▲ Associate Professor Kuniyoshi Shimizu from the Institute of Agricultural Sciences at Kyushu University in Japan, who has been studying alcohol extracts from Ganoderma lucidum for 17 years. (Photo by Wu Tingyao)

When most people talk about ganoderma spore powder and ganoderma spore oil—regardless of whether their sources of knowledge are accurate or not—they can readily rattle off a long list of benefits, even listing them as their first choice when it comes to consuming ganoderma.

 

Yet if asked about “Ganoderma lucidum alcohol extract,” it’s as if one were encountering a familiar stranger—unsure where to begin. Or perhaps one truly treats it like a passing stranger, simply ignoring it—despite the fact that it has been extensively studied and widely applied for over half a century, and indeed accounts for half of the currently known beneficial effects of Ganoderma lucidum.

 

The so-called Ganoderma lucidum alcohol extract refers to the ethanol extract derived from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum. The ganoderic triterpenoids—well-known to most people—are the primary active ingredients in this Ganoderma lucidum alcohol extract. The diversity of their chemical types and their exceptionally high content are unmatched by any other Ganoderma material and cannot be substituted by any other Ganoderma product. Therefore, if you already know you should be consuming Lingzhi but haven’t yet taken its alcohol extract, it’s like entering a treasure mountain only to miss out on the most important treasure.

To minimize this regret, the author would like to share with you the records from China’s earliest monograph on Lingzhi mushrooms from 1976 regarding the efficacy of Lingzhi alcohol extracts, as well as the insightful analysis presented by Associate Professor Kuniyoshi Shimizu of Kyushu University in Japan during his speech at the 10th International Medicinal Mushroom Conference in September 2019, which highlighted the numerous beneficial effects of Lingzhi alcohol extracts.

 

In the first half of the century, numerous beneficial effects of Ganoderma lucidum extracts were already known.

 

"Lingzhi," published by the Science Press in 1976, was jointly authored by the Beijing Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Department of Pharmacology at Peking University Medical College (now the Department of Pharmacology at Peking University). In a clear and accessible manner, it presents the research findings from the late 1960s to the early 1970s on "the biological characteristics, cultivation techniques, chemical constituents, pharmacological experiments, and clinical applications of Lingzhi."

 

 

▲ “Lingzhi,” published in 1976, is the first popular science book on Lingzhi available on the Chinese market. (Photo provided by Wu Tingyao)

 

 

▲ When the second edition of “Lingzhi” was published, the authors who actually contributed to the book were added. The sections in the book on the pharmacological effects and clinical applications of Lingzhi were written by Professor Lin Zhibin from Peking University. (Photo provided by Xu Ruixiang)

 

Ganoderma lucidum extracts can be formulated into various dosage forms.

“Following the great leader Chairman Mao’s instruction that Chinese medicine is a great treasure trove that we should strive to explore and further enhance,” was the core value underlying China’s lingzhi research at the time. After a series of explorations, validations, and screenings, the content ultimately presented in the book “Lingzhi” largely consisted of lingzhi alcohol extracts.

 

The book states: “Lingzhi can be formulated into various dosage forms for clinical use. Currently, the most commonly used preparations include aqueous extracts of Lingzhi fruiting bodies, tinctures, syrups, tablets, capsules, and pills.” Among these, the aqueous extract is a water-soluble extract of Lingzhi, while the tincture is an alcohol-extracted product of Lingzhi. Moreover, the tincture can further be processed into syrups, tablets, and capsules, clearly demonstrating the wide range of applications for Lingzhi’s alcohol extract.

 

 

▲ Excerpted from “Lingzhi,” pages 81 and 82.

 

Ganoderma lucidum extract is used for a variety of conditions.

 

The book discusses the clinical applications of Ganoderma lucidum, and the benefits of Ganoderma lucidum alcohol extracts have been observed in various conditions, such as:

◆Help for Chronic Bronchitis

 

▲ Extracted from page 99, Table 22 of “Lingzhi.”

