Ganoderma lucidum

Japanese word for “ancient goddess of health, life and eternal youth,” divine mushroom, mushroom of immortality. Used as medicine in China for over 4,000 years.

Flavor profile: bitter, earthy

Used: steeped as tea, brewed beverage, soup

Benefits:

• Improve mental health and mood disorders 
• Reduce the risk of neurological disorders and heart disease 
• May help fight cancer and decrease tumor size 
• Fight against fatigue 
• May lower blood sugar levels
• Helps your body adopt to new environments or climates 
• Increase antioxidants, preventing damage to your cells 
• Help decrease chronic inflammation 
• Improve metabolism and manage weight 
• Boost immune system and gut health

Proponents claim that Reishi mushrooms can help with a variety of health problems, including:

• Alzheimer’s disease 
• Anxiety 
• Arthritis
• Cancer 
• Depression 
• Diabetes 
• Fibromyalgia 
• Heart disease 
• High cholesterol 
• Inflammation 
• Obesity

Cooking Instructions:

1. Cut the mushrooms diagonally into smaller pieces or slices.
2. Place them in a clean pot and submerge it in filtered water. The more water you add, the diluted the mixture will become. An ounce of Reishi is good to brew with 2-3 quarts of water. The mixture may shrink down to a quart after cooking.
3. Cook mixture in a low to medium heat and simmer for 3 hours or up to a whole day. Once you see that the mushrooms sink to the bottom of the pan, they are ready to serve.  You can also cook it in a crock pot and have it slowly cook for up to an entire day.
4. The flavor may be bitter, so you may also add thinly sliced fresh ginger, orange peel, honey or agave nectar in the last 15 minutes of cooking the brew in a pot. You can also serve it plain.
5. Allow the tea to cool. You may also use the plain, infused water as a soup or add it in your coffee. A little goes a long way. It is best to drink the tea first thing in the morning with food or with an empty stomach. The effect varies differently with people, so you may start seeing a difference or effect, almost immediately or up to two weeks of daily intake.

Recipe Ideas: soup, coffee, tea (plain or add ginger, orange peel and honey/agave nectar)

Disclaimer: These products are not intended to cure, diagnose, prevent, or treat any disease or cancer. Information provided is not a substitute for individual medical advice. These statements have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; however, instead have been researched by scientists and scholars.