A Special Article by Professor Hsu Rui-xiang of National Taiwan University | To Sell Lingzhi Well, First Make Lingzhi Well

 

Recently, in preparation for a lecture on Ganoderma culture, I found myself revisiting the very essence of Ganoderma culture. As it turns out, the cultural understanding most people have held in the past has often been the narrowest, most popularized, and most stereotypical kind—some even tried to replicate the approach used for “tea culture.” Yet everyone seems to have forgotten that Ganoderma occupies a truly unique position within Chinese culture. It carries a wide array of meanings—biological, medical, religious, political, artistic, and more. How could it possibly be compared to tea?

 

The Essence of Lingzhi Culture
It is the true, the good, and the beautiful—qualities that stand the test of time.

What is culture? At its core, culture should be an inner cultivation deeply rooted within the heart—a conscious awareness that requires no external reminders, and a kindness that naturally springs from consideration for others. Thus, culture must embody truth, goodness, and beauty that can withstand the test of time; only then can it endure through the ages, just like the Ganoderma culture, which has continuously evolved and accumulated over the long course of history, drawing upon the wisdom gained from countless generations of experience.

 

So, what exactly is the relationship between ganoderma research and ganoderma culture? After all, studying ganoderma has been a continuous endeavor for me—from when I was a student at National Taiwan University in the 1980s, through my years as a professor at NTU, right up until my retirement from NTU—and it’s still ongoing today.

 

When I used to think less deeply, I tended to see Ganoderma research and Ganoderma culture as two separate things. But only recently have I come to realize that Ganoderma research is actually an integral part of Ganoderma culture. After all, good Ganoderma research must possess authenticity, innovation, practicality, stability, or applicability. When we consider its relationship with the principles of truth, goodness, and beauty in Ganoderma culture from this perspective, we’ll discover:

 

Actually, research on Lingzhi forms the very foundation of Lingzhi culture, because research is precisely the process of "seeking truth." The results of this research are meant to put into practice the values of Lingzhi culture—using Lingzhi to care for human health. Rooted in genuine concern for people, this approach is driven by the original intention of "goodness." As the value of Lingzhi is continually experienced and appreciated through practical application, the heartfelt emotions thus generated naturally evolve into artistic creativity, giving rise spontaneously to a cultural aesthetic characterized by "beauty."

 

Thus, the essence of Lingzhi culture is truth, goodness, and beauty. It’s built up layer by layer—from “concrete reality” to “abstract concepts,” unfolding from the inside out. The “goodness” and “beauty” it embodies are firmly rooted in “truth.” Therefore, I contend that Lingzhi research is an integral part of Lingzhi culture itself. As research yields new findings, the depth of Lingzhi culture continues to grow and its scope expands outward. Promoting Lingzhi culture, in turn, serves to bolster the Lingzhi industry and help more people come to believe in the remarkable potential of Lingzhi.

 

▲The “goodness” and “beauty” embodied in Ganoderma culture are founded upon “truth.” (The left image shows “Ganoderma Stationery,” created by Shen Huan, a court painter during the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era; it is now housed in the National Palace Museum. The right image is a Ganoderma illustration provided by Professor Xu Ruixiang.)

The purpose of Ganoderma lucidum research
Give people a reason to eat lingzhi.

Since Ganoderma research is an integral part of Ganoderma culture and represents a quest for truth, how then should we conduct Ganoderma research?

 

Isn't the ultimate goal of ganoderma research precisely to ensure the sustainable development of this industry? To put it more plainly, it’s about confirming what benefits ganoderma offers—providing people with a compelling reason to consume it, or helping them discover why they should start consuming it.

 

Recently, I shared on Facebook an article posted by a U.S. pet food website that listed six key reasons why dogs should eat reishi mushroom: boosting immunity and fighting tumors, protecting the liver, preventing and treating diabetes, safeguarding cardiovascular health, alleviating allergies, and slowing down aging.

