Reishi
Ganoderma lucidum · Líng Zhī 灵芝
The revered 'mushroom of immortality'.
Evidence tier
Preliminary
Research weight
Citations
16 verified / 17
Classification
TCM Herb
❝
What the evidence says. Early or small human trials; promising but not yet conclusive.
What is Reishi?
Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum · Líng Zhī 灵芝) is a traditional Chinese medicine herb used for immune modulation. NutriDex grades the human evidence as Preliminary. Reishi (Líng Zhī) has been prized in TCM for longevity and calm for over two millennia. Its polysaccharides and triterpenes show immunomodulating and antioxidant activity in lab studies. A Cochrane review concluded reishi may enhance immune response when used alongside conventional cancer treatment but is not a substitute for it. Traditional use for restful sleep and stress has only thin human support so far.
Purported Benefits
✓Immune modulation
✓Calm & sleep support
✓Possible cancer-care adjunct
✓Antioxidant
Evidence by outcome
The same supplement can be well-proven for one use and unproven for another — here is the human evidence graded outcome by outcome.
| Outcome | Evidence | Effect | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immune cell modulationOne 135-adult RCT raised CD4/CD8 ratio and NK counts/cytotoxicity; limited replication. | Preliminary | ↑ benefit · moderate | 2 |
| Cancer-care adjunct (survival/efficacy)A 23-RCT MA linked adjunct use to lower mortality (HR 0.82); Cochrane and MD Anderson call evidence inconclusive. | Mixed | ↑ benefit · small | 3 |
| Fatigue / neurasthenia & wellbeingOne neurasthenia RCT showed benefit; a fibromyalgia RCT found no between-group effect after correction. | Mixed | ↔ mixed · small | 2 |
| Glycemic / cardiovascular risk factorsCochrane (5 RCTs) and a T2D RCT found no effect on HbA1c, glucose, or lipids. | Moderate | — no effect · negligible | 2 |
| Inflammatory markersHuman MA found no significant effect on hs-CRP or TNF-alpha; anti-inflammatory data are preclinical only. | Preliminary | — no effect · negligible | 1 |
Dosing & Compounds
Typical Dose
1.5–9 g/day of extract (standardized to polysaccharides/triterpenes).
Active Compounds
Safety & Cautions
Generally safe for a few months. GI upset, dry mouth. Increases bleeding risk — caution with anticoagulants and before surgery; rare liver-injury reports. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Reishi with any medicine.
Key Studies ★ 17 studies
systematic review/meta-analysis
Mohammadnezhad 2025 (meta-analysis)
✓ PubMed
GRADE-assessed meta-analysis of 17 RCTs (n=971; 200-11,200 mg/day, 1-24 wk) found small significant reductions in BMI (-0.43 kg/m2), creatinine (-0.14 mg/dL) and heart rate (-3.92 bpm) and increased GPx, but evidence quality was very low.
systematic review/meta-analysis (preclinical)
Yusoff 2026 (meta-analysis, preclinical)
✓ PubMed
Meta-analysis of 23 preclinical studies found Ganoderma lucidum triterpenes significantly reduced inflammatory markers (IL-6, TNF-alpha, nitric oxide) in cell and animal models; no human data.
Meta-analysis
Jafari 2025
✓ Full text
GRADE-assessed meta-analysis of 17 RCTs (n=971) found Ganoderma lucidum significantly reduced BMI (-0.43; 95% CI -0.77 to -0.10) and heart rate, but had NO significant effect on inflammatory markers (hs-CRP -0.28, CI -0.91 to 0.35; TNF-alpha NS); overall evidence quality rated very low.
Systematic review
Narayanan et al. (MD Anderson) 2023
✓ PubMed
Systematic review of 39 clinical studies of medicinal mushrooms in cancer: reishi/other supplements showed favorable immunological response (11 studies) and improved quality of life / reduced symptom burden (14 studies) with mostly grade <=2 adverse events, but evidence judged inconclusive for routine clinical recommendation.
