Recognition. Response. Memory.
The papers here explore how immune cells recognise fungal structures, how earlier encounters reshape responses, and what can be measured in a human trial.
The science of Lingzhi
Two compounds.
A world of discovery.
Inside Lingzhi are two very different families of compounds. Follow the discoveries that made beta-glucans and ganoderic acids subjects of scientific curiosity.
Chapter 01 · Beta-glucans
A structure the immune
system can recognise.
The story begins with a chain of sugar molecules.
In fungi such as Lingzhi, beta-glucans form part of the cell wall. Think of a branching chain, with its shape determined by how the sugar units join.
That shape caught researchers’ attention. Certain immune cells have receptors that recognise fungal beta-glucans. What happens after that recognition became a whole field of investigation.1
2001 · Receptor research
First, find the point of contact.
At the University of Oxford, Gordon Brown and Siamon Gordon identified Dectin-1 as a receptor that recognises beta-glucans. Their paper in Nature helped explain how immune cells detect a feature of fungal cell walls.1
Why it mattered: it gave researchers a specific route to investigate, from recognition to a cell’s response.
2012 · Human cells & mice
Could an encounter leave a memory?
Jessica Quintin and colleagues found that exposure to fungal beta-glucan could change how monocytes—one type of immune cell—responded to a later challenge. They linked this to lasting changes in how the cells regulate gene activity.2
This helped develop the idea of “trained immunity”: some of the body’s first-response cells can be reshaped by an earlier encounter.
First encounterExposure to fungal beta-glucan→Cell changesPatterns of gene regulation shift→Later challengeA changed response is measured
This work used fungal material including Candida-derived beta-glucan, cultured human cells and mice. It did not test oral Lingzhi supplements.
2023 · Human trial
Then, ask what happens in people.
Shiu-Nan Chen and colleagues in Taiwan published a randomised trial in Foods. They studied a Reishi-derived beta-glucan preparation in healthy adults for 12 weeks. The authors reported changes in selected immune-cell measurements.3
A step into human research, with a specific finding: changes in immune markers. The trial did not establish that participants became ill less often.
A closer look at the study
Participants received 200 mg daily of the study preparation or a placebo. It was a different formulation from REISHI Lab. Results belong to the preparation, population and measurements studied.
Beta-glucans opened a window into immune recognition.
Lingzhi’s other compounds open different questions.
Chapter 02 · Ganoderic acids
A different chemistry.
A new set of questions.
Meet the second family in the story.
Ganoderic acids are triterpenoids: compounds with a compact, ring-based structure. Their chemistry is very different from beta-glucans’ long sugar chains.
Researchers isolate individual members, such as ganoderic acid A, to examine their effects on particular proteins and cell signals. Two published studies show where those questions have led.4, 5
2021 · Laboratory cell study
Can it change inflammatory signals?
Yue Jia and colleagues studied ganoderic acid A in a mouse-derived microglial cell line. Microglia are immune cells associated with the brain.
After provoking an inflammatory response, the team observed that ganoderic acid A reduced the release of certain inflammatory messengers. Their experiments implicated a receptor called FXR.4
Why it interested them: a clue to how this compound affects cellular signalling. The study was performed in cultured cells; it did not demonstrate a benefit for the human brain.
2025 · Cells, worms & mice
What about the way cells age?
Li Chen and colleagues screened 805 natural compounds for effects on cellular senescence—the state in which cells stop dividing and can alter their surroundings. Ganoderic acid A emerged as a candidate for further study.
In Nature Communications, the team reported reduced senescence markers in cell experiments, longer lifespan in worms, and improvements in measures of physical function and frailty in ageing mice.5
Screen805 natural compounds→InvestigateGanoderic acid A→ExploreCellular ageing in preclinical models
The researchers also identified binding to a protein called TCOF1, linking the compound to the cell’s protein-making machinery.
These were preclinical findings. They do not establish slower ageing or a longer life in people.
Two stories, still unfolding
Different discoveries.
Shared scientific curiosity.
Signals. Proteins. Cellular ageing.
The papers here investigate inflammatory signalling and the biology of senescence, using cell and animal models.
These are distinct research directions, with some overlap in immune biology. They do not establish that the compounds work better together. The next chapters depend on further experiments and well-designed human studies.
Credit where it belongs
The papers behind the story.
Selected original studies, summarised in plain language. These examples illustrate research directions; they are not a systematic review.
- Brown GD, Gordon S. A new receptor for β-glucans. Nature. 2001;413:36–37. Receptor identification.
- Quintin J, et al. Candida albicans infection affords protection against reinfection via functional reprogramming of monocytes. Cell Host & Microbe. 2012;12:223–232. Human-cell and mouse experiments.
- Chen S-N, et al. Evaluation of Immune Modulation by β-1,3; 1,6 D-Glucan Derived from Ganoderma lucidum in Healthy Adult Volunteers, A Randomized Controlled Trial. Foods. 2023;12:659. Human trial of a specified preparation.
- Jia Y, et al. Ganoderic Acid A Attenuates LPS-Induced Neuroinflammation in BV2 Microglia by Activating Farnesoid X Receptor. Neurochemical Research. 2021;46:1725–1736. Cultured mouse-derived cells.
- Chen L, et al. High-content screening identifies ganoderic acid A as a senotherapeutic to prevent cellular senescence and extend healthspan in preclinical models. Nature Communications. 2025;16:2878. Cells, worms and mice.
Illustrations are original simplified explanations, not figures or experimental data reproduced from the papers. The cited research does not establish the effects of REISHI Lab. or imply endorsement by the researchers. Findings on one beta-glucan preparation or one ganoderic acid should not be applied to every member of its family.