Health Benefits of Ganoderma Lucidum

Ganoderma has been known for centuries for alkalizing and oxygenating the body to establish
the foundation for a lifetime of good health, removing the basis for osteoporosis, arthritis,
adult-onset diabetes, heart disease, and many other degenerative conditions including cancer.
No disease can survive in a super oxygenated environment. When your body has sufficient
oxygen, it thrives. Ganoderma is a super herb which rapidly oxygenates your body and
automatically adjusts your PH to a healthy balance at the cellular level.
Weight Loss: Oxygen is a necessary component for burning fuel. The more you oxygenate the
body, the higher your metabolism. That means weight loss.
Ganoderma is backed up with evidenced based documented research in reducing cholesterol
levels and easing allergy-related inflammation of the airway.
Often used as an immune stimulant by people with cancer (as well as HIV), Ganoderma has
been shown to strengthen immunity as well as combat cancer-cell proliferation
BENEFITS OF GANODERMA FOR SPECIFIC HEALTH CONDITIONS INCLUDE THE
FOLLOWING:

Alcoholism and cirrhosis of the liver. Ganoderma helps to prevent alcohol-induced fatty
liver and cirrhosis. It is beneficial for people in earlier stages of alcoholic liver disease who
have not yet experienced severe loss of liver function.

Bronchitis and yeast infection. Ganoderma stimulates the maturation of immune cells
known as macrophages, which engulf and digest infectious bacteria. This prevents secondary
infections from developing into cases of chronic bronchitis. Mature macrophages also are
active against yeasts, making ganoderma a valuable treatment for yeast infection.

Fibroids (uterine myomas). Ganoderma keeps the uterine lining from making both basic
fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a chemical that promotes fibroid growth, and histamine, a
chemical that causes inflammation.

High blood pressure. There is evidence that ganoderma can lower both blood pressure
1

and blood-cholesterol levels. Russian scientists screening mushrooms as potential cholesterollowering drugs have found that ganoderma extracts stop the accumulation of cholesterol in the
arteries of laboratory animals. Two controlled clinical studies have investigated the effects of
ganoderma on high blood pressure in humans. Both found it could lower pressure significantly as
compared with a placebo. The subjects with high blood pressure in the second study had not
previously responded to medications.

Stress. Eastern physicians have recognized for centuries that ganoderma can reduce
emotional outbursts during long-term stress. Additionally, doctors at the Hijitaki Clinic in Tokyo
have found that ganoderma helped to decrease physical pain dramatically in two people with
neuralgia and two other people with shingles (herpes zoster).

Prevents and fights cancer: Ganoderma stimulates the body's production of interleukin2, which fights several types of cancer, and it contains compounds called ganoderic acids,
which act against liver cancer. Ganoderma counteracts the suppression of red and white blood
cells that can result from cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar) treatment by stimulating the
creation of protein in the bone marrow. In 1931, Otto Warburg won a Nobel Prize for the
connection he discovered between oxygen and cancer. His studies showed that the number one
cause of cancer is a lack of oxygen in the cellular environment. Warburg determined that cancer
cells are anaerobic, meaning they thrive in an oxygen-depleted environment. Conversely, cancer
cells cannot live in an oxygen-rich environment. Warburg also wrote about oxygens relationship
to the pH of cancer cells and the bodys terrain. He said that cancer maintains a lower pH, as low
as 6.0, due to lactic-acid production and elevated CO2. Warburg believed that higher pH (more
alkaline) meant higher concentrations of oxygen, and vice versa. What Warburg discovered for
cancer is true for all degenerative diseases. Oxygen and a healthy pH balance are the
foundational keys to a healthy body.
Other health benefits of Ganoderma Lucidum include the following:

Helps balance blood sugar and pancreatic functions

Helps protect against skin cell degeneration

Helps improve skin texture

Helps reduce appearance of aging

Helps eliminate toxins from the body

Helps increase metabolism

Helps fight and inhibit free radicals

Helps unclog arteries and supports liver function

Helps improve sexual functions

2

Helps reduce fatigue and improve sleep

Help improve the digestive system

Relieves sinuses congestion and other respiratory problems

Helps rejuvenate body tissues and cells

Helps increase brain power and clarity

Helps provide energy and vigour

Helps rejuvenate and oxygenate the body

Helps strengthens the immune system

Helps support the regulation of blood pressure

Helps balance cholesterol

Effectively aids in the healing of skin wounds, scrapes, psoriasis, mouth ulcers,
external bleeding, bug bites and stings

Stress and fatigue. Judging from the proliferation of coffee and cupcake shops popping up these
days, clearly caffeine and sugar are what a lot of folks are using to try to fight back. The problem
is, they dont actually work. Sugar and caffeine do offer a quick lift, but the crash is never far
behind so its back to Starbucks to start the cycle again, turning your day into a rollercoaster
ride of highs and lows. Fortunately, there are healthier ways to get through the day and one of
my favorites is with adaptogens, the special herbs that help your body adapt to stress and resist
fatigue. Heres my adaptogens-at-a-glance guide:
Adapta-what?
Adaptogens are a unique group of herbal ingredients used to improve the health of your adrenal
system, the system thats in charge of managing your bodys hormonal response to stress.
They help strengthen the bodys response to stress and enhance its ability to cope with anxiety
and fight fatigue slowly and gently, without jolts or crashes. Theyre called adaptogens
because of their unique ability to adapt their function according to your bodys specific needs.
Though the effects may initially be subtle and take time to make themselves felt, theyre real and
undeniable.
Where have they been all my life?
Unlike big pharma drugs, adaptogens werent born yesterday. In fact, theyve been used in
Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic medicine for centuries, to boost energy and resilience in the face
of stress. Recently, several studies have found evidence to support what those of us in the
sustainable wellness field already knew that adaptogens offer positive benefits and are safe
for long-term use. (Take that big pharma!)
How do adaptogens work?
Adaptogens work a bit like a thermostat. When the thermostat senses that the room temperature
is too high it brings it down; when the temperature is too low it brings it up. Adaptogens can
calm you down and boost your energy at the same time without over stimulating. They can
4

normalize body imbalances. By supporting adrenal function, they counteract the adverse effects
of stress. They enable the bodys cells to access more energy; help cells eliminate toxic
byproducts of the metabolic process and help the body to utilize oxygen more efficiently. In
short, adaptogens are amazing!

