Probing Lingzhi or Reishi Medicinal Mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (Higher Basidiomycetes): A Bitter Mushroom with Amazing Health Benefits

Abstract

Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi or Reishi) is known as a bitter mushroom with remarkable health benefits. The active constituents found in mushrooms include polysaccharides, dietary fibers, oligosaccharides, triterpenoids, peptides and proteins, alcohols and phenols, mineral elements (such as zinc, copper, iodine, selenium, and iron), vitamins, and amino acids. The bioactive components found in the G. lucidum mushroom have numerous health properties to treat diseased conditions such as hepatopathy, chronic hepatitis, nephritis, hypertension, hyperlipemia, arthritis, neurasthenia, insomnia, bronchitis, asthma, gastric ulcers, atherosclerosis, leukopenia, diabetes, anorexia, and cancer. In spite of the voluminous literature available, G. lucidum is used mostly as an immune enhancer and a health supplement, not therapeutically. This review discusses the therapeutic potential of G. luidum to attract the scientific community to consider its therapeutic application where it can be worth pursuing.

Anti-diabetic effects of Ganoderma lucidum

“…lucidum contains various bioactive molecules, such as triterpenoids, polysaccharides, nucleotides, fatty acids, glycoproteins, sterols, steroids, proteins and peptides (Batra et al, 2013;Wachtel-Galor et al, 2011). Among these, triterpenoids, polysaccharides, glycoproteins, and proteins have hypoglycemic effects (Fatmawati et al, 2009;Hikino et al, 1985Hikino et al, , 1989Kino et al, 1990;Teng et al, 2012).…”

Laccase isozymes from Ganoderma lucidum MDU-7: Isolation, characterization, catalytic properties and differential role during oxidative stress

“…Ganoderma lucidum has been used as medicinal mushroom for treatment of various human diseases [1]. Recent, whole genome sequence of G. lucidum has revealed complete set of ligninolytic peroxidases, laccases and cellobiose dehydrogenases, which makes it excellent model for ligninolytic enzymatic studies [2].…”

The effects of different solvents on bioactive metabolites and “in vitro” antioxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterase activity of Ganoderma lucidum fruiting body and primordia extracts

“…The mycelia, mature fruiting body and spores of G. lucidum contain over 400 different bioactive compounds, including triterpenoids, polysaccharides, nucleotides, sterols, steroids, fatty acids, proteins/peptides, and trace elements which have been reported to have a number of medicinal effects [3,4] such as immunomodulation, antitumor [5,6] anti-atherosclerotic [7], anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial [8], hypolipidemic [9], hepatoprotective [10], anti-diabetic, anti-androgenic, anti-angiogenic, anti-herpetic, anti-oxidative and radical-scavenging, anti-aging [11], hypoglycemic [12] and anti-ulcer properties [13].…”