 

▲Image source: 6 Reasons Reishi Mushrooms Are Good For Your Dog

 

If even dogs have good reason to consume lingzhi, how much more so humans? If pet owners use lingzhi to protect their furry companions from these ailments, it’s clear that they must already have some understanding of lingzhi—or perhaps even be consuming it themselves—thus naturally extending their care and affection to it. So it’s not hard to imagine just how large the lingzhi market could become. With such potential, why would anyone worry about the lingzhi industry struggling to thrive?

 

This is precisely the paradox of the Ganoderma lucidum industry: If there’s a reason to consume Ganoderma, there’s bound to be a business opportunity—and with business opportunities comes a market. Yet why do Ganoderma producers keep complaining that the market for Ganoderma simply won’t take off? Despite abundant production, they’re left with no real value added. The reason is that everyone has gotten the logic behind these business opportunities wrong. Seriously ill patients take Ganoderma in order to stay alive—but “staying alive” doesn’t necessarily mean curing their illness! Simply eliminating the disease doesn’t guarantee survival on its own. To truly live well, what’s needed is what Professor Lin Zhibin often talks about: “strengthening the body’s vital energy and consolidating its foundation.” So all producers need to do is gain confidence in the ability of Ganoderma products to bolster and reinforce the body’s fundamental vitality.

Business Opportunities in the Ganoderma Market
Right here, "food and medicine share the same origin."

Since Lingzhi is used to strengthen the body and consolidate its foundation, the first “curse” that must be lifted in order to sell Lingzhi worldwide is this: Is Lingzhi a food or a medicine?

 

Since ancient times, Ganoderma lucidum has been an “edible” species—it was originally meant to be eaten. It’s simply a mushroom. You can boil it and drink it as tea, or if you’re too lazy to cook it yourself, others can prepare it for you, and you can even enjoy its concentrated extract or essence. But in any case, it’s still a food.

 

It was only later, as people gained more experience using it, that they discovered Lingzhi possessed certain special therapeutic effects. As a result, Lingzhi gradually evolved into a medicinal product with healing properties—but its fundamental nature as a food remained essentially unchanged.

 

Thus, it began with “food first, then medicine,” followed by the idea that “medicine originates from food,” which later evolved into “separation of food and medicine.” Eventually, it was discovered that food and medicine must actually complement each other to achieve optimal health—and so we’ve returned once again to the principle of “food and medicine share the same origin.”

 

From the evolutionary trajectory of the relationship between food and medicine, it becomes quite clear that the premise of “food and medicine share a common origin” is “food first, then medicine”—it is absolutely not the case that because something is highly safe, it can simply be transformed from a pharmaceutical product into a food item. Moreover, we should certainly not label Ganoderma lucidum as “a medicine, not a food.”

 

As the birthplace of Ganoderma lucidum and the world’s largest producer of this mushroom, China should confidently assure the global community that Ganoderma lucidum is indeed a food. However, under China’s current regulations, Ganoderma lucidum can only be classified as a pharmaceutical product or a dietary supplement—not as a general food. In contrast, regions outside mainland China have not denied Ganoderma lucidum’s status as a food.

 

Take the United States as an example. In the U.S., Lingzhi can be classified as a general food. As a food, it must be free of any harmful substances—such as pesticides, heavy metals, and harmful microorganisms—and it is also prohibited to make health claims about its benefits on product labels.

 

For more advanced products, they can be classified as dietary supplements—similar to what most people understand as functional foods or health-care foods. In this case, you’ll need to specify which safety and toxicology tests have been conducted on the product. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) will review the product’s safety data and check whether there’s a 100- or 1,000-fold difference between the recommended dosage and the actual safe dosage. If such a large margin exists, there’s no issue. Furthermore, if you can demonstrate the product’s specific functions, you can apply to the FDA to include health claims on the product label.

 

The U.S. FDA also accepts traditional Chinese medicines made from Ganoderma lucidum. In this context, Ganoderma lucidum is considered a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. Therefore, if Ganoderma lucidum products have already obtained drug approval in other countries, as long as the documentation and procedures used to obtain their drug approvals comply with U.S. national standards, these products can be sold as pharmaceuticals in the United States.

