Doctor Endorsements | Hokkaido Reishi

Our Reishi is recognized by experts for its reliable quality.

Hidetaka Karasawa

Pharmacist / Representative Director of Karasawa Pharmacy Co.

Adjunct Lecturer and Clinical Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University

What’s doctors saying about Reishi

Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) has been prized from ancient China to the present, and has had a long association with people, having been described in the "Book of Herbal Medicine" of Oriental medicine for a long time.

The classics of oriental medicine, which originated in ancient China, are mainly composed of three parts: "Iike", which corresponds to the so-called pathophysiology of modern times, "Keiho", which is the theory of prescription and treatment, and "Honzo", which classifies the functions of herbal medicines and foods.

Among the many classics of herbology that have survived, the Shennohonbonsoukyou (about 2,000 years old), which is called the root of herbology, and the Honzo-kamoku (published in 1596 by Lee Ji-jin), which was composed by comparing and reviewing many later herbological texts, are particularly important even among modern Oriental medicine clinicians.

In the Shennong Bencao Jing, the items listed are divided into three categories: superior medicines, Chinese medicines, and inferior medicines. Upper medicines are those that are taken for a long period of time and are non-toxic, lower medicines are those that should be used only in times of illness, with careful attention to dosage and duration, and middle medicines are in between.

Reishi is listed as one of the topical medicines in the Shennong Hongso Jing, and is classified into six types: Red Zhi, Black Zhi, Blue Zhi, White Zhi, Yellow Zhi, and Purple Zhi. One of the theories of oriental medicine is the "five elements," which classifies everything in nature, including food, herbal medicine, and the functions of the human body, into five concepts, including "five grains, five vegetables, five colors, five tastes, and five organs.
Reishi in the Shennong Hongso Jing seems to be based on the concept of the five colors and emphasizes the relationship with the five organs that correspond to each of them.

The five colors correspond to the five organs: red=heart, black=kidney, blue=liver, white=lung, and yellow=spleen. The reishi mushroom mentioned above, Zizhi mushroom, does not belong to the five colors, but the description of Zizhi mushroom shows that it was considered to be close to black and had a strong relationship with kidney qi.
In addition, all of them have the expression "if eaten for a long time, it will lighten the body", which is peculiar to superior medicines, and the addition of expressions such as "immortality and divinity" suggests that they were valued by people for a long time.
On the other hand, in the Honzou Tsunamoku, six kinds of Ganoderma lucidum are listed in the order of "Qingzhi, Redzhi, Yellowzhi, Whitezhi, Blackzhi and Purplezhi".

Most of the Ganoderma lucidum in circulation today is brownish to reddish in color, with some black ones in southern China.
In Japan, Ganoderma lucidum is regarded as a food, and the extracts from Ganoderma lucidum are taken as health food rather than eating Ganoderma lucidum itself. In China, where Reishi has long been a part of the food culture, Japanese Reishi is also very popular.

Takashi Shimada

Profile

Research Institute for Genetic Disease Control, Hokkaido University School of Medicine
Visiting Associate Professor, Division of Synbiotics.

Specially Appointed Lecturer, Department of Biological Immunology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine.

Visiting Researcher, Department of Internal Medicine, Osaka City University School of Medicine.

Visiting Researcher, International Allergy Center, Nanjing Medical University, China

Achievements
27 papers in English, 37 papers in Japanese, 3 papers in Chinese, 7 patents registered

Areas of expertise
Lactic acid bacteria: cultivation, classification, functional testing, commercialization, and sales
Enterobacteriaceae: relationship to health and disease
Hypertension: risk and prevention - treatment
Immunity in general: from individual theory to application
Cancer: prevention and inhibition of growth and transfer
Infectious diseases: viruses, bacteria, fungi
Allergies: allergy cell tests, animal experiments, and clinical trials, including hay fever
Allergens: environmental allergens (mites, pollen, etc.)

The reasons why we suggest Hokkaido Reishi

Ganoderma lucidum is a kind of mushroom belonging to the family of the mannemake mushroom. It is described as a "life-prolonging elixir that nourishes life" in the Shennong Bencao Jing (Chinese Herbal Medicine), which was compiled about 2,000 years ago during the Later Han Dynasty (25-220) in China. It also states that it is non-toxic and can be taken continuously for a long time without any problems. Even in modern medicine, animal and human clinical trials have shown that it is very safe if eaten in proper amounts. No matter how wonderful the effects or benefits of a drug or food, it is meaningless if it is not safe due to toxicity or side effects. The benefits of Ganoderma lucidum will be discussed in more detail in the following sections, but first, it is very important that Ganoderma lucidum is safe.

Ganoderma lucidum has been known in China for more than 2,000 years as a "life-prolonging elixir that nourishes life" and has been prized as a healthful mushroom for a very long time. It has been prized as a healthful mushroom for a very long time. There are many reports on its specific effects, such as immune-enhancing, anti-cancer, reducing the side effects of anti-cancer drugs, inhibiting the progression of dementia, improving lifestyle-related diseases (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, arteriosclerosis, etc.), improving liver and kidney damage, improving osteoporosis, and inhibiting obesity.
Although Ganoderma lucidum has been used for a long time, in recent years, its effectiveness has been attracting attention in the U.S. and Europe, and research on its effectiveness as well as its mechanism has been dramatically increasing. I believe that the old and new Reishi will continue to be further researched and be useful for our health.

The functionality of Ganoderma lucidum is being scientifically proven. Unfortunately, not all of the benefits, components and mechanisms have been fully elucidated, but hundreds of papers have been published in the past few years. One of the active ingredients is a polysaccharide called beta-glucan. Ganoderma lucidum beta-glucan has a linearly branched form and is known to enhance immune function. In addition, Ganoderic acid, which is found only in Ganoderma lucidum, is contained in Reishi. It is classified as a "triterpene," which is a difficult word to describe. Ganoderma Lucidum, the scientific name for Ganoderma lucidum, is the name of the plant. There are dozens of types of ganoderic acid, and it is believed to improve liver function, inhibit cancer, stimulate immunity, and inhibit blood coagulation.
More research reports are expected in the future.

Up to now, I have been discussing Reishi in general, but this time I will describe the characteristics of Hokkaido Reishi.
The Reishi mushroom that is currently available in the market is not naturally grown, but artificially cultivated. For this reason, it is very important to have the right kind of soil in order to grow Reishi. Hokkaido Reishi uses oak trees grown in the harsh, yet rich and pure land of Hokkaido. Naturally, no pesticides or chemical fertilizers are used. More than 300 different pesticide ingredients have been analyzed and confirmed to be undetectable in Hokkaido Reishi.
Furthermore, because of our integrated production process, from cultivation and cultivation to harvesting, drying, grinding, and commercialization, we are able to trace all of our products. As a result of these achievements, we have obtained JAS organic certification, a standard of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, for both agricultural production and processing. This is a very rare achievement, not only for functional crops, but also for general agricultural products and processing.
There are a variety of Reishi products in the market, but it is very rare to find a product that pays attention to safety and security from the cultivation method to the product itself.

Try our high quality Ganoderma lucidum that is made safely.