Ganoderma lucidum, more commonly known in China as Reishi or Lingzhi, is one of the best-studied and most-utilized medicinal mushrooms. It has earned itself several descriptive titles including Soul Mushroom, King of Mushrooms and Queen Healer.

Reishi tea is an herbal beverage prepared from dried Ganoderma Lucidum mushroom pieces, green tea leaves, rooibos leaves (Aspalathus linearis), cordyceps mushroom powder (Cordyceps militaris) and lemongrass leaves (Cymbopogon citratus). Enjoyed anytime of day for its antioxidant benefits, Reishi Tea can also support cardiovascular health, boost immune functions and help alleviate stress levels while soothing nerves.

Studies of G. lucidum extracts in vitro and in vivo have demonstrated their antihypertensive, hypoglycaemic, lipid-lowering, and antioxidant activities (Liu and Tie 2019). Unfortunately, evidence for these effects in clinical trials remains inconsistent due to different formulations and study populations (Hapuarachchi et al. 2016).

G. lucidum contains several antioxidant compounds with strong antioxidative activity, both reducing power and radical-scavenging capability; its polysaccharides also have this property (Mau et al. 2002; Saltarelli et al. 2009; Wu and Wang 2009). Furthermore, organic fractions from G. lucidum show cholesterol-reducing potential both in vitro and ex vivo studies with rats as well as in hamsters and minipigs (Berger et al. 2004).

G. lucidum has been shown to effectively inhibit the secretion of urokinase plasminogen activator from human breast cancer cells (Wu and Wang 2009). As with all natural products, however, G. lucidum may interact with prescription medications like warfarin. Furthermore, its blood-thinning effect could even enhance other anticoagulant/antitplatelet agents (Kumaran et al. 2011).

No matter the health benefits associated with Reishi tea, people with existing medical conditions should seek advice from their physician prior to beginning any herbal therapy regimen. It’s also wise to avoid drinking Reishi when taking blood-thinning medicines as this could increase bleeding times. Reishi can interact with antibiotics and certain sedatives such as clonazepam, diazepam and benzodiazepines; furthermore it contains caffeine which should not be combined with stimulants like cocaine, ephedrine or amphetamines (Klupp et al. 2015). People taking these medications should exercise extra caution when drinking reishi tea; one cup contains less than 1 gram of calories, fats, saturated fats, total carbohydrates, sugars, proteins, sodium, calcium, iron potassium and dietary fiber. The Institute of Food Technologists defines functional foods as foods which offer additional nutritional benefits beyond what can be gained through basic nutrition alone. Reishi tea, for example, provides an excellent source of dietary fiber, manganese and magnesium. Reishi Mushroom Tea can help those living with chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer as well as those seeking weight loss. With every two boxes sold of Reishi Mushroom Tea sold from NOW’s Reishi Mushroom Tea sold, one box will be donated directly to a food pantry in need.