 

In addition, the U.S. FDA also accepts novel herbal medicines—these are closer to traditional Chinese medicines. Made from plant extracts, they are mixtures with a well-defined chemical profile (where the active ingredients can be both qualitatively and quantitatively identified). Of course, you could also isolate a single component from Lingzhi—for example, ganoderic acid T. Its molecular structure and mechanism of action are both clearly understood. After conducting Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III clinical trials using this component, you could obtain a new-drug approval number, thereby turning it into what’s known as a Western-style pharmaceutical product. Currently, however, such Lingzhi products have not yet emerged; most Lingzhi products available in the U.S. remain primarily food supplements.

Clinical Studies on Ganoderma Lucidum
Just like helping believers confirm miracles.

The greatest significance of a food lies in its safety—its ability to reassure us that it’s safe to consume. But if we were to define Lingzhi solely by such “generic” standards, then why bother eating it at all? It’s expensive yet tasteless; it doesn’t even provide a sense of fullness—the food’s primary function—and certainly lacks any appealing texture or flavor—the food’s secondary function.

 

From the perspective of food functionality, Lingzhi belongs to the third category of functional foods—those that regulate human physiological activities. Thus, consuming Lingzhi is essentially about nurturing a hope: the “health hope” brought about by its “tonifying and strengthening” effects, much like going to church or a temple every week to pray for divine blessings.

 

Thus, the clinical trial results for Lingzhi mushrooms are akin to witnessing a miracle—though this miracle may be happening to others. However, if the Lingzhi product is manufactured according to stringent corporate standards—standardizing everything from the variety of mushroom used, to cultivation methods, extraction techniques, and formulation processes—and if the active ingredients in the product are precisely defined in terms of both type and content, and if these claims have been rigorously verified through clinical trials, then roughly 70 to 80 percent of users can expect to experience the same remarkable benefits.

 

Having a 70% or 80% probability is already quite impressive, because nothing in the world is absolutely 100% certain—this holds true for medicines as well as for surgeries. However, different products have different manufacturing standards and cater to different claims of miraculous effects. Therefore, each Ganoderma lucidum product must undergo clinical trials conducted by its own company, and only through these trial results can it be proven that the product can be experienced by a wider audience.

 

So, selling lingzhi is about tapping into the third function of food: what you’re really consuming is confidence and hope. You might not see immediate results in the short term, but over the long run, you’ll definitely notice a difference. That’s precisely the value of eating lingzhi.

Reproduction of clinical study results
Requires standardized products as a prerequisite.

Therefore, for Lingzhi to unlock limitless business opportunities, there’s a crucial prerequisite: Your product must be sustainably available, and its quality must consistently remain at a “certainly effective” level. To ensure this “certainly effective” status, companies must establish standardized criteria for their Lingzhi products. If you can’t even clearly define the variety, cultivation methods, or extraction processes—let alone standardize the profiles of triterpenes and polysaccharides, or specify their exact content—then conducting clinical trials with such an unstable product would be meaningless, even if you happen to obtain results this time around. After all, you’d never be able to produce an identical product for consumers every single time.

 

The results of clinical trials represent valuable real-world experience with human use; however, for these results to be meaningful, they must be reproducible. Therefore, the lingzhi used in clinical trials must be a product that is completely stable—from its variety to its production—and affordable for the general public.

 

To give you an example, orange juice and lemon juice both contain vitamin C, which can help fight oxidation and prevent scurvy. However, the exact composition of the juice varies depending on the specific oranges or lemons used by each manufacturer. So while product A might work well when you drink two cups, product B might require five cups to achieve the same effect. As for whether a product that was effective when you drank two cups will still be effective if you drink two cups next time, that depends on whether the concentration of active ingredients in it is the same as last time.

 

Let’s take a step back and look at Ganoderma lucidum. Today, if we’re going to conduct clinical trials on a product to confirm its specific function, the very first prerequisite for that function to be realized is the presence of an active ingredient—whether it’s a polysaccharide, a triterpene, or some other compound. Before we can test this product on humans to see whether it produces the same effect, we must first observe that effect in both animal and cell experiments. Only then does the logic make sense. Therefore, your product must contain this particular ingredient before you proceed with clinical trials—it’s only then that the trials will have real meaning.

