Reishi mushrooms (from the Ganoderma genus) are used medicinally in many cultures. These were found growing on a tree in my yard. It's a slightly different type than the Reishi used in traditional medicine, but it is still effective.
Ganoderma spores enter the tree through root or bark injuries and their mycelial network spreads throughout the tree for years before fruiting bodies like these appear.
Ganoderma is incurable, and ultimately the infected tree will fall. The death of the tree starts with the thinning of the branches at the crown, which are unable to get needed nutrients due to the structural damage the fungus has done to the cells of the tree.
These young Ganoderma specimen are the right size for culinary use. Once they develop their characteristic red varnish, they're no longer edible and should be dried for medicinal use as a tea.
Slowly, the Ganoderma works its way up the trunk of the tree, consuming the heartwood as its fruiting bodies (called conks) produce a plethora of spores to ensure the survival of the species. Ganoderma spores are prevalent in nature and can survive in the soil for years before finding an injured tree to infect.
Did you know that Fungi produce a wide variety of substances to help their survival? The drops on the top of the uppermost reishi aren't dew...they've been produced by the fruiting body as a defense against bacteria, viral infection, or even competing Fungi. It's these substances that give Reishi its superfood properties.
Not all Ganoderma grow on trees. This one was the size of a dinner plate and was growing in the yard from an unexposed tree root. Mushrooms can be quite unpredictable!
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Great post! No reishi around here. I've tried to grow them with little success. Better luck with oysters and chicken of the woods. I look forward to checking out your other pictures!
I have some interesting-ish pictures of oysters that I collected on the other side of the same yard...The mushrooms themselves are less interesting than the spore prints I was able to take. I'll try to post them soon. Thanks for reading :)
Awesome! What are you doing with the spore prints? Have you tried making agar plate cultures? It's been too dry this year here in Michigan, but last year I had Oysters all over my back yard, I was lucky enough to bring a few stumps back from Up North and they were LOADED with mycelium! Only dead mans fingers, inky-caps and a few wood ears. I'll check to see if you've posted any more pics and I look forward to keeping up with your mycological adventures.
They're sandwiched between plates of glass until I find a new home to spawn them. Haven't decided what tech to use...honestly have enough to try a couple, but I'm probably start with the good ol' PF tek. I've grown mushrooms from spawn plugs I've ordered before, and I've heard that oysters are pretty easy from spores, so maybe I'll have some luck. I'll post pics soon! Thanks for reading. Following :)
It felt like I was going on a mushroom hunt with you! Really interesting subject, I'd love to read more posts like this.
Glad you liked it! My phone storage is about 50% Fungi photos, so I'm sure they'll find their way onto Steemit.
So cool. I'm into mushrooms and foraging too. Upvoted and followed you.
Thanks! I followed you back :) nice to meet you
Thank you so much for sharing this and I learned even more about Ganoderma with your sharing.
It's helped me such a lot over the last 2 years with my Crohn's and I attribute it to prolonged periods of without relapsing and I've been able to gain more weight as a result.
Although I do not promote it as any kind of cure, but I can share about my own experience with Ganoderma as I have tried so many other things in the past.
Here's where I'm able to order as luckily it's available in Thailand where I live.
Ganoderma Beverages
One thing I've learned to appreciate while living with chronic illness is that if any society, especially the more primitive, has been doing something with positive results for hundred of years, they're probably onto something no matter what the medical literature says.
A couple of year ago I learned about native passionflower as a sedative. I was skeptical until I bought some tea from a roadside stand that sold sassafras root. Was more potent than Xanax, which my doctors had been prescribing but I avoid taking because of side effects. Did a little research on it, and passionflower was just one of many widely published sources of herbal compounds that had been researched and accepted by the medical community...until it was no longer en vogue to study compounds that were not profitable. I hope that this omission of research is less of a problem in Thailand and other countries than it is in the United States.
That does kind of make sense about the more primitive races that they have been using nature for hundreds of years with greater benefits than todays conventional medicines. And any alternative to Xanax should be shared and publicized, but of course there's no money in it for the big Pharmaceuticals.
Passion flowers sure sounds interesting. I think in Thailand it's a kind of balance between modern conventional medicine and natural/ancient but not as profound as in China.
Checking my property for edible fungi now. Got me curious.
Mushroom hunting is an addictive hobby. Mushrooms Demystified is one of the best field identification guides you can buy for North America.
I'd kill to find Pestolotopis Microspora. They grow in Florida.
I had to google that one. You should blog about it ;)
I just might. I have talked with the professor via email who discovered its special abilities.