It has 400 different bioactive compounds and these have been reported in scientific studies to have a number of effects including modification of the immune system, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, sleep promoting, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-diabetic, anti-oxidative, anti-aging and anti-ulcer to name a few.
Reishi is a Th1 stimulant and I’m Th1 dominant, so I don’t take it. Reishi is great for people with cancer, chronic infections, and immunodeficiency but not for those with autoimmune issues.
Health Benefits of Reishi
1. Reishi Reduces Inflammation and Acts as an Antioxidant
Studies have shown reishi to reduce inflammation in rheumatism, asthma, inflammation of the membrane that lines the eye and eyelids without notable side effects.
14 days of reishi increased anti-inflammatory/antioxidant markers and protected the blood from oxidative damage. Researchers say this justifies the traditional use of Reishi by African and Chinese medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent.
Multiple kinds of extracts showed anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity and can be considered a useful approach to various inflammation-related diseases.
A study on people with advanced-stage cancer showed a decrease in TNF-alpha and IL-1 which are inflammatory cytokines.
2. Reishi Improves Anxiety and Depression
Breast cancer patients reported reduced anxiety and depression, as well as increased quality of life when they received reishi along with their cancer treatment. The group not receiving reishi did not report these effects.
3. Reishi Enhances the Immune System
Most people know about reishi for balancing immunity. G. lucidum can activate or deactivate certain parts of the immune system which is why it has a modulating role instead of a specific one area of action.
Reishi mushrooms have a well-known ability to beneficially modulate the immune system. The mushrooms’ ability to boost immunity is the source of their advanced cancer- and infection-fighting properties. But it is equally important to keep your immune system from overreacting and turning on itself, as is the case with autoimmune diseases such as allergies. Reishi mushrooms have demonstrated the ability to modulate the delicate balance necessary for a healthy immune system. Studies have shown that Reishi mushrooms can reduce the overactive immune response that occurs in conditions such as allergies, asthma, and autoimmune diseases.
The polysaccharides and triterpenes found in Reishi mushrooms act at multiple targets in the cascade of events leading to inflammation and excessive immune response Reishi extracts inhibit the release of histamine from specialized immune cells called "mast cells. They have the ability to reduce the activity in nerves that transmit the itch sensation to the brain after a mosquito bite or similar itchy stimulus.
In animal models, Reishi extracts were able to sharply reduce the symptoms associated with allergies, such as rhinitis (watery, itchy nose) and mosquito bites. Studies also show that Reishi extracts can reduce “airway hyper-responsiveness,” the “twitchy” smooth muscle responses in the lung bronchi that trigger an asthma attack.
Reishi extracts also show promise for the management of the underlying immune imbalance that leads to autoimmune diseases.
It contains high amounts of organic compounds that are proven to strengthen our immune cells and improve general immune system health .
It inhibits fungus growth up to 58% in 5 different fungal pathogens.
Reishi combined with antibiotics increased the antimicrobial activity much more than synthetic antibiotics alone.
The extract showed significantly enhanced wound healing activity.
Reishi extract has potent anti-malaria activity while at the same time protecting against liver damage.
4. Reishi Relieves Allergies
Studies have shown reishi extract to reduce and inhibit all four kinds of allergic responses.
Reishi has been used for various conditions, including chronic bronchitis because it reduces histamine. Studies reveal compounds found in reishi effectively inhibits the release of histamine from mast cells and stabilized mast cells at the same time.
5. Reishi Benefits the Heart
An extract of its protein has been shown to potently lower blood pressure with effects lasting up to 8 hours.
It also reduced damage to the cells that line blood vessels.
In people with diabetes, reishi can help reduce both cholesterol and insulin resistance.
6. Reishi Helps Prevent Cancer
It has significant benefits for multiple types of cancer including prostate and breast cancer. It does this via various mechanisms: inflammation reduction, and inhibition of cell and tumor growth. G. lucidum is useful for both prevention and possible treatment.
New compounds are being discovered within extracts of Reishi mushroom on a regular basis; at least 3 were identified in late 2012 alone. These discoveries are shedding light on Reishi extracts’ remarkable, multi-targeted anti-cancer properties.
Most intriguing are findings that add to our knowledge about Reishi and the phenomenon of immune surveillance. New cancer cells appear in your body every day, but your healthy immune system normally searches these out, quickly activating killer cells to destroy developing cancers before they can form tumors.
Advancing age, coupled with the onset of other chronic illnesses, and exposure to various environmental toxins (and even some medications), means that your immune system’s ability to carry out immune surveillance wanes. And, if just one abnormal, cancer-prone cell escapes detection and destruction, it can develop into a full-blown malignancy with tremendous swiftness.
Reishi suppressed cell adhesion and cell migration of highly invasive breast and prostate cancer cells, which means it can be potent at reducing tumor growth.
Also, it is an alternative way to aid the treatment of leukemia.
Reishi has been found to significantly decrease fatigue, anxiety, and depression and improve the subjective well-being of breast cancer survivors and patients.
Treatment with reishi for 13 weeks showed reduced tumor growth and weight by roughly 50% and potent inhibition of things like mTOR which promote cancer.
Preclinical studies have shown that reishi has potent anti-tumor activity and strengthens the immune system in advanced-stage cancer.
7. Reishi Helps You Sleep
Chinese and Japanese herbalists traditionally recommend it for insomnia due to its sleep-promoting ability.
Modern science has found that it is useful for sleep.
8. Reishi Heals the Liver and Kidneys
14 patients with proteinuria, a sign of kidney disease, used reishi. All 14 patients got rid of the proteinuria after using reishi and restored their immune system to proper balance.