 

This batch of products intended for clinical trials must be manufactured according to standardized specifications, ensuring that every single product administered to a subject contains the exact same active ingredient. Once the clinical trials are completed and it’s confirmed that the product is indeed effective, all subsequent products sold must also be produced under the same standardized specifications, guaranteeing that they all contain the same active ingredient. Only then can consumers expect to achieve consistent results when they purchase these products. It would be a grave mistake—and a betrayal of both our original commitment to truth-seeking and our good intentions—if, after a single successful clinical trial, we were to use those results to market entirely different products. Doing so not only undermines our initial dedication to authenticity and goodwill but could also effectively kill off the custom-made industry altogether.

Lingzhi that advocates “preventive healthcare”
All of humanity is an object.

So even though it’s all reishi mushroom, the products can vary greatly. If you want to tap into the reishi mushroom market, you absolutely must clarify your product positioning—understand clearly who your target customer segment is—and only then will you know what level of product you should be developing.

 

Lingzhi mushroom, with a potency of 1.0, was an elixir imagined in ancient times—accessible only to the imperial court and Daoist practitioners.

 

Reishi mushrooms of the 2.0 variety are treated by others as a lifesaving treasure—when cancer patients seem beyond help, they’re used as a last-ditch effort to try anything; they’re what critically ill patients rely on.

 

Lingzhi mushroom of the 3.0 variety, used as a complementary medical and health-care food, is a product that emerged after 1990, when people began to have the capability to classify fungal strains. This allows for the creation of products that are “likely to be effective.” The population benefiting from these products has gradually expanded to include those in a subhealth state.

 

The 4.0 version of Ganoderma lucidum is designed to make consumers feel that there’s still a need for it—and they’ll buy it precisely because it’s a “food that can help prevent and promote health.” Such products emphasize prevention rather than treatment: preventing asthma caused by PM2.5, preventing premature dementia, preventing early heart attacks, and preventing cancer at an early stage... Products that can protect the five internal organs and six bowels, regulate the immune system, and stabilize mental and physical balance are aimed at all of humanity.

 

1.0 Ganoderma lucidum is akin to the Ganoderma of ancient times—its raw materials are entirely wild, and even whether the strain is actually Ganoderma remains uncertain; its composition is utterly chaotic and unclear. 2.0 Ganoderma lucidum is a hybrid species with a mixed composition. 3.0 Ganoderma lucidum is a single species with a composite composition. 4.0 Ganoderma lucidum consists of either combined or single ingredients. This, then, is the entire trajectory of Ganoderma research—from the past to the present.

 

The reason why Lingzhi products and the Lingzhi industry have been able to evolve from 1.0 to 4.0 is precisely because they’ve been driven by Lingzhi research. Therefore, genuine Lingzhi research must explore Lingzhi’s authenticity, innovativeness, and practicality. The research findings must be stable and reproducible. If a Lingzhi study fails to meet these criteria, it’s merely recounting “things that once were”—at best, it’ll end with the publication of an article, let alone enriching the cultural depth of Lingzhi.

 

Although the definitions, regulations, and standards for Ganoderma lucidum products in versions 2.0 to 4.0 differ from one another, one thing remains constant: Food products must be safe—pursuing safety is almost demanding; pharmaceutical products must be effective, and you must provide clinical evidence of their efficacy. However, whether a product is classified as food or medicine, it must be standardized. Only with consistency can it be reproduced reliably in subsequent batches—and only then can it have a viable market.

 

International standards and national standards are the minimum standards.
Enterprise standards are the highest benchmark for ensuring quality.

Only with the right raw materials can you create the right product. Therefore, the very first standard that a Ganoderma lucidum product must meet is its raw materials.

