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BeeTooman · Vegan Zealot Joined: 12 May 2006 Posts: 980

Lingzhi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

cap is offset or indistinct

hymenium attachment is irregular or not applicable

stipe is bare or lacks a stipe

spore print is brown

ecology is saprophytic or parasitic

edibility: edible

Língzhī (traditional Chinese: 靈芝; simplified Chinese: 灵芝; Japanese: reishi; Korean: yeongji, hangul: 영지) is the name for one form of the mushroom Ganoderma lucidum, and its close relative Ganoderma tsugae, which grows in the northern Eastern Hemlock forests. These two species of bracket fungus have a worldwide distribution in both tropical and temperate geographical regions, including North and South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia, growing as a parasite or saprotroph on a wide variety of trees.[1] Ganoderma lucidum enjoys special veneration in Asia, where it has been used in traditional Chinese medicine as a herbal medicine for more than 4,000 years, making it one of the oldest mushrooms known to have been used in medicine. Similar species of Ganoderma have been found growing in the Amazon, according to mycologist Christopher Hobbs. [2]

The word lingzhi, in Chinese, means "herb of spiritual potency" and has also been described as "mushroom of immortality".[1] Because of its presumed health benefits and apparent absence of side-effects, it has attained a reputation in the East as the ultimate herbal substance. Lingzhi has now been added to the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia and Therapeutic Compendium.
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BeeTooman · Vegan Zealot Joined: 12 May 2006 Posts: 980

Some images of Lingzhi

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It does take a little work to be a vegetarian but it's so worth it, oh it's so worth it!