Reishi (Ling Zhi) and Cordyceps (Dong Chong Xia Cao) in Chinese Medicine

Reishi (ling zhi)

What it is. Reishi, Ganoderma lucidum (ling zhi in Chinese), is a fungus that holds an important place in the traditional medical systems of China, Japan, Korea and other Asian countries.[1] Supplements come as capsules, tablets, extracts, powders and teas.

Evidence. The research is mostly preclinical or small.

1. Cancer, added to usual treatment

   Insufficient evidence

   A Cochrane review included five randomized trials, judged overall methodological quality generally unsatisfying, and found insufficient evidence to justify reishi as a first-line cancer treatment.[3] Memorial Sloan Kettering says more research is needed on safety and effectiveness as an adjunct.[1]

2. Type 2 diabetes and heart risk factors

   No good evidence of benefit

   Randomized trials do not support reishi for reducing cardiovascular risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes.[1]

3. Urinary symptoms in men

   Promising but limited

   Clinical studies indicate possible benefit.[1]

4. Energy, "immune" claims

   Traditional use only

   Listed as traditional and promoted uses; a pilot study of spore powder did not find help for Alzheimer's disease.[1]

Safety. Possible side effects include nausea, insomnia and liver injury.[1] Case reports describe liver toxicity with powdered reishi, fatal in one instance.[1] Reishi can increase bleeding risk with blood thinners and may not be safe with immunosuppressants. Reishi spore powder may raise a cancer blood marker (CA72-4) and could interfere with cancer test results.[1] Because it may stimulate immune activity, it may trigger or worsen autoimmune skin disease, though causation is not established.[1]

Cordyceps (dong chong xia cao)

What it is. Cordyceps is a fungus that grows on the caterpillar of a moth and is used in traditional Chinese medicine.[2] The wild form, Ophiocordyceps sinensis, is called dong chong xia cao in China.[4] Cultivated forms and related species such as Cordyceps militaris also exist, and researchers have developed tests to tell wild from cultivated products,[5] so names on labels can vary. See commercial mushroom names and naming limits.

Conservation. Wild O. sinensis resources are described as threatened by over-harvesting due to the perceived high medicinal value.[4] A 2026 study found wild excavation raised concerns about effects on fragile alpine soil ecosystems of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.[6] Proper evidence not found on its legal status: no readable regulator page was located, so this page makes no legal claim. Consider the ethics of sourcing before buying wild-harvested products.

Evidence.

1. Kidney function after transplant or in dialysis

   Insufficient evidence

   Some studies reported benefit, but several analyses found the evidence insufficient.[2]

2. Exercise performance in healthy people

   Mixed

   Results are mixed.[2]

3. Lung cancer, added to chemotherapy

   Promising but limited

   A 2024 meta-analysis of 12 randomized trials (928 patients) reported a higher tumor response rate and better immune markers with C. sinensis added to treatment.[7] Only the pooled abstract was reviewed here, so the quality of the individual trials could not be assessed; the result should be read as a limited signal, not proof.

4. Energy, immunity, sexual function

   Traditional use only

   Traditional and promoted uses; laboratory (preclinical) effects have been reported.[2]

Safety and quality. Memorial Sloan Kettering reports no major side effects, but cordyceps may lower blood sugar and increase bleeding risk with blood thinners, and there is a case report of excessive bleeding after tooth extraction in someone using it daily as a tonic.[2] It should not be used by people with myelogenous (bone marrow type) cancers.[2]

Quality is a concern. A laboratory analysis of C. sinensis found toxic metals including cadmium, lead and arsenic, with arsenic higher in the caterpillar than in the mycelium (3.0 to 32 ppm in samples), likely due to soil contamination.[8] Read Chinese herbal products: quality, contamination and medicine interactions and mushroom supplements and product forms. Pregnancy and children: Proper evidence not found in the sources read; ask a clinician.

Where they fit

A Chinese medicine practitioner may use either alongside other herbs. See Chinese herbal medicine: what it is and what research shows.