Lingzhi’s health-care “water extract + alcohol extract” achieves similar effects—taking the prevention of fatty liver, hyperlipidemia, and benign prostatic hyperplasia as examples.

Does the lingzhi you’re eating contain aqueous or alcoholic extracts of the lingzhi fruiting body?

The health benefits of Ganoderma lucidum have been widely recognized through 50 years of scientific exploration. To date, more than 2,000 papers on Ganoderma lucidum have been published in international journals, with 90 percent of these studies focusing on aqueous or alcoholic extracts from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum. In fact, the effects of Ganoderma lucidum that are currently widely acknowledged by scientists and commonly understood and experienced by people all stem from its aqueous or alcoholic extracts derived from the fruiting bodies.

The main component of the water extract is ganoderic polysaccharide, while the primary component of the alcohol extract is ganoderic triterpene. Both ganoderic polysaccharides and triterpenes are “collective terms” for a “group” of structurally similar substances. These two major classes of active ingredients exhibit vastly different properties: Ganoderic polysaccharides are water-soluble, composed primarily of monosaccharides and a small amount of protein, with molecular weights ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions. They can only pass through the body briefly—stimulating countless immune cells in the intestinal wall before being naturally excreted. In contrast, ganoderic triterpenes are fat-soluble, natural hydrocarbon compounds with molecular weights typically around 500. They can be absorbed by the intestines and enter the bloodstream.

Due to their different chemical structures, their mechanisms of action also differ. Interestingly, however, the two often achieve similar health benefits through different pathways—achieving the same goal by different means.

At the 9th World Congress on Mushroom Biology and Products, held in Shanghai in mid-November this year (2018), two experts presented reports demonstrating that both the water extract (polysaccharides) and the alcohol extract (triterpenes) of Ganoderma lucidum fruiting bodies exhibit preventive effects against the same disease condition.

From November 12 to 15, 2018, the "9th World Congress on Mushroom Biology and Products," one of the world's four major edible mushroom conferences, was held in Shanghai. Professionals from industry and academia, along with media representatives from 30 countries—totaling 570 participants—gathered together to exchange their latest research findings and insights, thereby promoting the development of the edible mushroom industry. (Photo by Wu Tingyao)

Both aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Ganoderma lucidum can help prevent hyperlipidemia and fatty liver.

Professor Liu Bin from Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University extracted Ganoderma lucidum using 55% and 95% ethanol, respectively. Ganoderma lucidum The ethanol extract of fruiting bodies, as well as the water extract of Ganoderma lucidum fruiting bodies obtained by hot-water extraction, were investigated for their preventive effects on lipid metabolism abnormalities induced by a high-fat and high-sugar diet.

(1) Inhibit the increase in blood lipids

The results showed that, after 8 weeks (56 days) of feeding with a high-sugar, high-fat diet, rats exhibited increases in serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, commonly known as "bad cholesterol")—all by nearly one-third to one-fold compared to rats on a normal diet. Meanwhile, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, commonly known as "good cholesterol") was reduced by about one-third.

In contrast, rats fed the same high-fat and high-sugar diet but simultaneously administered either 150 mg/kg of Ganoderma lucidum fruiting body ethanol extract or water extract daily showed indicators that were closer to those of rats on a normal diet—indeed, even better. This suggests that both types of extracts have preventive and health-promoting effects against diet-induced dyslipidemia.

Further analysis of the experimental results reveals that the ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum at a concentration of 55% exhibits the best inhibitory effect on TC and LDL-C, while the ethanol extract at a concentration of 95% shows the best inhibitory effect on TG. In contrast, the water extract of Ganoderma lucidum demonstrates the most significant enhancing effect on HDL-C. This suggests that the two major types of Ganoderma lucidum components—obtained via alcohol extraction and water extraction—can be combined synergistically to achieve equally effective benefits in maintaining lipid health.