Adaptogens: The Mysterious Herbs That Keep on Giving

March 6, 2012 by Jonathan Bechtel 10 Comments

On the labels of lots of health supplements youll see the phrase adaptogenic which is usually used to classify certain
herbs such as ginkgo biloba or eleuthero root. The word sounds interesting, but Id guess few people know what it actually
means. Which is too bad, because adaptogens are one of the most unique and thoroughly researched naturally occurring
medicinal compounds in the world.

What Is An Adaptogen? What Do They Do?

The term adaptogen refers to a compound that allows the body to naturally fight off stress from any external
circumstance..stress induced by diet, emotional fatigue, panic, or physical stimuli. This might sound a little weird or
pseudo-scientific, but the bodys responses to all forms of stress are usually regulated by the same metabolic pathways. So
a compound that helps regulate the synthesis of protein, steroids, and hormones that are used in the stress response system
will have benefits that are expressed in a variety of situations.
So in a sense, adaptogens do exactly what their name would suggest..they help your body adapt to different
circumstances.
The overall health benefits of an increased stress defense system are pretty widespread. They include but are not limited
to:

Increased metabolism

Enhanced immunity

Better sleep

Higher energy levels

Increased life span (in smaller animals)

Because the bodys stress response mechanism is so widely used, adaptogens sort of act as a system wide metabolic
enhancer that increases your reactivity to physiological stimuli and physical performance. The term adaptogen itself was
created when Russian researchers were looking for natural compounds that would improve the performance of soldiers
without the drawbacks of metamphetamines and crack.
Performance Enhancers

To officially be called an adaptogen a compound must be able to elevate the overall performance of the body without
any adverse side effects. They also have to work independent of other conditions. This is what separates an adaptogen
from something like crack, which can give your body a quick fix of energy, but you eventually deflate, depress your
metabolic pathways, and need more crack to achieve the same effect. Adaptogens give you a free lunch.
Theypermanently increase your bodys basal metabolic systems, even after theyre out of your system.
The following graph is a good illustration of the difference between an adaptogen and other stimulants like caffeine, sugar,
or performance enhancing drugs.

When I first learned about adaptogens my quack radar started buzzing. What are these ancient medicinal roots that leave
your body at a permanently higher state without any side effects? It sounds folkloric, doesnt it?
But folkloric it is not, my friend. The term adaptogen was officially accepted as having a well-defined meaning by the
FDA in 1988, and Russian and Japanese science institutions have a looooong history of studying the metabolic effects of
these mysterious herbs.
The term was first coined in 1947 by an old Russian pharmacologist named N.V. Lazarev, who discovered their health
effects by accident. Research on adaptogens picked up during the 1960s when the Russian military was looking for the
best way to enhance the performance of their soldiers. They didnt like the tradeoffs they had to face with traditional
stimulants, since they eventually depress the body. So they searched the wilderness far and wide for different compounds
that could give the body a metabolic free lunch. Eventually they found plants like eleuthero root and rhodiola.
By the year 1984 there were over 1,500 studies published in Russian scientific journals on the identification and
mechanisms of different adaptogenic herbs. The science is legit.
Common Adaptogens and Supplements

So, what are these herbs discovered in the Russian wilderness? An incomplete list would look like this:

Eleuthero root

gingko biloba

panax ginseng

astragalus

licorice root

rhodiola

amla berry

There are many more, but these are the most common. For the most part, adaptogenic herbs are not commonly found in
food. You have to buy a supplement, although rosemary and lavendar have been labeled as adaptogenic. Eleuthero root
is probably the most researched adaptogen, followed by rhodiola and gingko biloba.. Ive never seen eleuthero listed as an
ingredient in a recipe book, so chances are youd have to buy a powder or tablet to eat them.
How Adaptogens Work

The exact mechanism of adaptogenic action is hard to pin down, precisely because of their vague but real system wide
effects on your body. They seem to simultaneously alter a variety of stress induced hormonal pathways that act together to
regulate how your body responds to different stimuli. However, it does look like they have a significant effect on how your
DNA is replicated, and digesting adaptogens seems to help your body produce more proteins that are used to help your
body fight stress induced physiological reactions.
One of the curious (and exciting) health benefits of adaptogens is that they have a good track record of extending life.
Suffering from stress isnt good for the body, and the lifetime benefits of increased stress resistance helps the body live a
little bit longer.
Rats, fruit flies, and even bacteria have experienced longer lifespans when theyre systematically fed an adaptogen
supplement. So the physiological benefits are deeply rooted in the animal kingdom.
However, this doesnt mean simply taking an adaptogenic supplement is going to make you live longer, just that in very
controlled environments extra doses of adaptogens have that effect on lower life forms. So keep your head up and keep
up all the good habits necessary to live a healthy life. The latter point was simply brought up to demonstrate how widely
accepted adaptogens are by mother nature.