Benefits and properties of Reishi: the mushroom of eternal youth.

Conscious TV

June 10, 2021

The Reishi mushroom, called Ganoderma lucidum, is a mushroom with incredible properties for humans. It enjoys special veneration in certain parts of Asia, such as Japan, Korea and China, where it has been used for more than 2000 years. In Spain, it can be found in the wild in the mountains of Palencia, which is why it has become a place of pilgrimage for the ever-increasing number of followers of the prized "fungus of eternal youth".

Its use was restricted to traditional oriental medicine, where the natural properties of different mushrooms and fungi have always been taken into account. In the 20th century, with the rise of interest in natural therapies, more than 700 international studies endorsed its potential and classified it as a "superfood", along with other natural products such as quinoa and turmeric.

The reishi mushroom is considered a "Superfood" because of its high content of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other substances such as polysaccharides, in particular beta 1-3 glucans (with recognised activity on immune function, among others). The scientific basis for the myth of eternal youth and its relation to this mushroom is based on its tremendous antioxidant properties, helps heal wounds and lowers blood pressure, helping to prevent cardiovascular diseases.

The reishi mushroom, antioxidant power and increased defences.

In China and Korea it is known as the 'mushroom of immortality' and many other cultures outside of China and Korea were already aware, at least in their upper classes, of the attributes of mushrooms in general and the reishi mushroom in particular.

The search for this mushroom and its consumption has always been associated with the highest classes of oriental culture, to the point of being considered exclusive to the emperors and their family. This was mainly due to the scarcity of the mushroom itself. In the Mediterranean region, the Romans considered it a food of the gods and the Egyptians, adapting it to their polytheistic religious beliefs, considered it a gift offered by their god Osiris.

But it was above all the Orientals who worshipped and cultivated it the most. So deeply rooted did the reishi mushroom become in Asian popular culture that it formed part of the Chinese tale "The White Snake", in which its heroine tried to steal the reishi mushroom from the gods in order to save her beloved's life.

If you want to know more about the almost magical properties of the Reishi mushroom, you can enjoy our course on the Elixir of Eternal Youth on our platform Conscious TV, the television that will transform you.