Ganoderma Lucidum Health Benefits
Ganoderma lucidum, also named Lingzhi or Reishi, has been widely
used all over the world for centuries. According to Chinese medicine, Ganoderma
lucidum can penetrate into and work on the five key human organs for impairment
of the heart, lung, liver, pancreas, and kidney. Ganoderma lucidum can cure the
sickness of various human systems including respiratory, circulatory,
digestive, neural, endocrine, locomotory, etc, involving medical, surgical,
gynecological, paediatric, and ENT. All these are because of its fundamental effect
of "supporting the vital essence and securing the basics", thus to
improving the immune system. It differs from any other medicines that are used
to cure specific disease, or supplementary nutrients that only address
particular body requirements. Ganoderma lucidum helps regulate entire body
mechanism and metabolism to ensure that all organs function properly. Some
specific effects of Ganoderma lucidum are as follows:
1. Effect on Tumor
Main cause to the development of tumor is the disorder of
or poor performing immune system. Ganoderma lucidum can best regulate and
activate the immune system. It prominently enhances the body immune function
and increase self defense capability against tumor. Ganoderma lucidum enhances
the function of monocytic macrophage via activating synthesis of interleukin H.
It also enhances blood synthesis capacity, particularly white blood cells
level. Combining with the inhibitory effect on cancer cells provided by certain
ingredients in Ganoderma lucidum, it becomes one of the most effective
medicines for anti-tumor, prevent cancer, and supplement to cancer treatment.
Ganoderma lucidum possesses hardly any toxic to human body. This unique feature
of enhancing immunity without toxigenicity is the definite advantage of
Ganoderma lucidum over any other immune system intensifier.
2. Liver Protection & Detoxification
Ganoderma lucidum is able to protect the liver from
damaged by various physiological and biological factors. Moreover, effect can
be obtained either pre-or post-damage. Ganoderma lucidum speeds up metabolism
of both medicine and toxic substances in liver, leading to curing of toxicated
hepatitis. Ganoderma lucidum is also suitable for treating chronic hepatitis,
effectively eliminating the related symptoms as dizzy, fatigue, and so on.
Ganoderma lucidum can be used to treat chronic toxicosis, the various kinds of
chronic hepatitis, and other hepatic diseases.
Clinical studies and experiments with animals confirm that
Ganoderma lucidum can effectively dilate coronary artery, increase coronary
vessel blood flow, and improve circulation in cardiac muscle capillaries, thus
increase the supply of oxygen and energy to cardiac muscle. Therefore Ganoderma
lucidum helps to protect the heart from shortage of blood supply, and it is
ideal for both curing and preventing heart diseases like nausea. Ganoderma
lucidum can obviously reduce the level of blood cholesterol, liporotein and
triglycerides in hypertensive patienst. It prevents the formation of arterial
atheromatous patches. If patches are already formed, Ganoderma lucidum will
reduce cholesterol in arterial wall and soften the blood vessel to avoid
further damage. It also partially improves blood circulation, and inhibits
platelet aggregation. All these effects contribute to preventing various kinds
of stroke.
4. Aging Prevention
The polysaccharides and polypeptides found in Ganoderma
lucidum can effectively delay aging by the following mechanisms.
1). To enhance and regulate immune function. Such enhancement
and regulation can effectively delay aging in adult and aged people. For the
youngster, the immune system will be optimized to ensure healthy growth.
2). To regulate metabolism and enhance synthesis of
nucleic acids and proteins. Research works have shown that Ganoderma lucidum
enhances synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins in blood plasma, liver, and
bone marrow, hence effectively prevent aging. It is observed that the use of
Ganoderma lucidum to prevent aging benefits not only the aged, but also the
young, since growth and development process will ultimately lead to aging.
3). Effect on Free Radicals. One cause of aging is the
reduction of self-originated antioxidant or antioxidant-like material (such as
SOD)in the body. These antioxidants are essential for encountering damage to
the body by free radicals. Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides possess the
properties that are very similar to SOD which can remove the free radicals and
prevent its damage to the body by stopping over-oxidation of lipid. Such action
protects the cells and delays their aging.
4). Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides prominently enhance
DNA synthesis in cell nucleus, and increase the number of cell divisions, which
results in delayed aging.
5. Effect on Neurasthenia
In Chinese medication, Ganoderma lucidum has been used to
treat neurasthenia and insomnia since it works on the central nervous system.
Extract from Ganoderma lucidum can inhibit and reduce the level of body
activity. This inhibitory effect is quantitative and is helpful for resuming
the order of activity level. The fact that Ganoderma lucidum can delay the
death as the result of over-dosage of a central stimulant such as caffeine
demonstrates shows that Ganoderma lucidum works on the central nervous system
by applying an inhibitory effect.
