Ganoderma lingzhi

Lingzhi, Ganoderma lingzhi, also known as reishi, is a polypore fungus ("bracket fungus")
belonging to the genus Ganoderma.
Its red-varnished, kidney-shaped cap and peripherally inserted stem gives it a distinct fan-like
appearance. When fresh, the lingzhi is soft, cork-like, and flat. It lacks gills on its underside,
and instead releases its spores via fine pores. Depending on the age, the pores on its underside
may be white or brown.

The lingzhi mushroom is used in traditional Chinese medicine. There is insufficient evidence
that consuming lingzhi mushrooms or their extracts has an effect on cancer, metabolic
diseases or cardiovascular diseases.

In nature, it grows at the base and stumps of deciduous trees, especially that of the maple.
Only two or three out of 10,000 such aged trees will have lingzhi growth, and therefore its
wild form is rare. Lingzhi may be cultivated on hardwood logs, sawdust or woodchips.