This beautiful saucer-shaped, deep-red mushroom thrives in both temperate and tropical environments. In the wild, it’s habitat-specific to the base of hardwood trees. Our red reishi is sustainability cultivated in fully shaded greenhouses to maximum potency and purity. New Roots Herbal’s Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum; ling zhi in Chinese) is a hot water–extracted medicinal mushroom formula standardized to contain 40% polysaccharides (500 mg per capsule). Hot-water extraction is critical in obtaining a high-quality and effective mushroom product, and is the traditional Asian method of extraction. In the whole mushroom, polysaccharides are bound by indigestible cell wall comprised of chitin; chitin must be dissolved through hot water in order to gently release the medicinal components, the mushroom polysaccharides. Conversely, grinding the mushroom may cause damage to the long-chain polysaccharides and fails to remove the indigestible chitin (fibre), limiting the amount of therapeutic constituents that can be fit per capsule. Standardization ensures that the final product contains a consistent amount of polysaccharides to allow delivery of a therapeutic dose. Active constituents found in reishi, including triterpenes and polysaccharides, boast many benefits. Increased energy and stamina make reishi an ally for battling chronic fatigue syndrome. Inhibition of cholesterol synthesis also makes it excellent for cardiovascular wellbeing.
