Reishi Mushroom, also known as Ling-Zhi (Chinese), has shown in recent studies to be helpful for heart health, including normal cholesterol, blood pressure, and circulatory system support. Reishi mushroom contains a high amount of polysaccharides which are essential for proper functioning of the immune system.

Reishi Mushroom is used as a tonic and a sedative. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, reishi was thought to "mend the heart." Reishi is a cardio tonic that supports normal blood and oxygen flow to the heart.

Reishi Mushroom is one of the most valued plants in the Chinese pharmacopoeia. Reishi has been used for over thousands of years as a miraculous remedy for a variety of diseases from traumatic wounds, inflammation, various ulcers.

Reishi mushroom extracts have been shown to exert many beneficial effects which seems to support Reishi historical use as an "adaptagen". An adaptagen is defined as a substance which increases the resistance to stress and improves the general tone of the body and mind. 

Reishi mushroom has been used to treat:

The immune enhancing effects of reishi mushroom are thought to be largely due to the polysaccharides. The polysaccharides are composed of individual sugar molecules, chained together to form a sugar layer. 

Recently, researchers at Shanghai Medical University, Shanghai Tumor Hospital, and Shanghai Chung San Hospital have independently isolated from the Reishi mushroom a few species of polysaccharides which have subsequently been shown in clinical studies to support normal cell division.

Other Chinese researchers have also found in animal studies, that Reishi can increase immunoglobulins and enhance the phagocytotic activities of macrophages.

In pharmacognosy, Reishi mushroom is actually the powder inside the spores of the fungus Lingzhi which are formed as Ling-zi matures. The powder collected from these spores, the essence of Reishi, consists of 18.5% high quality protein, with all 9 essential amino acids included, plus a combination of natural vitamins and critical trace elements essential for the proper functioning of the immune system, the remainder being polysaccharides.