 

According to official regulations in mainland China, the lingzhi mushroom that can be used as a pharmaceutical raw material must be Ganoderma lucidum. Ganoderma lucidum ) or Zhi (Purple Ganoderma) Ganoderma sinense ); in addition to the first two, Ganoderma lucidum strains that can be used as health food products also include Pinus-Sugi Ganoderma ( Ganoderma tsuge ). This is the national standard set by mainland China for Ganoderma lucidum, and also the “minimum standard” that mainland Chinese Ganoderma enterprises must follow when producing Ganoderma products.

 

To promote the entry of Ganoderma lucidum into the international market, mainland China has also taken the lead in developing the international standard ISO 21315:2018—Traditional Chinese Medicine—Ganoderma lucidum. This standard was published in December 2018 and primarily provides an international reference for other countries to determine whether the semi-finished raw materials or finished products you sell them are indeed Ganoderma lucidum. In fact, as early as 2014, the United States Pharmacopeia Commission had already established minimum identification standards for Ganoderma lucidum raw materials, serving as a reference for U.S. authorities to verify whether Ganoderma products circulating domestically live up to their claims.

 

 

▲ Partial view of the title page of the document “ISO 21315:2018 Traditional Chinese Medicine—Ganoderma lucidum.”

 

 

▲ The front page (partial) of the quality standards document for Ganoderma lucidum developed by the United States Pharmacopeia Convention.

 

Whether it’s the ISO international standard or the standards set by the United States Pharmacopeia, the definition of Ganoderma ( Ganoderma lucidum ) are all fruiting bodies and do not include reishi spore powder, nor do they include purple reishi. Ganoderma sinense ); Although the indicator components used to determine whether a substance is Ganoderma vary somewhat, all of them contain ganoderic acid A—this is precisely what defines Ganoderma according to both standards.

 

However, whether it’s the ISO international standards or the standards set by the United States Pharmacopeia Convention, both are advisory rather than mandatory minimum standards. Although China’s national standards, while mandatory within mainland China, still represent the minimum criteria for evaluating Ganoderma lucidum.

 

However, no matter how many standards there are, they still fall short of a company’s own standards. Since each product has different efficacy requirements and varying ingredient specifications, the internal control standards that companies establish specifically for their individual products are the key to ensuring that “miracles” can be consistently replicated.

Ganoderma lucidum is eaten to live a long and healthy life.
If it can cure diseases, that’s just a bonus.

The academic, governmental, and industrial circles dedicated to Lingzhi have consistently emphasized the need to “promote Lingzhi culture and enter the international market.” I wonder whether everyone agrees: Does my approach really help Lingzhi gain a foothold in the global market?

 

The safety of Lingzhi is beyond question, just like that of food. However, it would be a real pity if we treated it merely as an ordinary food and overlooked its unique status as both food and medicine.

 

The concept of "food and medicine sharing the same origin" enables Lingzhi to help everyone strengthen their vital essence and bolster their fundamental constitution. Therefore, the "efficacy" of Lingzhi is a different concept—and at a different level—than the "efficacy" of Western pharmaceuticals. Medicine is meant to treat illness, whereas Lingzhi is consumed for the purpose of living a long and healthy life. If Lingzhi happens to help you cure an illness along the way, that’s merely a pleasant side effect.

 

Medicines cannot be food, but food can certainly be medicine. Not everyone is suited to take medicine, yet everyone can consume food. Therefore, if companies want to sell Lingzhi, they shouldn't push it into the pharmaceutical market; instead, they should promote it as a food product. Only then can Lingzhi truly contribute to the health of all humanity.

 

If you can make everyone feel that skipping lingzhi today would be a disservice to themselves, leave them deeply uneasy, and even prompt them to recommend lingzhi to their loved ones—then you’ve truly succeeded. Because at that point, lingzhi has already become part of their very own culture: an inner cultivation deeply rooted in the heart, a self-awareness that requires no external reminders, and a kindness that naturally springs from consideration for others.

 

Note: This article is excerpted from Ganoderma News Network www.ganodermanews.com with the author’s permission, and has undergone minor edits. The original text may not be reproduced without the author’s authorization.