The reishi mushroom (literally “supernatural mushroom”)
has been an important medicinal herb in traditional
Chinese medicine for more than two millennia. The most
commonly used species of reishi mushroom is Ganoderma
lucidum, which is now commercially cultivated. G. lucidum
(Fr.) Karst. (Polyporaceae) is used in China, Japan and other
Oriental countries for prevention and treatment of various
kinds of diseases, such as hypertension, tumorigenic diseases,
and immunological disorders [1].
Although the fruiting body of G. lucidum has been used as a
traditional herbal medicine since ancient times, the spores
came to be utilized only in the late 20th century [2]. The spores
contained bioactive substances, mainly lanostane-type triterpenes
[3] and polysaccharide [4] like those in the fruiting
body [