Your liver is the direct recipient of toxic threats both from the environment and from destructive molecules produced within your body. While it is well protected with its own antioxidant and detoxification systems, oxidation and inflammation eventually take their toll, leaving the aging liver at risk for decreased function, increased accumulation of toxic injury, fibrosis, and cancer.
Fortunately, Reishi mushrooms offer direct protection against such threats.
Studies show, for instance, that pre-treating animals with Reishi spores can protect them when they’re exposed to cadmium, a highly toxic metal capable of causing massive liver failure. Researchers found the spores decreased the cadmium accumulation in liver, while “pushing” the toxic metal into the liquid matrix of the cells. Once there, the mushroom spores increased the production of a cadmium-binding protein that removes the toxin from the body.
Reishi mushroom extracts similarly protect liver tissue from the toxic effects of certain bacterial infections. In animals with such infections, Reishi polysaccharides inhibit inflammation in liver cells. Other studies reveal that Reishi polysaccharides restore natural liver antioxidant systems to normal function following an infection, while inhibiting liver enzymes that produce excessive oxidative stress.30,31 Reishi mushrooms limit the activity of beta-glucuronidase, an enzyme that is elevated in many liver conditions, including inflammation, cirrhosis, and jaundice.
One of the most exciting potential applications for Reishi mushrooms in liver disease is in the condition called liver fibrosis, which is the final stage of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Statistics have shown that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common form of liver disease, ultimately affecting 20 to 30% of the population. In an animal model of toxin-induced liver fibrosis, treatment with Reishi extract reversed the fibrosis even after it was well-established. This is an exceptional result, because in most cases, liver disease that has advanced to the stage of fibrosis is considered irreversible.
Reishi protected against the damage done by moderate daily alcohol consumption on the liver in rats.
In malaria-infected animals, Reishi protected against liver damage while also potently suppressing the malaria infection.
9. Reishi Enhances Your Brain
Reishi also improved the brain function of the alcohol-consuming rats, both increasing the energy supply to the brain as well as decreased the amount of mind slowing neurotransmitters that alcohol increases.
G. lucidum protects the brain against seizures. It reduced IL-1B and TNF-a, which are compounds that can cause seizures.
Reishi extracts were found to stimulate the production of nerve growth factor, which in turn supports the rapid development of healthy neurons and enhances their mitochondrial function.
Reishi’s powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties make these mushrooms attractive candidates for preventing neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Both of these diseases are driven by oxidative stress and inflammation.
The triterpenes and polysaccharides from the mushrooms reduce the oxidative impact of destructive proteins such as Abeta, the chief trigger of Alzheimer’s disease,16 and they protect brain cells from the inflammation known to cause Parkinson’s disease.
Studies reveal that supplementing with Reishi mushrooms has beneficial effects for stroke victims. First, it can limit the size of the stroke-damaged area in the brain, which helps limit behavioral and functional damage caused by the stroke. Second, Reishi mushrooms protect brain tissue from hypoxia/reperfusion injury, the “one-two” punch of oxygen starvation followed by excessive oxidation that produces most of the damage in the brains of stroke victims.
But as valuable as these benefits are, nowhere are the effects of Reishi mushroom extracts more clear than in their impact on diabetes-related cognitive disorders. In animal studies, Reishi spores alleviated diabetes-induced oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in the hippocampus, one of the brain’s chief memory-processing areas.
10. Reishi Aids Gut Health
It helps prevent ulcers from forming and lowers fat in the body as well.
11. Reishi and Diabesity
Obesity is a health hazard sweeping the globe in epidemic proportions—and chief among its complications is type II diabetes. The conditions are so often found hand-in-hand that researchers refer to them as a single disease called “diabesity.” Reishi mushrooms are especially valuable in the fight against this epidemic because they’ve been shown to have benefits across the entire spectrum of diabesity.
Laboratory studies show that the polysaccharides and triterpenes in Reishi extracts can prevent the development of new fat cells from pre-adipocytes, helping to limit excessive fat storage seen in obese people. The extracts also have favorable effects on lipid profiles (cholesterol and triglycerides), which are frequently elevated in those with obesity and/or diabetes—and are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Reishi extracts work to lower blood sugar by several different mechanisms. Reishi inhibits alpha-glucosidase, the chief enzyme responsible for digesting starches into sugars. This inhibition prevents the sharp after-meal spike in glucose that is so dangerous as we age. They also limit the destruction caused by advanced glycation end products (AGEs), the proteins whose malfunction promotes aging and inflammation.
Studies have shown that reducing blood sugar and glycation with Reishi supplements reduces diabetic consequences like kidney disease. Reishi extracts also speed wound healing in diabetic individuals, the result of enhanced antioxidant function.
12. Combats Aging
Reishi mushrooms provide a broad-spectrum approach to the treatment and prevention of many of today’s age-related diseases. With their diverse molecular makeup, they offer a broad spectrum of actions that attack aging at its root.
This is seen clearly in research demonstrating Reishi’s ability to prolong the life spans of laboratory mice by 9% to more than 20% —the equivalent of 7 to nearly 16 years in human terms.
This is further demonstrated in research that has uncovered its powerful anti-cancer activity. Reishi mushrooms contribute to enhanced immune surveillance that can seek and destroy cancer cells before they can form threatening tumors.
Finally, studies have shown that Reishi extracts have a role in the prevention or mitigation of asthma, allergies, and autoimmune disorders, while offering protection against neurodegeneration, obesity and diabetes, and liver diseases of many kinds.
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