Ling Zhi: A Review of the Literature

Ling Zhi is a fungus also referred to as Ganoderma Lucidum or Reishi. There is a vast literature examining its use in the treatment of a wide variety of ailments. For this review searches were conducted in PubMed, Science Direct, Cochrane, Embase, BiomedCentral, Google, Mendeley, Amed, as well as in books. The main focus was on literature that might be useful for a Chinese herbal medicine practitioner, with special attention paid to human randomised controlled trials, with the relevant literature summarised into disease categories. Particular issues concerning cultivation, preparation and dosage will also be highlighted.