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GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

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GROWTH PARAMETERS 355<br />

Ganoderma lucidum (Wm. Curtis: Fries) Karsten<br />

Introduction: A mushroom of many names,<br />

Ganoderma lucidum has been used medicinally<br />

by diverse peoples for centuries. The Japanese<br />

call this mushroom Reishi or Mannentake<br />

(10,000 Year Mushroom) whereas the Chinese<br />

& Koreans know <strong>it</strong> as Ling Chi, Ling Chih, or<br />

Ling Zhi (Mushroom (Herb) of Immortal<strong>it</strong>y).<br />

Renowned for <strong>it</strong>s health stimulating properties,<br />

this mushroom is more often depicted in ancient<br />

Chinese, Korean, & Japanese art than any other.<br />

Ling Chi is trad<strong>it</strong>ionally associated w<strong>it</strong>h royalty,<br />

health & recuperation, longev<strong>it</strong>y, sexual prowess,<br />

wisdom, and happiness. Ling Chi has been<br />

depicted in royal tapestries, often portrayed<br />

w<strong>it</strong>h renowned sages of the era. For a time, the<br />

Chinese even believed this mushroom could<br />

bring the dead to life when a tincture specifically<br />

made from <strong>it</strong> was laid upon one's chest.<br />

The use of Ganoderma lucidum spans more<br />

than two millennia. The earliest mention of Ling<br />

Chi was in the era of the first emperor of China,<br />

Shih-huang of the Ch'in Dynasty (22 1-207<br />

B.C.). Henceforth, depictions of this fungus proliferated<br />

through Chinese l<strong>it</strong>erature and art. In<br />

the time of the Han Dynasty (B.C. 206 - A.D.<br />

220) while the imperial palace of Kan-ch'uan<br />

was being constructed, Ling Chi was found<br />

growing on timbers of the inner palace, producing<br />

nine "paired leaves". So striking was this<br />

good omen, that henceforth emissaries were sent<br />

far and wide in search of more collections of this<br />

unique fungus. Word of Ling Chi thus spread to<br />

Korea and Japan whereupon <strong>it</strong> was elevated to a<br />

status of near-reverence.<br />

This mushroom is known by many in North<br />

America and Europe as one of the "Artist's<br />

Conk" fungi. (The true Artist Conk<br />

is Ganoderma applanatum.) As the fru<strong>it</strong>body<br />

Figure 315. A Tibetan Ling Chi "Tree" statuette<br />

made of wood, from pre-1600 AD. revered and protected<br />

in the Lama Temple, Beijing.<br />

Figure 316. An exquis<strong>it</strong>e antler specimen of Ling Chi<br />

featured in a Chinese mushroom museum.<br />

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