'The Herb of
Longevity and
Protection'

The Reishi mushroom, also known by its formal name Ganoderma, is arguably the most revered herbal substance in Asia, certainly ranking with Ginseng as the elite substance for the attainment of radiant health, longevity and spiritual attainment. It has maintained that position for at least 2500 years, and its reputation and value are only increasing.

Reishi has traditionally been used as an anti-aging herb and has been used for many diseases and disorders as well. Ganoderma was particularly revered by the followers of the Daoist tradition as the 'Elixir of Immortality.' Daoists have continuously claimed that Reishi promotes calmness, centeredness, balance, inner awareness and inner strength. They have used it to improve meditative practices and to protect the body, mind and spirit so that the adept could attain both a long and healthy life and spiritual awareness.

Since Reishi has been known to have many functions, it has been the subject of a great deal of research in recent years. It is absolutely safe and non-toxic. It ranks in Asia as a pre-eminent tool in the attainment of radiant health. It is used as a general tonic to help develop energy, to improve digestion and to improve sleep, and to strengthen resistance to disease.

Reishi is a profound immune potentiator. It has been found to significantly improve the functioning of the immune system whether the immune system is deficient or excessive. It is an immune 'modulator' -- that is, it helps to modulate, or regulate, and fine tune the immune system. It is the responsibility of the immune system to detect the intrusion, or invasion, of pathogenic entities and to mount a defense in order to eliminate them. A healthy immune system is capable of resisting most such intruders and a very hardy system may be able to resist invasions that many other people's systems cannot. If the immune system is weakened or malfunctioning, the invading microbes can easily establish a foothold in our body and disease sets in. Antibiotics can often be used to stop the invasion at this time, but chronic use of antibiotics further weakens the immune response. Furthermore, antibiotics are useless against viruses, pollens and most parasites. They are certainly useless against malignant (cancerous) cells generated in our own bodies. It is much better to resist the invasion from within with a fully fortified immune system and not become ill in the first place.

Reishi does not just 'stimulate' the immune system. It regulates it. And that is what makes Reishi so precious. If the immune system is excessive, as is the case with auto-immune diseases and allergies, Reishi can have significant positive influence. If it is deficient, as in the case of people who have chronic diseases like colds, the flu, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic hepatitis, etc., it activates the immune response.

Many chemical constituents play a role in Reishi's immune modulating capacity. A group of chemicals known as the ganoderic acids help fight auto-immune diseases such as allergies. Ganoderic acids inhibit histamine release, improve oxygen utilization and improve liver functions. Ganoderic acids are also potent antioxidant free-radical scavengers.

The polysaccharide components in Reishi seems to play an important role in attacking cancerous cells, but not healthy ones, while simultaneously strengthening the body's overall immune functions. The polysaccharides appear to help the body attack microbial invaders such as viruses, bacteria and yeast. Remarkable polysaccharides called Beta-1,3-D-glucan and Beta-1,6-D-glucan have been shown to have powerful anti-tumor properties. These polysaccharides activate the macrophages, the hugely important immune cells, are our first line of defense against intruders. Reishi is rich in these components. Reishi stimulates the production of interferon and interleukins I and II, potent natural anti-cancer substances produced in our own bodies. Reishi helps us to protect ourselves by our own power.

Reishi is widely used in Asia to improve the cardiovascular system. It helps lower HDL (the 'bad' cholesterol) and reduce excess fatty acids. It has been found to prevent and treat hardening of the arteries, angina and shortness of breath associated with coronary heart disease.

Reishi is a superb anti-stress herb. Throughout history it has been used to bring balance into the lives of people who needed help in this department, and that means most everyone. Historically, it was routinely used by mountain hermits, monks, Taoist adepts and spiritual seekers throughout Asia because it was believed to help calm the mind, ease tension, strengthen the nerves, strengthen memory, sharpen concentration, improve focus, build will power and, as a result, help build wisdom. That is why it was called the 'Mushroom of Spiritual Potency' by these seekers. All the scientific validation only explains the physical nature of Reishi, but it is the profound ability of Reishi to improve one's life on every plane that makes it so miraculous. Everyone who takes Reishi notices the peacefulness that seems to accompany its use. Many people are able to stop using chemical drugs. And the beneficial effects of Reishi seem to be cumulative, gradually strengthening the nerves and actually changing how we perceive life.

Reishi is commonly prescribed by MD's in Japan for memory loss, insomnia, hyperlipidemia, chronic bronchitis, and a whole range of degenerative diseases of the elderly, including disorders associated with senility.

Reishi is a substance that builds health on all levels. It is the among the finest jewels of Nature. Life itself is based on the ability to adapt to the stresses, the attacks, the challenges that come our way every day. Reishi seems to provide an incredible resource of the full range of energies we need to meet these challenges. Reishi is indeed 'the great protector,' protecting us on every level---physically, immunologically, mentally, spiritually. It helps us adapt to the world and provides additional power for us to achieve a superior level of life. When we are so protected and so provided for, we can achieve things that otherwise would be impossible. That is why Reishi has been called the 'herb of good fortune.'

