For centuries, Ganoderma Lucidum has been known as a cardiotonic herb. It was prescribed routinely tothose with a "knotted and tight chest" symptoms consistent with both stress and/or coronary artery disease-related angina. Researchers in China found that Ganoderma Lucidum improved the blood flow and lowered oxygen consumption in the heart muscle.(3) Similar results were also found by Japanese scientists.(1,4 ) They found that Ganoderma Lucidum contains ganoderic acids (which belong to a group of natural substances called "triterpenes") which lower high blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and inhibit platelet aggregation (the clumping together of blood cells), which can lead to heart attacks and other circulation problems.

In a six-month clinical trial performed in a university hospital in Tokyo, nearly half (47.5%) of 53 hypertensive patients lowered their blood pressure by 10-19 mmHg, and 10% of the subjects dropped their pressures 20-29 mmHg (both systolic and diastolic readings) after taking Ganoderma Lucidum extract.1 Similar results were observed in a Chinese clinical trial without any side-effects.(1) Another large Ganoderma Lucidum study in China found that low density lipoprotein (LDL the harmful cholesterol) levels dropped in 68% of 90 patients following only one to four months of Ganoderma Lucidum use.

Recently, Russian scientists have taken an interest in Ganoderma Lucidum. They found that in addition to all the cardiovascular benefits mentioned above, Ganoderma Lucidum showed a significant preventive and therapeutic action against plaque build-up ("plaque" is a fatty goo which is comprised of a combination of oxidized cholesterol, calcium, and degenerated white blood cells ["foam cells"]. It is deposited on the walls of arteries which restricts blood flow by narrowing the passage within arteries resulting in atherosclerosis).

Studies of Ganoderma Lucidum in cancer research have been largely conducted in Japan, where Ganoderma Lucidum was scientifically proven to have an anti-tumor effect. This research has continued in Korea, Japan, and China.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Ganoderma Lucidum's anti-allergy action became the subject of ongoing research in both China and Japan. Studies showed that Ganoderma Lucidum extract significantly inhibited all four types of allergic reactions, including positive effects against asthma and contact dermatitis. In 1990, researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio found that Ganoderma Lucidum could be effectively used in treating stiff necks, stiff shoulders, conjunctivitis (inflammation of the fine membrane lining the eye and eyelids), bronchitis, rheumatism, and improving "competence" of the immune system without any significant side-effects.(6)

Ganoderma Lucidum is commonly prescribed in China for the treatment of chronic hepatitis. In treatments lasting 2 to 15 weeks, the overall rate of efficiency was 70.7 to 98.0%.(4) In Japan, Ganoderma Lucidum extract has been reported to be effective in treating patients with liver failure.(1) In animal studies of mice with carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatitis, the extent of liver damage was significantly inhibited by continuous dosing with Ganoderma Lucidum tincture, and the regeneration of the liver was promoted.(7)

Reference:

1. Kenneth J. 1992 REISHI:Ancient herb for modern times. Sylvan Press.
2. Wasson RG. Divine mushroom of immortality. Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, Los Angeles, 80-93, 1968.
3. "Lingzhi". In Pharmacology and Application of Chinese Materia Medica, Vol. I. Chang HM and But RPH, eds. World Scientific: Singapore, 642, 1986.
4. Stanislaus CS. LingzhiMedicine of Kings. New Editions Health World, 38-41, June, 1995.
5. Carlson J. Reishi Mushroom. New Editions Health World, 23-25, April, 1996.
6. Stavinoha WB, et al. Study of the anti-inflammatory activity of Ganoderma lucidum. Presented at the Third Academic/Industry Joint Conference (AIJC), Sapporo, Japan, 1990.
7. Lin JM, Lin CC, Chiu HF, Yang JJ, and Lee SG. Evaluation of the anti-imflammatory and liver protective effects of anoectochilus formosanus ganoderma lucidum and gynostemma pentaphyllum in rats. Am J Chi Med, 21:59-69, 1993. 3215, 1985.