 

◆Helps with coronary heart disease, angina, and hyperlipidemia

 

 

▲ Excerpted from “Lingzhi,” page 101.

 

◆Help for neurasthenia

 

 

▲ Excerpted from “Lingzhi,” page 105.

 

◆Help for Hepatitis

 

 

▲ Excerpted from “Lingzhi,” page 106.

The safety of the alcohol extract from Ganoderma lucidum has also been demonstrated.

 

These clinically observed positive outcomes in humans have been similarly confirmed in pharmacological studies primarily conducted on animals. In addition, animal toxicity tests have demonstrated that the alcohol extract of Ganoderma lucidum exhibits a high degree of food safety.

 

 

▲ Excerpted from “Lingzhi,” page 91.

The 21st century has been clarified. Why is the alcohol extract of Ganoderma lucidum effective?

 

Building on research and applications from the 1970s, scientists have never ceased exploring the ethanol extracts of Ganoderma lucidum. Especially with advances in technology, the reasons behind the effectiveness of these extracts are becoming increasingly clear.

 

In his presentation at the 10th International Medicinal Mushroom Conference this September (2019), Associate Professor Kuniyoshi Shimizu from Kyushu University in Japan addressed, in part, the question of why reishi mushroom extracts possess so many beneficial effects. The answers he provided were based entirely on first-hand data that he and his team have accumulated since 2002 through their ongoing research on the same reishi mushroom extract.

 

▲ Associate Professor Kuniyoshi Shimizu from Kyushu University in Japan delivers a speech at the 10th International Medicinal Mushroom Conference in 2019. His presentation, titled “The Importance of Efficient Utilization of Ganoderma Triterpenes Through Analysis of Metabolites During the Developmental Stage,” is shown here. (Photo by Wu Tingyao)

 

 

▲ Unlike the water extract of Ganoderma lucidum fruiting bodies, which is primarily composed of polysaccharides (β-glucan), the alcohol extract of Ganoderma lucidum fruiting bodies contains a variety of triterpenoid compounds (lanostane triterpenoids). (Photo by Wu Tingyao)

 

The different effects of Ganoderma lucidum extracts stem from their distinct active ingredients.

Kuniyoshi Shimizu led a team that conducted pharmacological studies using an alcohol extract from the same Ganoderma lucidum fruiting body and found that it exerts at least seven beneficial effects: inhibiting prostate hyperplasia, delaying osteoporosis, improving diabetes, preventing and treating diabetes-related complications, lowering blood pressure, combating influenza viruses, and exhibiting anti-cancer properties. Among these, the efficacy in inhibiting prostate hyperplasia has even been confirmed in human clinical trials.

 

Why does the same Ganoderma lucidum alcohol extract have so many different effects? The answer lies in the fact that the triterpenoids it contains each possess their own unique strengths and capabilities. Kiyoshi Shimizu’s team isolated 50 triterpenoid compounds—including sterols—from the Ganoderma lucidum alcohol extract used in their experiments, and discovered that different beneficial effects are actually underpinned by different triterpenoids.

 

 

▲ The team led by Kuniyoshi Shimizu has published 40 papers on Ganoderma lucidum in international scientific journals, all focusing on an alcohol extract of Ganoderma lucidum sourced from the same origin and the triterpenoid compounds it contains. This Ganoderma lucidum alcohol extract has been verified to exhibit at least seven major health benefits. (Photo by Ting-yao Wu)

 

◆The reason why Ganoderma lucidum extract can “inhibit prostate hyperplasia”

 

Take benign prostatic hyperplasia—a condition that commonly affects men—as an example: the ganoderic acids DM and TR, along with a certain sterol structure [5α-lanosta-7,9(11),24-triene-15α,26-dihydroxy-3-one] found in the alcohol extract of Ganoderma lucidum, can inhibit 5α-reductase. This inhibitory effect prevents the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, a compound that stimulates prostate activity.

