Glossy, lacquered and fan-shaped, Reishi looks less like a mushroom than a piece of polished wood. For around two thousand years it has held a special place in East Asian tradition.
A royal reputation
In China, Reishi is known as lingzhi, often translated as “mushroom of immortality” or “spirit mushroom”. It appears again and again in Chinese art: carved into jade, woven into imperial robes, painted beside cranes and pine trees as a symbol of long life and good fortune. Wild Reishi was scarce, so for centuries it was reserved for emperors and nobility.
Where it grows
Ganoderma lucidum grows at the base of old hardwood trees and stumps, especially oak. Its upper surface is a deep red-brown with a varnished shine and concentric growth rings, edged with a paler band while it is still growing. Underneath, instead of gills, it has thousands of tiny pores. Today almost all Reishi is cultivated, on logs or blocks of hardwood sawdust. Ours is grown in the UK without chemical sprays.
Too tough to eat, perfect to steep
Unlike Lion’s Mane, Reishi is no use in a frying pan. It is woody, tough and distinctly bitter. That is why it has always been prepared by long, slow simmering, as a tea, a broth or a tonic. Traditional recipes often simmer thin slices for hours, sometimes with dates or ginger to soften the bitterness.
Our tincture follows the same idea. Reishi fruiting bodies are simmered in hot water, then steeped in alcohol, and the two extracts are combined at a 1:4 ratio. The result is dark, earthy and pleasantly bitter.
An evening ritual
Many of our customers stir a pipette of Reishi into a warm drink in the evening. Paired with Lion’s Mane in the morning, it makes up our Day & Night bundle. Take 1–2 pipettes a day and don’t exceed the amount on the label.
Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication, speak to your GP before use.