In ancient Chinese medical publications, Ganoderma lucidum can serve to
"stabilize emotion", "increase wisdom", and "enhance
memory power". Recently, it is reported that Ganoderma lucidum has
prominent effect on insomnia caused by neurasthenia: Effectiveness is 87.14% to
100%.In general, effect becomes obvious after a period of 10 to 15 days, when
sleep improved, appetite increased, and body weight gained. Related headache
and dizzy will be reduced or stopped. Ganoderma lucidum has a relatively strong
effect on the central nervous system that makes Ganoderma lucidum an effective
substance for treatment of neurasthenia and insomnia. Ganoderma lucidum is
becoming more and more indispensable to the sufferers of neurasthenia and
insomnia. To date, the effect of Ganoderma lucidum on neurasthenia and insomnia
has been clearly described and stated in the China State pharmacopoeia.
6. Effect on Hypertension
Ganoderma lucidum can effectively reduce blood pressure of
an anesthetized rabbit: systolic and diastolic pressure lowered by 15% and 25%
respectively. Related neural activity is also inhibited: inhibition is 20% and
40% respectively. According to a report of a hospital, there had been 18 cases
of high blood pressure successfully cured by Ganoderma lucidum extract,
effectiveness up to 88.9%. It was stated that the effect of reducing blood
pressure by Ganoderma lucidum was mainly the result of inhibition to the
sympathetic nervous system. From another report, among 30 cases using Ganoderma
lucidum products to cure high blood pressure, effectiveness was 88.3%.
Moreover, it was found that Ganoderma lucidum also extends and stabilizes the
effect of reducing blood pressure of other medicine.
7. Treament of Diabetes
The constitutes in Ganoderma lucidum that reduce blood
glucose are Ganoderma B and C. The principle is by enhancing utilization of
blood glucose by body tossues. Ganoderma lucidum serves as a substitute to
insulin to inhibit release of fatty acids. It thus improves symptoms in high
blood glucose and high urine glucose patients. Blood glucose will be reduced
from 173 to 116, cholesterol from 233 to 179, beat-protein from 580 to 465.
Water-solubility polysaccharides in Ganoderma lucidum suppresse
insulin-independent diabetes. The health food products manufactured by Japan
Numata Kenji, has been widely used for the treatment of diabetes.
8. Effect on Chronic Bronchitis & Bronchus Asthma
Ganoderma lucidum can stop coughing, clear sputum, and
suppress asthma. It also relieves the symptoms of the related illnesses. Since
Ganoderma lucidum can activate the immune system, it can prevent from flu, and
thus above syndromes. Ganoderma lucidum is particularly suitable for the
treatment of the patients categorized as "cold and wet" by Chinese medicine,
while for the "hot and dry" patients would be relatively less
effective. The average effectiveness is 80%.
9. Effect on Hyper Susceptibility
When the body is invaded by an antigen that ellicits an
immunological reactions and results the various abnormality and
immuno-pathological symptoms, Ganoderma lucidum can be used to suppress the
reactions and resume the body order. The experiment shows that Ganoderma
lucidum can stop the release of hyper susceptible factors and prevent the
development of allergic reactions. Therefore, Ganoderma lucidum is relatively
more effective over other current medicines when treating the illnesses caused
by abnormal hyper-reactivity or autoimmunity such as allergic asthma,
erythematous lupus vulgaris, rheumatoic arthritis, rheumatoic heart diseases,
allergic rhinitis, skin diseases, etc. Ganoderma lucidum can also help to cure
the toxification patients as the result of pro-longed usage of hormones.
10. Effect on Beauty Care
Ganoderma lucidum has been named the "Medicine of
Eternal Life". It is mainly contributed to the effect on skin protection,
and delaying aging. Ganoderma lucidum can retain and regulate the water in skin
and thus can keep the skin elasticity, hydrated and smooth. It also inhibits
the formation and deposition of melanin in skin. Today, the beauty care
products made from Ganoderma lucidum are becoming the new stars in the
industry. Taking Ganoderma lucidum food products will obtain synergistic
effect. To add Ganoderma lucidum into the bath will not only keep the skin
smooth and lustrous, but also prevent it from bacterial infection.
In addition to the above effects, Ganoderma lucidum
stimulates blood synthesis in bone marrow and increase WBC level, which make it
suitable for the treatment of low WBC symptom caused by over dosage of
radiation and blood diseases, etc. By enhancing the body immune system,
Ganoderma lucidum can defend the body from viral infections like AIDS virus.
Ganoderma lucidum also promotes tolerance of the body to adverse environment. It
suppresses over contraction of smooth muscle in uterus to remedy the functional
uterine bleeding. Ganoderma lucidum is also effective for the pigment
denaturation in retina, the underdeveloped brain, as well as abnormal muscular
development. Ganoderma lucidum is also an effective pain reliever for headache,
neural pain, cancer pain, etc.
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