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Reishi, Lingzhi, Varnish Shelf
2 public strains
Ganoderma lucidum is a laccate (varnished) polypore of Europe and parts of China, long confused with the red reishi used in East Asian medicine. DNA studies show that much commercial 'reishi' sold as G. lucidum is actually G. sichuanense (= G. lingzhi), and that North American collections once called G. lucidum are mostly other species such as G. sessile, G. curtisii and G. tsugae. True G. lucidum is non-native in North America, known from isolated populations in Utah and northern California that probably escaped from cultivation.
Inedible: hard and woody, rock-hard when dried, and bitter. It is used to make tea, extracts and powders rather than eaten. Reishi preparations have safety concerns and moderate interactions with some medications and supplements; consult a clinician before use.
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Mycology is an evolving science: names, classifications and safety information change as research advances. Entries are compiled from cited sources and reviewed, but may be incomplete or out of date — check the sources, and never rely on this library alone to identify or eat a mushroom.
