Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum, also called lingzhi) is a mushroom used in Asian medicine for more than 2,000 years. As a supplement it is marketed for heart health, immunity and cancer support, and it has been tested in a small number of trials.
Also known as: Ganoderma lucidum, lingzhi, reishi mushroom.
Reishi has no intake value or upper limit, and there is no NIH fact sheet for it. The trials pooled in the 2015 Cochrane review used 1.4 to 3 g a day for 12 to 16 weeks. These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling.
A 2015 Cochrane review (Klupp) of 5 trials with 398 people found that reishi did not meaningfully lower HbA1c, cholesterol, blood pressure or body weight in people with type 2 diabetes, and concluded that the evidence does not support it for cardiovascular risk factors. People taking it for four months had more adverse events than with placebo, though the difference was not statistically significant and none were serious.
A 2016 Cochrane review (Jin) of 5 trials in people with cancer found the studies were of poor quality and did not find enough evidence to justify reishi as a first-line cancer treatment; whether it helps long-term survival is uncertain. Side effects were few and minor, such as nausea and trouble sleeping. If you have cancer, tell your care team about any supplement you take.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for reishi that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one. Products are mushroom powders or extracts with many compounds, so no single figure would describe them.
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