07/09/2020
Finally!!! The Cape is a funny place for foraging. Our seasons start so much later than on mainland. Hopefully this is going to be the official start of the mushroom season for us here at Forage Cape Cod. The Etsy store will finally have some stock, winter and early in the pandemic cleaner us out. On to information! Golden Reishi (ganoderma curtisii) a powerful medicinal mushroom. They’re known to be analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant and anti-allergic. Reishi mushrooms have also been shown to reduce blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood sugar and reduce platelet aggregation that results in blood clots. Its effects on blood sugar were significant enough that it has been successfully used in the treatment of diabetes.
The antioxidant activity of compounds found in reishi mushrooms seem to target free radicals responsible for aging, and reishi helped reverse the effects of aging in lab mice. Reishi works to protect and strengthen the liver and has been successfully used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B.
The cancer-fighting properties of reishi mushrooms are well documented in scientific literature. Reishi doesn’t seem to fight cancer cells outside the body in tissue cultures, suggesting that the main anticancer effects are achieved by strengthening a person’s immune system and helping their body fight off cancer rather than attacking cancer directly.
The most common way to prepare reishi mushrooms is as a strong tea, where thinly sliced mushrooms are simmered for extended periods (1 to 2 hours) to extract their water-soluble constituents. The medicinal components of reishi can also be extracted in an alcohol-based tincture. The dried mushroom powder can also be put into reishi capsules and taken as a daily immune boosting supplement.
DISCLAIMER: Do not consume wild edibles unless you are 100% positive about their identificat