Varieties

Wild Red Reishi Drops is rare, but not as rare as Purple Reishi. This Reishi, which is the Reishi that Shen Nong was talking about, is much more potent and effective than the black variety. Red Reishi is Ganoderma lucidum, the primary Reishi. It is unlikely that you will find wild Red Reishi for sale in herb shops in America, but there are a few superior products available which utilize these mountain-collected mushrooms. The extraction yield from wild red Reishi tends to be very low, so the extracted products tend to be very potent. This is a sublime product. The Red Reishi commonly found in Chinese herb shops is not wild Red Reishi---it is most likely hot house Reishi. click here to order

Duan Wood Reishi. The real deal, when it comes to Reishi mushrooms, lies in the domain of what is known as 'Duan Wood' Reishi. Reishi that is grown on certain specific varieties of wooden logs, without any chemicals, in a pristine mountain environment, is known as 'Duan wood' Reishi. In nature, Reishi grows on a large variety of trees in mountain forests throughout Asia. Just as 'we are what we eat,' a Reishi mushroom, too, is what it eats. Depending upon the kind of wood a Reishi grows upon, the Reishi may be powerful and medicinally marvelous, or it may be weak or even useless. The best Reishi grows on certain kinds of old hardwood trees that are indigenous to certain regions of China. The Chinese have made a very thorough study of this, including conducting years of pharmacological studies on laboratory animals to determine which Reishi is the most potent, based on what kind of wood it is grown on.

The appropriate Duan wood trees are cut down and cut into short logs, usually about ten inches long. They are inoculated with Reishi spores that have been specially prepared to assure successful growth. These logs are then planted in soil in mountainous regions of China. In the spring, Reishi mushrooms shoot up through the soil in great abundance. Gradually over the period of a few months they mature. Growing Duan wood Reishi requires no pesticides or chemicals of any sort. In fact, chemicals ruin Reishi, so the government forbids it. Farmers who try to use chemicals are not allowed to grow Reishi again. All Duan wood Reishi is tested. The farmers I have talked to all say they don't ever use chemicals because they are totally unnecessary. Therefore, all Duan wood Reishi is totally organic.

Eventually the mushrooms produce a thick coating of spores. In June, one day in a great unison, all the mushrooms release their spores into the air. It is at this moment that the Reishi is perfectly ripe for harvesting. The farmers stay with the mushrooms day and night collecting them, and collecting the spores on plastic tarps that they spread out over the Reishi. I have seen the farmers during this harvest, and they become completely brown as they are coated by spores. This is perhaps the most joyous harvest I have ever witnessed. The farmers seem to be in some kind of ecstasy during this ritual. The mushrooms are then sun dried and they are now ready for consumption. A second, but smaller harvest takes place about two months later. click here to order

Wild Purple Reishi. These wild mushrooms grow in the Chang Bai Mountains, north of North Korea in Jilin province. They are extremely rare. They are beautiful specimens. They are not entirely purple. They have both red and purple elements. In fact they look like red Reishi at first glance, but upon examination they have a significant purple coloration in the heart of the mushroom cap. These are revered in much the same way as wild Chang Bai Mountain Ginseng. Many people believe that Reishi originated in the Chang Bai Mountains and that Wild Purple Reishi is the great ancestor of all Reishi. It is a Wild Purple Reishi upon which the White Snake legend was based. It is considered to be the ultimate Shen tonic.

Reishi Spores. The spores of Duanwood Reishi have recently become a major source of interest in China and Japan. Reishi spores contains huge quantities of polysaccharides and other ingredients which strengthen the immune system. The spores are now being used to treat liver and stomach cancer in China. As a health tonic, it is believed that the spores are even more potent that the mushroom cap itself. The spores, being the genetic seed stock of the mushroom, contain an abundance of Jing and are therefore considered to be an anti-aging substance. Reishi spores are considered to be the virtual 'elixir of life' to Asian herbalists - the creme de la creme of tonic herbal substances. The spores must be purified, which is a difficult task because of their fineness. Traditionally, spores were believed to not only provide Jing, but to be the most subtle aspect of the Reishi and thus to develop Shen. Reishi Spores are available in America only through Ron Teeguarden's HerbGarden. click here to order

Reishi Products We Do Not Sell:

Hot house Reishi

Reishi can now be grown in hot houses in a medium of saw dust and a nutrient such as rice. Most Reishi products sold in America are of the hot house variety. Hot house Reishi is generally of low quality, and in my opinion, most of this hot house Reishi is almost useless. We do not use these in any of our products.

Reishi mycelium

Reishi mycelium is a whitish mass that grows into a piece of wood or consumes some other nutrient until the nutrient is gone. This product has been widely accepted by the American nutraceutical industry, primarily because the mycelium is much less expensive than the actual mushroom fruiting body, but is looked upon with some disdain in China and Japan. The mycelium is, to this day, not used in China. Though the mycelium may be useful, it does not match the efficacy and balance of the mushroom itself. They are not in the same league. This is especially true since virtually all mycelium is grown in hot houses on less than optimum nutrients. We sell no products which contain Reishi mycelium

All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only!  By no means is any information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by your own physician or health care provider.  You should not use any information contained in our site to self-diagnose or personally treat any medical condition or disease or prescribe any medication.  If you have or suspect you have a medical condition you are urged to contact your personal health care provider immediately.  All health supplements or products purchased in this site contain clearly labeled product packaging, which must be read to ensure proper use.  All information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. 

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