(2) Inhibit hepatic fat accumulation

In addition, the experiment also revealed that in the three groups of rats fed a high-fat, high-sugar diet who simultaneously consumed Ganoderma lucidum extract, the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the liver were nearly identical to those in rats on a normal diet—unlike rats fed only a high-fat, high-sugar diet, in which both indices were nearly doubled. This suggests that both the alcohol extract and the water extract of Ganoderma lucidum fruiting bodies can effectively inhibit fat accumulation in the liver.

(3) Simultaneously regulate the “gut microbiota” and “liver genes”

After nutrients in food are digested and absorbed in the intestines, they are transported to the liver for re-synthesis and utilization by the body. This also applies to lipids, including cholesterol and triglycerides. Therefore, it is highly likely that Lingzhi exerts its effects by targeting the intestines and liver to regulate the occurrence of lipid metabolism disorders.

According to Liu Bin’s research, both the alcohol extract and the water extract of Ganoderma lucidum fruiting bodies can promote increased bile secretion in the intestine (bile that is reabsorbed by the intestine and used as a raw material for cholesterol synthesis in the liver), improve the gut microbiota, increase the levels of short-chain fatty acids in the intestine, and regulate the expression of genes and proteins involved in hepatic lipid metabolism. The combined effects of these beneficial mechanisms for lipid metabolism help prevent elevated blood lipid levels and reduce the accumulation of fat in the liver.

If we were to compare the mechanisms of action between alcoholic and aqueous extracts of Ganoderma lucidum fruiting bodies, we’d find only minor differences in certain details—for example, in terms of altered gut microbiota or regulation of hepatic genes or proteins. However, the overall direction of their effects remains consistent. That’s precisely why we say they achieve the same goal through different approaches and complement each other effectively.

Professor Liu Bin’s presentation at the 9th World Congress on Edible Mushroom Biology and Products—some of the findings from his research have already been published in international journals. (Photo by Wu Tingyao)

Both aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Ganoderma lucidum can help prevent benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Malaysian Alok Nahata’s report focuses on the preventive effects of Ganoderma lucidum on benign prostatic hyperplasia. While administering testosterone (a male hormone produced by the testes, also known as androgen) to rats, the researchers orally administered Ganoderma lucidum at doses of 10, 20, or 50 mg/kg per day. Ganoderma lucidum ) Mycelial alcohol extract or water extract.

Twenty-eight days later, the prostate weight, the ratio of prostate weight to body weight, and the serum PSA level— which is positively correlated with benign prostatic hyperplasia—were all significantly closer to normal in rats that had been fed Reishi mushroom compared to those that had not. Moreover, the effects were dose-dependent, indicating that both the alcohol extract and the water extract of Reishi mushroom fruit bodies possess preventive effects against benign prostatic hyperplasia.

The scene from Malaysia’s Alok Nahata’s presentation at the 9th World Congress on Mushroom Biology and Products. In the image, GLP and GLE refer to the alcohol extract and water extract of Ganoderma lucidum fruiting bodies, respectively. The numbers behind them indicate the daily dosage administered to rats—10, 20, or 50 mg. (Photography by Wu Tingyao)

Lingzhi water extract + alcohol extract = twice the result with half the effort.

Unlike many previous pharmacological studies that examined either the water extract or the alcohol extract of Ganoderma lucidum in isolation, these two presentations coincidentally both demonstrated the preventive effects of these two extracts on the same disease condition. The most significant takeaway from this is simply:

The best way to harness the health benefits of Ganoderma lucidum is to use a combination of its aqueous extract from the fruiting body and its alcohol extract—taking both together. If you omit even one of these extracts, you may no longer achieve the “double the result with half the effort” effect.

[About the Author / Wu Tingyao]

Having reported firsthand news about Lingzhi since 1999, he continues to do so to this day and is the author of “Lingzhi: Marvelous Beyond Words” (published by People’s Medical Publishing House in April 2017).

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