Reinhard Länger Subhuti Dharmananda PhD Supplement Chinese Medicine Institute for Traditional Medicine Institute of Pharmacognosy San Francisco, CA University of Vienna John Chen LAc PharmD Portland, OR Vienna, Austria Herbal Advisory Committee (Chair) Yu Juan Liang LAc Hongzhu Guo MD (China) California Association of Acupuncture Asia Naturals Beijing Medical University Sidney Sudberg LAc DC Herbalist and Oriental Medicine San Francisco, CA (AHG) Department of Natural Medicinal Lotus Herbs Amanda McQuade Crawford Products Elan Mikel Sudberg La Puente, CA Alkemists Pharmaceuticals MNIMH Beijing, China Costa Mesa, CA Ojai Center for Phytotherapy Ma Li PhD Ojai, CA Elizabeth Williamson BSc PhD Review Committee Department of Pharmacology MRPharmS FLS Francis Brinker ND Caylor Wadlington LAc OMD Beijing Medical University Sheryl Fields Program in Integrative Medicine Denver, CO Beijing, China Centre for Pharmacognosy College of Medicine Xi Ping Wang PhD Professor Zhi-Bin Lin MD (China) The School of Pharmacy University of Arizona GAIA Herbs Vice President, Secretary General University of London Tucson, AZ Brevard, NC Chinese Pharmacological Society London, England James Cavender PhD Andrew Weil MD Department of Pharmacology Department of Environmental and Program in Integrative Medicine Beijing Medical University Analytical Plant Biology College of Medicine Beijing, China Substantiating Laboratories Ohio University University of Arizona Professor Geng-Tao Liu Spot Test Athens, Ohio Tucson, AZ Department of Pharmacology Sidney Sudberg LAc DC Herbalist Jeff Chilton Terry Willard PhD Institute of Materia Medica (AHG) North American Reishi Coast Pacific College of Chinese Academy of Medical Alkemists Pharmaceuticals Gibons, British Columbia, Canada Phytomedicine Sciences Beijing, China Costa Mesa, CA Malcolm Clark Calgary, Alberta, Canada Thin Layer Chromatography Gourmet Mushrooms Michael Rotblatt MD PharmD (TLC/HPTLC) Sebastopol, CA Veterans Administration Greater Los Eike Reich PhD Angeles Healthcare System Andrew Ellis LAc OMD Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center CAMAG Spring Wind Herbs Muttenz, Switzerland and Nursing Home Berkeley, CA Sepulveda, CA Amanda Bieber Adriane Fugh-Berman MD CAMAG Scientific Assistant Clinical Professor Wilmington, NC Department of Health Care Sciences School of Medicine George Washington University Washington, DC ISBN: 1-929425-10-4 ISSN: 1538-0297 © 2006 American Herbal Pharmacopoeia® Medical Disclaimer Design & Composition Post Office Box 66809, Scotts Valley, CA 95067 USA The information contained in this monograph represents a syn- Beau Barnett thesis of the authoritative scientific and traditional data. All Santa Cruz, CA All rights reserved. No part of this monograph may be repro- efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the informa- duced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or Cover Photograph tion and findings presented. Those seeking to utilize botanicals by any means without written permission of the American Reishi mushroom Ganoderma lucidum as part of a health care program should do so only under the Herbal Pharmacopoeia®. fruiting body (cultivated) guidance of a qualified health care professional. Literature retrieval provided by CCS Associates, Photograph courtesy of North American Statement of Nonendorsement Mountain View, CA Reporting on the use of proprietary products reflects studies con- Reishi, Gibons, British Columbia, The American Herbal Pharmacopoeia® is a nonprofit ducted with these and is not meant to be a product endorse- Canada educational corporation 501(c)(3). To purchase monographs or ment. botanical and chemical reference standards, contact the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia® • PO Box 66809 • Scotts Valley, CA 95067 • USA • (831-461-6318 or visit the AHP web- site at www.herbal-ahp.org. N OMENCLATURE en. Reishi mushroom was listed as the most respected out of the 120 superior tonics cited. Specifically, in this text, red Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis: