Funghi
Reishi
Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum and related species) is a tough, glossy bracket fungus used primarily as a dried decoction, tea, or extract rather than a table mushroom. Flavour is intensely bitter and woody; culinary use is as a simmered aromatic for broths and tonic drinks. Red reishi is the classic form; antler-shaped cultivated forms also appear. Slice or crack dried fruiting bodies before long simmering; powdered extracts are a modern convenience form.
Also known as: Lingzhi, Reishi / Mannentake, Yeongji
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History
Reishi entered Chinese classical texts as a rare wood-grown fungus for decoctions.
Artistic and medical traditions elevated lingzhi symbolism alongside practical dried use.
Modern cultivation of Ganoderma made reishi widely available beyond wild finds.
Global supplement and specialty tea markets expanded dried reishi and extracts worldwide.