Hello! Today we will talk about mushrooms, or rather,
about one of them, which is rare in nature. But the benefits from it cannot be overestimated.
It's about the reishi mushroom. This is what they call him in Japan. The Chinese call it
lingzhi, and in Russia it is lacquered polypore, scientifically Ganoderma lucidum. The name
translates as, "mushroom of spiritual power." At its core, it is a parasitic fungus that
grows well on diseased or dying trees. It is a unique saprophyte that feeds on wood
juices. This mushroom, possessing the widest spectrum of action and the absence of side
effects, has been used in oriental medicine for over two thousand years.
For thousands of years, reishi has been used by the Chinese and later by the Japanese for
a variety of health problems. It is almost impossible to meet him in nature. And before
the discovery of the method of growing mushrooms in artificial conditions, because of its medicinal
properties, it was incredibly expensive. It was inherited or could even be part of the
dowry. Reishi mushroom has no smell or taste. There
is only a bitter taste, so it belongs to inedible mushrooms. It is used only for medicinal purposes.
The mushroom is especially appreciated in Japan and China - here it is considered the
source of eternal youth. The ancient secret of reishi cultivation was
discovered only in 1972, when the Japanese farmer Shigeaki Mori was able to artificially
grow the first mushrooms of this species on a "mushroom farm". From that moment on, medicines
began to be produced from Reishi on an industrial scale, so that treatment with these mushrooms
became available to many people. Until that time, all reishi mushrooms found in natural
conditions were sold only to the rich and court doctors. Some rulers even issued a decree
on the mandatory surrender of all reishi mushrooms found to the imperial treasury. This mushroom
was so highly prized that all of Chinese mythology was built on it, images of Reishi can be found
in many works of oriental art. Reishi has a huge therapeutic spectrum due
to the presence of a large number of active ingredients. It is one of the most powerful
anti-tumor fungi. It contains beta-glucans that have antitumor and antibiotic properties,
at least one hundred ganoderic acids that stop allergic reactions and lower blood sugar
levels, polysaccharides and triterpenoids that improve the functions of the immune system,
and the presence of adenosine determines its use in cardiovascular diseases ...
Triterpenes are capable of restoring the mechanism of normal cell death and apoptosis in tumor
cells. As a result of the combination of these mechanisms, a pronounced antitumor effect
develops, which is used in the complex therapy of cancer.
Reishi is the first mushroom in diseases of the cardiovascular system. Scientists from
China, Japan and Korea have carried out major scientific studies on the effect of reishi
substances on the blood vessels and the human heart.
They found that there are several mechanisms of influence on a person. The first action
is to lower cholesterol levels. This mechanism is extremely important, since the development
of atherosclerosis, a formidable harbinger of fatal human diseases, myocardial infarction
and cerebral stroke, depends on the level of oxidized cholesterol.
The second action is to lower blood pressure. Reishi triterpenes block one enzyme, due to
the action of which, the blood vessels narrow, increasing pressure. The enzyme is blocked,
the vessels dilate and the pressure is normalized. And the third very important action. Due to
the adenosine and germanium contained in reishi, the myocardial tissue is better supplied with
oxygen, the load on the heart is reduced due to the expansion of the coronary arteries.
Now let's fast forward to Japan to find out how this extremely interesting mushroom is
grown. Japan, as well as China and Vietnam, are the main suppliers of lacquered tinder
fungus. In Russia, Reishi can be found in the subtropics - in the Krasnodar Territory
and in the Caucasus. The favorable climate allows the saprophyte to fully mature over
the summer - slowly, in natural conditions. Growing a mushroom in artificial conditions
is one of the most effective and profitable ways to obtain a useful product that is guaranteed
to be free from harmful substances. Also, if you grow mushrooms for sale, you can get
a good profit. After all, the demand for this variety of mushrooms is constantly growing.
This mushroom is considered an annual, but it happens that it lives for 2 or 3 years.
Reishi mushroom consists of a leg about 30 centimeters long and a cap up to 25 centimeters
in diameter. The color of the cap is changeable, the mushroom can take on different shades
- from reddish to purple. The cap is shaped like a human kidney. The surface is wavy.
The mushroom is smooth and shiny. You can see many growth rings on the hat.
With the onset of winter, it is time to prepare the forest for growing mushrooms. Old oak
wood is best suited for this purpose. First of all, the workpiece is cut into logs. They
are laid out on trays in order to steam them. The steaming process will take 2 days. Then
prepared mushroom spores are poured onto the logs. Logs with mushroom spores are placed
in the incubation room. They will be here for one year, until the mushrooms appear.
We are located inside an incubator where temperature and humidity are strictly controlled. A little
more time will pass and the mushrooms will be transported to the main premises of the
farm. Before this, the mushrooms are checked for germination. It can be seen that the stems
of the mushrooms have grown well. With the onset of spring, the sprouted mushrooms are
delivered to the prepared area and buried in the ground.
It is here that the process of growing mushrooms will continue.
Mushrooms need to be watered regularly. This uses regular tap water. But water from a well
or rainwater cannot be used. Finally, it's time to pick mushrooms. They
are now bright yellow on the bottom, and the top is dark brown. Thus, the Red Reishi, the
most valuable artificial mushroom in modern times, was grown.
Large size and thick cap are a sign of healthy mushrooms. As reishi grow, they increase in
size and become drier, but are healthier when fresh and moist inside.
Before picking mushrooms, they are carefully examined. Cut the mushrooms with scissors.
As already mentioned, red reishi
is recognized as very effective in
the treatment of cancer and other diseases, therefore the price of this mushroom will
be very high. According to some reports, the price for one kilogram of fresh mushrooms
of five years
of age reaches 200 US dollars. However, Japan accounts for only 10 percent
of world mushroom exports, and the remaining 90 percent of exported mushrooms are grown
in China, the home of Reishi. One of the largest state-owned pharmaceutical
companies in China is Zhejiang Fangge Pharmaceutical Co., which produces mushrooms on an industrial
scale. This allows you to grow mushrooms in just
6-9 months and increase their production. Of course, the quality of such mushrooms is
inferior to the perennial reishi. However, mushroom consumption is projected to continue
to grow at a rapid pace, with the lion's share of
this continuing to belong to China. The collected mushrooms are transferred to
the laboratory. Reishi processing is usually done by double extraction. First, they are
extracted with hot water, since mushrooms contain substances that are not soluble in
water, but are beneficial to the human body. Other beneficial substances are extracted
with alcohol. At the end of the process, an extract is produced that is used to treat
many diseases. This product, unique in its properties, is
completely safe for the body and does not cause side effects even
with long-term intake of large portions. You can take the extract for almost any disease,
as well as pains of unclear etiology.