One of these remedies is the Ganoderma or Reishi Mushroom which is known as the ?Mushroom of Immortality? by the Chinese and the Japanese, who have used it to treat a wide variety of diseases for the past 4000 years.

So what does this miracle mushroom do? It might be better to rephrase the question and ask ?what doesn't it do,? because in traditional Chinese literature it has been called a ?panacea? or cure for all diseases

Typically in oriental medicine this mushroom has been used to treat insomnia, gastric ulcers, neurasthenia, arthritis, nephritis, asthma, bronchitis, hypertension and poisoning.

Since the late 1960s medical researchers have been studying the mushroom to find out how it helps the body and to see how it can be used to cure and prevent disease. They have found that the active ingredients in the Reishi mushroom are anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory and have begun trials in which the mushroom has been used to treat: migraine, asthma, diabetes, hypertension, constipation, menstrual pain, kidney detoxification, gastric ulcers and immune system problems.

One of the most serious contemporary medical problems is cardio-vascular disease, which is caused, to a large degree, by a lifestyle that is low in exercise and high in fat. Once again, this ancient remedy may provide to be a boon for this serious health problem.

Researchers at the Nestle Research Center in Switzerland are impressed with the Ganoderma mushroom, calling it "a renowned medicinal species." In one of their studies, using hamsters and pigs, oxygenated lanosterol which was derived from the Ganoderma, reduced cholesterol by 9.8%

These researchers concluded that Gandoderma Lucidium could have a great role to play in the treatment of cardiovascular disease in the years ahead and looked forward to ?innovative new cholesterol lowering foods and medicines containing Gandoderma Lucidium.?

Similarly, researchers are also looking into the use of Ganoderma in the treatment of cancer, and have found it to be effective in regressing the growth of certain types of tumors.

If you want to start getting some of the benefits of the Ganoderma mushroom you don't have to go to Japan or China or dig mushrooms in a forest, because several companies are already distributing foods and health supplements based on the Ganoderma mushroom. It is now possible to buy coffee and chocolate products that have been enriched with Ganoderma as well as capsules, toothpaste, soaps, lotions, and creams that include this miracle mushroom in their ingredients list.