 

Meanwhile, these three compounds—as well as ganoderic acid B, ganoderic acid D, ganoderiol B, ganoderiol F, and lucidumol B—can also bind preferentially to the relevant receptors on the prostate, thereby blocking dihydrotestosterone from stimulating the prostate. It is precisely the effects of these components that explain why ganoderma extract can inhibit prostate hyperplasia.

 

 

 

▲ Kuniyoshi Shimizu’s team isolated 50 triterpenoid compounds from the ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum. The compounds highlighted in red are Ganoderma triterpenoids that can inhibit 5α-reductase (top image) and those that bind to prostate-related receptors (bottom image). It is precisely because of these compounds that the ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum can suppress benign prostatic hyperplasia. (Photography by Ting-yao Wu)

 

 

◆The reason why Ganoderma lucidum extract can “delay osteoporosis”

Osteoporosis is closely associated with a significant increase in osteoclast activity (also known as bone-resorbing cells), as it causes the rate of bone resorption to exceed the rate at which osteoblasts build new bone, thereby reducing bone density and leading to osteoporosis.

 

According to the research conducted by Kuniyoshi Shimizu’s team, the reason why the ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum has an osteoporosis-delaying effect is that its components—ganoderic acid A, ganoderic acid F, ganoderic acid J, ganoderic acid DM, ganoderol A, ganoderol B, ganodermanontriol, and ganodermatriol—are capable of inhibiting osteoclastogenesis.

 

 

 

▲ The red-highlighted compounds are ganoderic triterpenoids found in the alcohol extract of Ganoderma lucidum, which can inhibit osteoclast formation. These triterpenoids are the key players behind the ability of the Ganoderma lucidum alcohol extract to delay osteoporosis. (Photo by Wu Tingyao)

 

◆The reason why Ganoderma lucidum extract can “improve diabetes” and “prevent and treat diabetic complications”

 

Hyperglycemia is a cause of diabetes, and starch is a major source of hyperglycemia. According to research by the team led by Kiyoshi Shimizu, ganoderic acids A, B, Df, ganoderol B, ganoderol F, ganoderenic acid A, and ganoderol III—found in the ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum—can inhibit the activity of α-glucosidase, thereby blocking its ability to break down starch and disaccharides and reducing the source of blood glucose.

 

In addition, ganoderic acids C2, Df, ganoderol F, and ganoderenic acid found in the alcohol extract of Ganoderma lucidum can inhibit aldose reductase, thereby reducing the conversion of blood glucose into sorbitol and its subsequent accumulation within cells of nervous tissues, the lens, the retina, and other tissues, thus helping to prevent the onset of diabetic complications.

 

 

▲ The red markers indicate ganoderic triterpenes found in the alcohol extract of Ganoderma lucidum, which can inhibit α-glucosidase (top image) and aldose reductase (bottom image). These triterpenes are the active compounds responsible for the ability of the Ganoderma lucidum alcohol extract to improve diabetes and prevent and treat diabetic complications. (Photography: Wu Tingyao)

 

◆The reason why Ganoderma lucidum extract can “lower high blood pressure”

 

Hypertension is associated with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), an enzyme secreted by the kidneys that causes blood vessels to constrict, thereby raising blood pressure. According to research conducted by the team led by Kuniyoshi Shimizu, the ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum contains abundant triterpenoid compounds that can inhibit ACE activity. These compounds include: A, B, C1, C2, C6, K, H, N, AM1, and TR from the ganoderic acid family, as well as A, C, D, F, and H from the ganoderenic acid family.

 

 

▲ The red markers indicate ganoderic triterpenes found in the alcohol extract of Ganoderma lucidum, which can inhibit the activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme. These triterpenes are the reason why the alcohol extract of Ganoderma lucidum can help lower high blood pressure. (Photo by Wu Tingyao)

 

◆The reason why Ganoderma lucidum extract can “inhibit the influenza virus”

 

Neuraminidase is one of the two proteins prominently displayed on the surface of influenza A viruses—the “N” in “HxNx.” After the virus invades a cell and uses the cell’s resources to replicate new viral particles, it requires neuraminidase’s assistance for these newly formed viral particles to detach from the cell and go on to infect other cells. Therefore, when neuraminidase loses its activity, the newly formed viruses become trapped inside the cell and cannot escape, reducing their threat to the host and allowing the disease to be brought under control. The clinically widely used drug Tamiflu works precisely on this principle by inhibiting the virus’s ability to multiply and spread.

