Several research studies have revealed medicinal effects of Reishi mushroom or Ganoderma. It is believed that the bioactive substances are active enough to be used in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle and diet as a preventive food for many diseases. It plays a great role in improvement of a healthy immune system, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, assistance to aid inflammation response in body tissues, improvement in good cholesterol levels, improve nervous system function and the sleep cycle, reduces environmental and emotional stress, and impacts body positively in many other ways.
The antioxidant benefits:
In addition, it has been shown to possess strong antioxidant properties. It has been proven that oxidative stress is generally caused, in part, to various pathological conditions and diseases can contribute to aging signs. It also has been shown that oxidants or free radicals are one of the main causes of accelerated aging. Tseng et al., (2008) has proved in his research that polysaccharides of Ganoderma lucidum possess strong anti-oxidant properties. The research studies conducted in this regard also established that polysaccharides of Ganoderma lucidum increase scavenging activities of the anti-oxidants and reduce Fe2+ chelation ( Liu, Wang, Pang, Yao, & Gao, 2010) but also cause scavenging of free-oxygen radicals. Another research by Chen et al., 2008 revealed that polysaccharides from Ganoderma lucidum (PSG-1 ) was more effective than any other antioxidant to promote scavenging activity of DPPH free radical and superoxide anion which are strong antioxidants. Li, Nie, Yan, Zhu, & Xie, (2009) conducted the research which reflected that PSG-1 (polysaccharide from Ganoderma lucidum) significantly reduced the production of anti-oxidant like lactate dehydrogenase, apoptosis, MDA, and ROS generation. Another study by (Li et al., 2011c) on aging mice as a subject revealed that it has significant impact on aging, so it is an established anti-aging compound.
The studies conducted on the polysaccharides in the reishi mushroom reveal that it has novel properties to act as an active anti-oxidant agent which not only helps keep the body away from potential pathological effects of aging but also decrease those aging signs in the body.