What species do you think you have. The true reisihi does not grow in your area. There is only a very small area in CA where what matches one of the avian species called reishi has been found. Even the Japanese and Chinese fungi called reishi are 2 different species. Why would you assume that the "supposedly" beneficial chemicals are the same in different species. While some Amanitas are edible other speices of Amanita are or can be deadly.
What species do you think you have. The true reisihi does not grow in your area. There is only a very small area in CA where what matches one of the avian species called reishi has been found. Even the Japanese and Chinese fungi called reishi are 2 different species. Why would you assume that the "supposedly" beneficial chemicals are the same in different species. While some Amanitas are edible other speices of Amanita are or can be deadly.
Which reishi is considered “true” reishi—ganoderma lucidum? I have heard that tsugae and lucidum both have verified medicinal qualities. I would assume closely related mushrooms would have similar benefits, but I could be wrong.
I have only ever found them on hemlocks, so I’m guessing those are the tsugae variety.
When you said Reishi and making tincture with, it's not what the Asians use and makes others feel that all Ganodermas have proven medicinal benefits. There are no proven medicinal benefits recognized by the 0FDA. Even if a mushroom has a compound that may be beneficial one would have to be able to test each and every batch to determine how mush of the active ingredient it contains- AND how much one would have to consume to get nay benefits. Levels of chemicals can vary by 400% or more in the same species. Then what most don't realize is that there may be well over 1000 chemicals in a species that may cause ill effects in quantities that one would have to take to get one good chemical.
By doing some research I've found only one mushroom so far that does have any known ill side effects.
Dan- similar fungi do not have the same chemicals. I just got the new Amanita book by Bunyard and Justice. They have several pictures of edible Amanitas next to toxic ones. It's nearly impossible to tell them apart. I eat some Amanita species but am VERY careful with the ID of each individual specimen I pick.
I'm one of the identifiers for NAMA toxicolgy and have had people mid-identify mushrroms and suffered the side effects. Luckily none have perished- so far.
i.e.- Oysters have Lovastatin, a known cholesterol medicine, but many can't use this class, statins. They may suffer muscle issues, some of which may be severe. That's only one of he possible side effects of oysters. This is not to say eating some oysters on an occasional basis may not be detrimental but to try to self dose a concentrated dose is ill advised in my opinion.
I'll speak out against anyone that makes medicinal claims for fungi without positive proof of efficiency, proper dosage, separation of chemicals, etc. It's just not safe.
Many note the use of fungi in TCM, but TCM doe/did not work. Before the introduction of western medicine the life expectancy in China was 25-30 years behind ours.
There is some promise in some chemical compounds from fungi but not the use of the entire fruit body.
I can only speak for myself, but I am not trying to take large amounts of any mushroom to get doses of a certain compound (maybe psilocybin, haha) to treat some specific ailment. It was my impression that drinking tea or other preparations of known beneficial strains can have overall health benefits. I can see how a tincture might be problematic if it’s very concentrated. I’m not doing this with amanitas for obvious reasons. But species like turkey tail, chaga, reishi, maitake that have touted health benefits and studies to back them up (?) are welcome in my diet in moderate quantities.
Clearly you are an expert in this topic and are coming at it from a much more scientific angle, so I would love it if you’d correct any misconceptions I have or point me in the right direction.
With that said, there’s a large disparity between what alternative health fads and the FDA say about health topics, and I believe the truth is often somewhere in the middle.
It seems like you are claiming that mushrooms in general have no health benefits at all, which is outrageous.
First- Reishi is the usualcommon name for Ganoderma lucidum, not the G. tsugae that grows on hemlocks in the eastern US. Some use the common name for al Ganodermas but there are no official common names for any fungi. one known side effect of G. tsugae and G. lucidum is that they can cause excessive bleeding.
Chaga- I searched for days and days to find a scientific article on Chaga and some of the levels of certain compounds it contains. There has been at least one death documented due to long term use of this fungi. The only chaga that had active chemicals were from live trees, and in the mycellial part only. I don't like that anyone would dig into a live tree to get it. It contains very high levels of oxalic acid, which binds with calcium to produce calcium-oxalate crystals which can cause kidney tones and may cause other kidney damage. It is also suspected to use the available calcium which may lead to osteoporosis especially common in older women.
There are many claims to the so called medicinal benefits but most studies are not in humans or peer reviewed and don't look at side effects. Most are in petri dishes on specific cell lines ( cancer type,etc.) and/or in genetically bred mice. Cancer has been cured in mice 1000times but not in humans. In fast one well known doctor/mycologist/author on good or bad medicinal fungi research told me that rats and mice can eat the toxic amanitas while humans can't. It's similar to the fact that dogs can't eat chocolate while humans can. One doesn't know how fungi in concentrated or tincture form act in humans.
If someone has a side effect, would they think it may be from a fungal "medicine"? doubtful.
Reishi has been studied for decades but no medicine has come form them. As yourself why. It just hasn't panned out.
The major drug companies would love to come up with a medicine that comes form just about any source but they haven't had luck with fungi- so far. They may. I don't particularly like big pharma but they do spend billions and billions on research on any rug or chemical that may help or cure physical issues or diseases.
To get a god idea of fairly recent research on the possible health benefits of fungi read Mushrooms, poisons and panaceas by Denis Benjamin. psilocybin- some cicadas get infected with a fungus that produces this chemical. It's generally found in mushrroms and is known for it's psychedelic effect. Before you go collecting cicadas to get high know that it may take 3000 to 300,000 to get a mild high (effect).
I only point this out to let pole know that even if a fungi has a chemical that may eventually be found to be therapeutic it may only have tiny amounts.
rjmichna - nice!
Have you been doing the extracts long?
This is my latest batch (2020).
16 oz bottles which at my consumption of 1 tblsp/day usually last more than a month each. These were later filtered through coffee filters which results (below) in what looks like tea in clarity & color.
The contribution of Reishi alone to my good health cannot be distilled (pun intended) as I choose to do many things that are beneficial to my health.
My passing social-conversation comment to others is that "If the medical industry had to survive serving a population of people as healthy as myself, it would be just 5% of it's size."
Well . . . while I'm at it: I also joke that "My intentions are to live a healthy, active, long life . . . and then die quickly . . . but see/enjoy its' approach for at least 5 or 10 minutes!"
Responding again to your question, I've been doing my own (Red) Reishi extract for 5 years and before that I took Reishi capsules for 5 years. At 72 years age, I'm (also & still) drawn to consume Turkey Tail (family history of cancer) and Lions Mane (family history of dementia).
I process them myself after paying for them for years. The lions mane, I don't do as an extract. I dry and powder it and put it into cooked cereal, pancakes, health smoothies, etc.
Greater Numbers of Dead Hemlocks for Red Reishi To grow on.
There is an eastern U.S. infestation of Eastern Hemlocks by the Hemlock Wolly Aphid (Adelgid) and it's killing the Eastern Hemlock. That's one reason why there are more dead Hemlocks for the Red Reishi or Hemlock Varnish Shelf (Ganoderma tsugae) to grow on.
I doubt I'll ever again need to resort to buying dried Red Reishi from overseas for extract.
Hi RJMICHNA - A tincture made from your Ganoderma will do you no harm, and may well do some good. After all, if your mushrooms share some fraction of the beneficial compounds found in the "Mushroom of Immortality" - the Ganoderma lucidum - you'll get a fraction of immortality. And the placebo effect is not to be sniffed at. Beautiful mushrooms you have there!
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