Reishi Mushroom: What It Is, Taste and How to Take It
2 min read By Mataye
In brief
Reishi, also called lingzhi or Ganoderma, is a hard, bitter mushroom with a long history in traditional Chinese medicine. What it is, safety and how it is used in coffee.
Reishi is a mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum, and close relatives) known as lingzhi in China. It is one of the best known mushrooms in traditional Chinese medicine, and today it shows up in teas, capsules and mushroom coffee.
What is reishi?
Unlike the mushrooms you cook, reishi is hard and woody, with a shiny red-brown cap. It is too tough to eat, so it has always been taken as a tea, a tincture or a powder. Its traditional uses centre on rest and general wellbeing.
What does reishi taste like?
Reishi tastes bitter, earthy and woody, with no sweetness at all. On its own, reishi tea is an acquired taste. The bitterness comes from triterpenes called ganoderic acids. A 2016 study of commercially grown reishi found that high levels of these acids account for the bitter taste, and that the East Asian species sold as lingzhi (Ganoderma lingzhi) contains far more of them than European Ganoderma lucidum (Hennicke 2016).
| Form | Taste |
|---|---|
| Tea from dried slices | Strongly bitter, woody |
| Extract powder | Bitter, concentrated |
| Capsules | None, you swallow them |
| In coffee or cocoa | Hidden by the roast |
That is why reishi is so often blended into coffee or cocoa: the roast covers the bitterness. In Mataye Mushroom Coffee you will not pick it out. To soften a reishi tea, brew it with ginger or add honey or lemon.
What does the research say?
Reishi contains polysaccharides (beta-glucans) and triterpenes, which researchers have studied mainly in the lab and in animals, often in relation to the immune system. Human studies exist but are small and mixed, and reviews have not found clear benefits. No health claims are authorised for reishi in the UK.
Who should avoid reishi?
- People on blood thinners, or before surgery, as reishi may slow blood clotting.
- People taking medicine for blood pressure or diabetes, as reishi may lower both.
- People on immunosuppressants.
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women, as there is not enough safety data.
- Anyone allergic to mushrooms.
There are rare reports of liver problems linked to concentrated reishi powders. If you have a liver condition, ask your doctor first. A pharmacist can check any medicine you take.
Reishi coffee and Ganoderma coffee
You may see "Ganoderma coffee" sold as a reishi coffee. It is the same idea: instant coffee blended with Ganoderma powder. When comparing, look for the amount of reishi per serving and whether it is fruiting body or mycelium. Mataye Mushroom Coffee has 700 mg of reishi fruiting body per serving, with lion's mane, cordyceps, chaga and shiitake. See what is mushroom coffee for the full picture.
How to take reishi
- In coffee: the easiest way if you dislike the bitterness. One serving of Mataye Mushroom Coffee in hot water or milk.
- As tea: simmer dried slices for 30 minutes or more. Strong and bitter.
- Capsules: check the label for the dose and the part of the mushroom used.
If you want reishi without caffeine, choose a reishi tea or a caffeine-free mushroom drink; a mushroom coffee always has the caffeine of its coffee.
Keep reading: reishi benefits and side effects, chaga, the birch mushroom and our complete mushroom coffee guide.
Read next: ganoderma coffee: what is in it.
Sources
- Cochrane, Ganoderma lucidum (reishi mushroom) for cancer treatment
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, About Herbs: reishi mushroom
- Hennicke F et al., Distinguishing commercially grown Ganoderma lucidum from Ganoderma lingzhi on the basis of morphology, molecular phylogeny and triterpenic acid profiles, Phytochemistry, 2016
