Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) (Ganoderma lucidum)

Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) is low in calories and macronutrients in typical supplemental doses, but contains a rich array of bioactive compounds. In dried whole fruiting body form: protein approximately 10–40% dry weight (varies by strain and substrate), predominantly consisting of immunomodulatory proteins and lectins; carbohydrates approximately 26–28% dry weight including beta-glucans (specifically beta-1,3 and beta-1,6 glucans) at approximately 1.1–5.0% of dry weight, which are considered primary bioactive polysaccharides; fat content low at approximately 1.9–3.0% dry weight, including ganoderic acid-associated triterpenes. Dietary fiber is substantial at approximately 59–72% dry weight in fruiting body powder. Key bioactive compounds include: triterpenoids (ganoderic acids A, B, C, D, G, H, I, J at concentrations of approximately 0.3–2.0% in standardized extracts, with ganoderic acid A most studied); polysaccharides including Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (GLP) typically standardized to 10–30% in commercial extracts; adenosine at approximately 0.1–0.5 mg/g dry weight; ergosterol (provitamin D2 precursor) at approximately 0.3–0.8 mg/g; coumarin derivatives; alkaloids including cyclo-octasulfur. Minerals present include potassium (~4–8 mg/g), calcium (~0.2–0.5 mg/g), magnesium (~0.1–0.3 mg/g), zinc (~0.05–0.1 mg/g), and selenium at trace levels (~0.001–0.01 mg/g). B-vitamins are present at low concentrations including riboflavin (~0.05 mg/g) and niacin (~0.1–0.3 mg/g). Bioavailability note: polysaccharides from whole fruiting body have limited oral bioavailability due to large molecular weight; hot water extraction significantly improves bioavailability of beta-glucans compared to raw powder. Triterpenes require ethanol or dual extraction for meaningful concentration. Standardized extracts (dual water/ethanol) typically contain 10–30% polysaccharides and 1–6% triterpenes as quality benchmarks.