Fr.) P. Karst.; reishi was reported to treat binding in the chest, tonify the Ganoderma japonicum (Fr.) Lloyd syn. G. sinense Zhao, heart, nourish the center, sharpen the wit, and improve Xu et Zhang. memory. In addition to its physical properties, reishi was said to “cultivate virtue” (Yang 1997). Family The cultivation of as many as 38 different types of reishi Ganodermataceae mushroom was recorded on a stone tablet from the year 1124; this was found at the side of the Seven Buddhas Definition Pavillion in the Mountain of Maiji in the southernmost part Reishi mushroom consists of the dried fruiting bodies of of Gansu province (Lin 1994). Interestingly, reishi mush- Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis: Fr.) P. Karst. or Ganoderma room was often not included in many of the common mate- japonicum syn. G. sinense Zhao, Xu et Zhang conforming to ria medicas throughout Chinese history, possibly due to its the methods of identification and standards provided. relative rarity or perhaps due to it being reserved only for use by royalty. It is similarly not included in many of the stan- Common Names dard English-language Chinese materia medicas of today. United States: Reishi mushroom (Herbs of Commerce), Because of its widespread use as a tonifier, modern ganoderma. Chinese physicians readily employ reishi mushroom to sup- China: Ling zhi, ling zhi cao, ling chih, hong ling port immune resistance in patients undergoing convention- zhi, chi zhi (Ganoderma lucidum); he ling al chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment for various zhi, zi zhi (Ganoderma japonicum) forms of cancer. Additionally, it is used as an antihepatotox- (Mandarin). in, cholesterol-lowering, and hypoglycemic agent and is Japan: Reishi, mannentake; rokkaku reishi considered to have marked positive effects on sleep and (antler form). mental well-being. Though it is popular among consumers Korea: Young ji. in Japan and is widely used by Asian physicians and herbal- Vietnam: Ling chi. ists, reishi mushroom was only recently included in the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (2000) and is absent from the Japanese Pharmacopoeia. H ISTORY Numerous legends surrounding reishi mushroom provide an historical record which spans 2000 years. Traditionally, it was used in China by Taoist monks to promote a centered calmness, improve meditative practices, and attain a long and healthy life. Chinese royalty, seeking longevity, held reishi mushroom in high esteem. It became immortalized throughout Chinese culture in paintings, statues, silk tapes- tries, and on the robes of emperors. Reishi mushroom has also been revered in Japanese culture where it is considered to be the most important of all the Japanese medicinal poly- pores [sarunokoshikake] (Matsumoto 1979). Traditionally, Chinese and Japanese herbalists referred to six different col- ors of reishi mushroom: green, black, white, red, yellow, and purple (Hirotani and Furuya 1990; Hsu and others 1986). The characters making up the Chinese name for reishi mushroom [ling zhi] originally depicted a “shaman crying for rain”, representing the magical or divine properties which were associated with ling zhi. Reishi mushroom has also been commonly referred to as the “mushroom of immortality”, “ten-thousand-year mushroom”, “mushroom of spiritual potency”, and “spirit plant” (Huang 1993; Liu and Bau 1994). Reishi mushroom was listed among the superior tonics [shang pin] in the most famous of all Chinese materia med- icas, the Shen Nung Ben Cao Jing (206 BC-AD 8) (Matsumoto 1979; Unschuld 1986). Superior herbs were among the most highly regarded of all medicines since they were considered to prolong life, prevent aging, boost qi, Figure 1 Reishi mushroom Ganoderma lucidum Source: Icons of Medicinal Fungi, Science Press, Beijing, China make the body light and limber, and corresponded to heav- American Herbal Pharmacopoeia® • Reishi Mushroom • April 2006 1 I DENTIFICATION Found primarily on the base, roots, or stumps of hardwoods (especially