Reishi Species, Spores, Fruiting Body and Mycelium Products
Reishi labels can mean different species and different materials: fruiting body, spores or mycelium. Why that matters for research, quality and the questions to ask.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
Safety first. Supplements can cause side effects and interact with medicines. Read mushroom safety and interactions before you use any mushroom product.
Short answer. A label that says "reishi" does not tell you which species is inside or which part of the fungus was used. A trial result for one species, part or extract does not carry over to another. Spore powder has its own questions, including a lab-test caution noted by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). [1]
Safety note. Liver injury has been reported with powdered reishi. See reishi side effects and liver injury reports and reishi and medicines. Wild mushrooms cannot be safely identified from a description, so this page gives no identification help. If someone eats an unknown wild mushroom, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US) or 911 for collapse or seizure. See plant and mushroom poisoning.
Species: what the name database and the NCI say
The GBIF database lists Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P.Karst. as an accepted species. It lists Ganoderma lingzhi Sheng H.Wu, Y.Cao & Y.C.Dai as a synonym, with Ganoderma sichuanense J.D.Zhao & X.Q.Zhang as the accepted name. [2] The National Cancer Institute (NCI) says the originally described European G. lucidum and the East Asian medicinal species are not identical, that the newly accepted name for the East Asian species is G. sichuanense, and that most research worldwide has still been published under G. lucidum. [3] NCI also notes that in the Chinese Pharmacopeia the official species are G. lucidum and Ganoderma sinense, and that many other Ganoderma species are difficult to distinguish from the medicinal ones. [3] Naming is a changing area; see mushroom names.Why it matters: a 2016 study of two commercially sold strains found that an ethanol extract of ground fruiting bodies of a European-type G. lucidum strain contained much less triterpenic acids than that of a G. lingzhi strain, and the authors said this shows the importance of taxonomy for commercial use. [4]
Fruiting body, spores and mycelium
| Material | What it is | What the sources say |
|---|---|---|
| Fruiting body | The visible woody mushroom | NCI says fruiting bodies and their extracts are entirely beta-glucan in nature. [3] Most trials above used fruiting body powder or extracts. |
| Spores | Microscopic reproductive cells shed by the mushroom | Used in the studies below, often described as "de-walled" or "sporoderm-broken". |
| Mycelium | The thread-like growth beneath the fruiting body, often grown on grain | NCI says products from mycelium grown on grain contain large amounts of alpha-glucans from the grain. [3] See mycelium on grain and fruiting body vs mycelium. |
Spore powder: what we found
- Lab note on processing: in a laboratory comparison, water-soluble polysaccharides were released much more from sporoderm-broken spores than from non-broken spores. [5] This is a lab measurement, not a health result.
- Alzheimer's disease pilot: in 42 patients over 6 weeks, spore powder did not show better results than placebo on the main scale, and adverse events were mild with no significant difference between groups. [6]
- Cancer-related fatigue pilot: 48 breast cancer patients on endocrine therapy were randomized; the authors reported improvement in fatigue and quality of life after 4 weeks with no serious adverse effects. [7] Small and short; label it promising but limited.
- Immune markers: a study of 120 breast and lung cancer patients examined immune markers with and without reishi spore powder. [8]
- Trials under way: a 2024 protocol describes a planned trial of de-walled spore powder in lung cancer patients taking a targeted drug. [9]
- Tumor marker caution: MSK says spore powder may raise the CA72-4 tumor marker, which can interfere with cancer test results. [1] Anyone in cancer care should tell the oncology team before using it. See mushroom supplements for people with cancer.
Spore powder compared with fruiting body powder: Proper evidence not found. We did not read a head-to-head human trial.
Quality and identity
Checking which species is in a processed supplement is hard. A 2017 study notes the challenge of confirming species identity for milled, dried or extracted raw materials, especially for samples containing mycelium, and tested DNA barcoding as a partial solution. [10] The NCI summary says ingredients may vary from lot to lot and there is no guarantee that labeled ingredients are present in the stated amounts. [3] Reishi-specific heavy metal or contamination testing: Proper evidence not found in the sources we read. See heavy metals and contamination, grain filler and mislabeling and certificates of analysis.The main reishi guide is reishi: evidence, safety and how it is used.
Questions worth asking about a label
- Which species is named (scientific name), and which part: fruiting body, spores or mycelium?
- Is it a powder or an extract, and what solvent is named?
- Is there a third-party test or certificate you can read? See how to read a mushroom supplement label.
A pharmacist can help check a product against medicines. This page is information, not advice for a person.
Frequently asked questions
Is lingzhi the same as reishi?
They are names for the same traditional East Asian mushrooms, but which species is named is disputed. [3][2]
Is Ganoderma lucidum the same as Ganoderma lingzhi?
GBIF lists them as separate names, with G. lingzhi as a synonym of G. sichuanense. [2]
What does "mycelium on grain" mean for reishi?
NCI says such products can contain large amounts of grain-derived alpha-glucans. [3]
Is spore powder better than fruiting body?
Proper evidence not found. We did not read a human trial comparing them.
Why does MSK mention spore powder and tests?
MSK says spore powder may raise CA72-4, which can interfere with cancer test results. [1]
References
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Reishi Mushroom (Information About Herbs, Botanicals and Other Products). Read 2026-10-23.
- GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Names checked through the species match API (api.gbif.org/v1/species/match) on 2026-10-23. Read 2026-10-23.
- National Cancer Institute. Medicinal Mushrooms (PDQ), health professional version. Read 2026-10-23.
- Distinguishing commercially grown Ganoderma lucidum from Ganoderma lingzhi from Europe and East Asia on the basis of morphology, molecular phylogeny, and triterpenic acid profiles. Phytochemistry. 2016. PubMed 27044336. Read 2026-10-23.
- [Studies on difference between sporoderm-broken and nonbroken spores of Ganoderma lucidum (Leyss. ex Fr.) Karst. by polysaccharide analysis]. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2001. PubMed 12528523. Read 2026-10-23.
- Spore powder of Ganoderma lucidum for the treatment of Alzheimer disease: A pilot study. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018. PubMed 29742702. Read 2026-10-23.
- Spore Powder of Ganoderma lucidum Improves Cancer-Related Fatigue in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Endocrine Therapy: A Pilot Clinical Trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012. PubMed 22203880. Read 2026-10-23.
- Dynamic biomarkers indicate the immunological benefits provided by Ganoderma spore powder in post-operative breast and lung cancer patients. Clin Transl Oncol. 2021. PubMed 33405051. Read 2026-10-23.
- Synergy of de-walled Ganoderma Lucidum spore powder (GLSP) on targeted therapy in advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant: protocol for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2024. PubMed 38500118. Read 2026-10-23.
- DNA barcoding for identification of consumer-relevant mushrooms: A partial solution for product certification?. Food Chem. 2017. PubMed 27507489. Read 2026-10-23.