The reishi mushroom along with other mushrooms and plants, is widely used in Oriental medicine. What are the effects of reishi mushroom, and is it safe to consume?
Reishi mushroom is the scientific name of Ganoderma lucidum. Reishi mushroom is a type of mushroom that often grows in tropical regions, especially in Asia. Nowadays, reishi mushroom has become popular and widely used in Oriental medicine because some molecules of the mushroom can affect human health.
Reishi mushroom can be consumed raw, but it is frequently processed into powder or extract. What are the effects of reishi mushroom, and what health benefits does it offer?
1. 6 benefits of Reishi mushroom
1.1 Reishi mushroom improves the immune system
The first and most important effect of the reishi mushroom is to help strengthen the immune system because it can affect the genes in white blood cells, and some types of reishi mushrooms can even change the inflammatory process in white blood cells.
For cancer patients, the molecules in reishi mushrooms have the effect of increasing the activity of white blood cells, protecting the body against infectious agents, and fighting some types of cancer. Additionally, reishi mushrooms may increase white blood cell counts in patients with colorectal cancer.
Reishi mushroom helps strengthen and enhance the immune system in both patients and healthy individuals, promoting overall immune health. In general, reishi mushrooms may enhance lymphocyte function, helping cancer patients fight infections and cancer. However, its benefits for healthy adults require further research.
1.2 Reishi mushroom has anti-cancer properties
Currently, many patients use Reishi mushroom because it has anti-cancer properties, destroying cancer cells such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and colon cancer. Many studies have been conducted to confirm the beneficial effects of reishi mushrooms on cancer patients.
In addition to its anti-cancer properties, reishi mushroom helps increase the activity of white blood cells, helping the body fight cancer and improve the quality of life of patients.
However, reishi mushrooms should only be used as a combination therapy with traditional treatments, not as a replacement and more quality research is needed on the effects of reishi mushrooms on cancer patients.
1.3 Reishi mushroom can fight fatigue and depression
Another common benefit of reishi mushrooms is to help reduce fatigue and depression, nervous breakdown (headache, dizziness), and improve quality of life.
While reishi mushrooms may offer several benefits for those with illnesses, more research and clarification are necessary for healthy adults.
1.4 Other benefits of reishi mushrooms
In addition, some outstanding effects of reishi mushrooms can be mentioned as follows:
Improving cardiovascular health: Using reishi mushrooms can increase "good" HDL cholesterol and reduce triglycerides in the blood, factors that are thought to be related to the risk of causing heart disease. However, to confirm the benefit of reishi mushrooms for heart health, more research is needed.
Controlling of blood sugar level: Molecules in reishi mushrooms have been found to reduce blood sugar levels, but it is unclear whether this is fasting or postprandial blood sugar. In some cases, the effect of reishi mushrooms on blood sugar control is worse than placebo. Therefore, more research is needed on the benefits of reishi mushrooms.
Enhancing antioxidant effect: Many people believe that using reishi mushrooms helps increase antioxidant status in the body by supplementing antioxidants, which are molecules that can help prevent cell damage. However, more research is needed to confirm this benefit.
2. Recommended dosage of reishi mushrooms
Unlike some supplements, the dosage of reishi mushrooms can vary depending on the form used, whether it is the reishi mushrooms or its extract. Depending on the size of the reishi mushrooms, the dosage can range from 25 - 100 grams.
However, reishi is usually taken in the form of a dry extract. In this case, the dosage may be about 10 times less than when using the mushroom form. For example, 5 grams of mushroom extract is equivalent to 50 grams of reishi mushroom. The dosage of mushroom extract will vary but usually ranges from 1.5 - 9 grams per day.
In addition, the dosage of reishi mushrooms may be lower when using some products that have added mushrooms as ingredients, because they only use certain parts of the mushroom extract. Therefore, to know the recommended dosage, it is first necessary to determine what form of mushroom is used, whether it is a mushroom extract or a mushroom supplement.
3. Side effects and dangers that may occur when using Reishi mushroom
Although reishi mushroom is known for many of the above benefits, there are still questions about its safety when used. Therefore, many studies have been conducted to find out what risks may occur when using reishi mushrooms.
In particular, it has been discovered that using reishi mushrooms can increase the risk of side effects by 2 times compared to using a placebo. However, these effects are very small and mild, such as digestive disorders and a slight increase in the risk of stomach aches.
In addition, using reishi mushroom powder can also cause certain damage to the liver. However, studies or data on this risk are still very limited and have not been confirmed with certainty.
For user safety, the following groups should avoid using Reishi mushrooms: pregnant or breastfeeding women, individuals with blood disorders, those about to undergo surgery, and people with low blood pressure.
Reishi mushroom is known for its 6 common benefits, which are boosting immunity, anti-cancer, fatigue, and depression, boosting cardiovascular health, controlling blood sugar levels, and boosting antioxidants.
Once you understand the benefits of reishi mushroom, you can consider how to use it properly and achieve the highest efficiency in protecting your health.
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Reference source: healthline.com
