Lingzhi mushroom tea is a medicinal beverage derived from the polypore mushroom that has long been widely revered in China as a longevity and sometimes an immortality tonic.
The lingzhi mushroom has an almost mystical and legendary reputation in the annals of traditional Chinese medicine, having been listed in Shen Nong's "Herbal Classic" and "Compendium of Materia Medica" as the most superior of all Chinese herbs. These two works are considered to be among the most authoritative reference sources on Chinese medicine.
The lingzhi mushroom, officially known as ganoderma lucidum and also known as reishi in Japan, is thought to possess such potent preventive and curative properties that it said to be able to "bring the dying back to life".
It possesses a kidney-shaped cap that has a bright reddish sheen. It typically grows in dark forests, deciduous trees, logs or woodchip beds. It is soft to the touch when it is fresh but turns quite hard when dried.
The ancient wisdom about the healing powers of the lingzhi mushroom has been scientifically confirmed in modern times when it was discovered that it is a veritable treasure trove of healthy substances and compounds such as alkaloids, lactones, sterols, coumarin, mannitol, polysaccharides, triterpenoids, vitamins and minerals.
A host of research and investigations into the anti-cancer and anti-tumor activity of lingzhi mushrooms have been done in both in vitro and in vivo studies, and almost all results have been highly encouraging.
Animal studies in Japan reported a 50% regression in tumors after being injected with lingzhi extract. Meanwhile, a study conducted in Indianapolis in the United States has shown that the extract from the mushroom has been able to suppress the progression and invasiveness of metastatic breast cancers.
These anti-cancer activities of lingzhi have been studied extensively and there have been a myriad of theories that have been posited to explain them.
One such explanation is that its rich polysaccharide content enables the body's immune system to work harder to counter the disruptive effects of the cancer cells.
Another angle explores the possibility that the lingzhi mushroom components inhibit the formation of arterial vessels that provide nutrients to tumors thereby aiding in the apoptosis (or spontaneous death) of the tumorous cells.
Still another study focused on the components' supposed inhibitory effect over the growth of cells that have the masculine or feminine hormonal receptors, thus making lingzhi a possible deterrent to prostate or breast cancer.
Another research focused on the apparent capability of the constituents of lingzhi to manufacture the atoms that serve as catalyst to the activation of macrophage. These are white blood cells found within tissues that fight, sweep away and destroy foreign organisms found in the system. These macrophage are thus able to obliterate cancerous cells in the process.
Deriving these anti-cancer and anti-tumor properties is as easy as making lingzhi mushroom tea a part of one's daily routine.
To make this herbal drink, simply boil about 4 to 5 cups of water in a ceramic or stainless steel pot. Then place about 5 grams of dried lingzhi mushrooms in the boiling mix. Note that many of the medicinal elements of the herb is locked in its tough cell walls so that a longer boiling time is needed to extract these elements out into the tea.
After about 3 minutes, get the pot out of boiling temperature and let it simmer for about 2 hours.
Discard the lingzhi mushroom pieces and allow the tea to cool down. When drinking the tea, it will have quite a bitter flavor. Make it more palatable by adding some honey, fruit juice or even green tea.
The tea will retain its potency for a few days if it is kept in the cool temperature of the refrigerator.
As we can see, there is a lot the modern world can learn from the time-tested knowledge of ancient wisdom. The environmental conditions of today's world lend more urgency to the need to look far back into the wellspring of knowledge passed down throughout the ages. For in nature, most of the facts held as truth in the past still hold their relevance in the present, and will most likely retain it in the future.
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