Cochrane review
Jin 2016 (Cochrane)
✓ PubMed
Possible immune-enhancing adjunct in cancer care; not a standalone therapy.
Systematic review
Klupp et al. (Cochrane) 2015
✓ PubMed
Cochrane review of 5 RCTs (n=398, mostly type 2 diabetes): G. lucidum (1.4-3 g/day, 12-16 wk) produced no significant reduction in HbA1c (WMD -0.10%), total cholesterol, LDL-C or BMI vs placebo; does not support use for cardiovascular risk factors. Adverse-event risk non-significantly higher (RR 1.67).
Meta-analysis
Zhong et al. 2019
✓ PubMed
Meta-analysis of 23 RCTs (4,246 cancer patients): Ganoderma/Coriolus-related natural products as adjunct therapy were associated with lower mortality (HR 0.82; 95% CI 0.72-0.94) and higher total efficacy (RR 1.30; 95% CI 1.09-1.55), and raised CD3 (+9.03%) and CD4 (+9.2%); no effect on relapse-free survival or NK-cell levels.
randomized controlled trial
Garhwal 2023 (RCT)
✓ PubMed
Double-blind RCT in 135 healthy adults (200 mg/day Reishi beta-glucan, 84 days) showed significant immune enhancement vs placebo, including a 12.9% rise in CD4/CD8 ratio and ~19.5% increase in NK cell counts.
RCT
Chiu 2023 (Foods)
✓ Full text
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 135 healthy adults taking 200 mg/day Reishi beta-1,3/1,6-D-glucan for 84 days significantly increased CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T-lymphocytes, NK cell count and NK cytotoxicity (67.4% vs 35.8%, p=0.001) versus placebo.
Randomized controlled trial
Collado-Mateo 2020 (RCT)
✓ Full text
Double-blind placebo-controlled pilot RCT in 64 women with fibromyalgia (6 g/day, 6 weeks) found no significant between-group differences after Bonferroni correction, though the treatment arm showed within-group improvements in happiness, depression (GDS) and life satisfaction.
NIH toxicology database (authoritative)
NIH LiverTox 2024
✓ Full text
NIH's LiverTox database assigns Lingzhi/Reishi a likelihood score of D (possible rare cause of clinically apparent liver injury), noting it is well tolerated without aminotransferase elevations in controlled trials, with only rare, often poorly documented hepatocellular injury cases (onset 1-2 months) that resolve completely after discontinuation.
randomized controlled trial
Klupp 2016 (RCT)
✓ PubMed
Double-blind placebo-controlled RCT in 84 adults with type 2 diabetes/metabolic syndrome (3 g/day, 16 wk) found no effect on HbA1c, fasting glucose or other cardiovascular risk factors.
Randomized controlled trial
Tang 2005 (RCT)
✓ PubMed
Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial in 123 patients with neurasthenia (Ganopoly polysaccharide extract 1,800 mg three times daily, 8 weeks) found significantly greater improvement than placebo, with 28.3% reduction in fatigue and 51.6% rated more than minimally improved vs 24.6% on placebo.
Randomized controlled trial
Noguchi 2008 (RCT)
✓ PubMed
Double-blind placebo-controlled dose-ranging RCT in 50 men aged 50+ with lower urinary tract symptoms (0.6, 6, or 60 mg/day Ganoderma extract, 8 weeks) showed significant improvement in International Prostate Symptom Score versus placebo at weeks 4 and 8, identifying 6 mg/day as the optimal dose.
case report
Wanmuang 2007/Yuen 2004 (case report)
✓ PubMed
Case report in J Hepatol of an elderly woman who developed hepatotoxicity attributed to a Ganoderma lucidum (lingzhi) formulation, illustrating a rare liver-injury safety signal.
Study
Small RCTs
✓ Full text
Mixed effects on fatigue and quality of life.
Preclinical
Preclinical studies
Verify ↗
Antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects in animal models.