 

According to the research by Kuniyoshi Shimizu’s team, ganoderic acids H, K, AM1, LM2, TN, TQ, TR, ganolene acids D, F, and H—found in the alcohol extract of Ganoderma lucidum—exhibit inhibitory activity against neuraminidase.

 

 

▲ The red markers indicate ganoderic triterpenes found in the alcohol extract of Ganoderma lucidum, which can inhibit neuraminidase activity. These triterpenes are the key factor behind the alcohol extract’s ability to combat influenza A. (Photo by Wu Tingyao)

 

◆The reason why Ganoderma lucidum extract can “fight cancer”

 

The research conducted by Kuniyoshi Shimizu’s team also indicated that the anti-tumor effects of Ganoderma lucidum ethanol extracts are attributable to the ability of compounds such as ganoderic acid S, ganoderic acid Y, ganoderic acid DM, ganoderic acid LM2, ganoderic acid TQ, ganoderic acid Sz, ganoderol A, and GA-DM methyl ester contained in these extracts to kill cancer cells.

 

 

▲ The red-highlighted substance is ganoderic acid, a triterpene from Ganoderma lucidum extract that exhibits cytotoxic activity against cancer cells. (Photo by Wu Tingyao)

 

The high efficiency of Ganoderma lucidum extract is supported by solid scientific evidence.

 

The following table organizes the somewhat bewildering relationship between “effects” and “ingredients” mentioned above, making it clearer why the same Ganoderma lucidum alcohol extract boasts such a wide range of effects.

 

These active sources that enable the efficacy of Ganoderma lucidum alcohol extracts have now established a clear and precise correlation, moving beyond the earlier, vague and generalized understanding of “a large group of indistinct ganoderic triterpenoids.”

 

And each of these correspondences is the hard-won fruit of scientists’ painstaking efforts over years spent in the laboratory—each has been formally published in international scientific journals. They are by no means the product of fanciful imagination or mere literary flair, nor are they simply plagiarized compilations cobbled together from existing works.

 

 

(Adapted from the slides presented by Kuniyoshi Shimizu at the 10th International Medicinal Mushroom Conference)

 

How can you enjoy Lingzhi without its alcohol extract?

 

If the value of Ganoderma lucidum has been validated by time and science, then its alcohol-extracted substance is one such manifestation of Ganoderma’s enduring value—validated not only by time but also by scientific scrutiny. And whereas 50 years ago we merely knew that it was effective, today, half a century later, we understand much more deeply why it works.

 

However, due to space limitations, the ganoderma lucidum alcohol extract discussed in this article represents only the findings of a single research team from Japan. Imagine how impressive it would be if we were to include the results from other teams that specialize in ganoderma lucidum alcohol extracts!

 

However, even the finest products need to be applied in real-world settings to truly unleash their remarkable benefits. Perhaps the alcohol extract of Ganoderma lucidum is like a long-lost acquaintance to domestic consumers and those promoting Ganoderma—familiar yet somehow distant. Yet once it steps beyond China’s borders, this Ganoderma alcohol extract becomes a crucial factor behind the stellar reputations and successful exports of many Ganoderma-based products worldwide.

 

Health and wellness hinge on taking a comprehensive approach. In addition to the polysaccharides found in the water extract of Ganoderma lucidum fruiting bodies, which exert immune-modulating effects, we also need the triterpenoids—each with its own unique strengths—from the alcohol extract of Ganoderma lucidum fruiting bodies, a veritable ensemble of powerful compounds. It’s such a pity to enter the treasure mountain yet miss out on the precious treasures—how could you possibly enjoy lingzhi without its alcohol-extracted essence!

 

[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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