The Reishi mushroomis one of the most revered herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Now known as Ling zhi in China, there are references to its use in that country as far back as 100 B.C. where it was referred to as the "Herb of Spiritual Potency" and the "Ten-thousand Year Mushroom".

The focus of TCM is on actively promoting good health and the prevention of health problems. Reishi is one of the most highly regarded herbs in TCM for this purpose and the mushroom most often used as a general health tonic.

Modern clinical research also supports many of the uses for this mushroom as described in TCM. It benefits immune health and liver function.  Reishimushroom extract are frequently used by mountain climbers to combat altitude sickness and are contained in many of the performance enhancing herbal formulas used by Chinese athletes.

Traditional Use and Preparation
Reishi is mild and warming in nature, with a bitter taste. In TCM it is used to nourish, tonify, remove toxins and disperse accumulation. It is used as a tonic for symptoms of weakness or debility and as a sedative for dizziness and insomnia.4All available references from TCM have Reishi prepared as a hot-water extraction/decoction.5