Hemlock Fungus Brimming with Antioxidants
A 1999 research paper reported Hemlock Varnish Shelf (Ganoderma tsugae) to have "the strongest antioxidant activity of five species of Ganoderma [Reishi] tested," a more potent free radical scavenger than Vitamin E. [831] Other published papers have also reported extraordinary antioxidant levels in Hemlock Varnish Shelf. [827, 828, 829, 830]
The fungus Hemlock Varnish Shelf (Ganoderma tsugae) is common on Eastern Hemlock trees (Tsuga canadensis) throughout the Appalachian mountain range. It is the local variety of Reishi (Ganoderma spp.) in the eastern United States.
And in fact it shares many medicinal attributes with the better known Common Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), which has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for 2,000 years or more.
Although it can only be found in the east of the American continent, Hemlock Varnish Shelf can also be found in Southeast Asia on Asian hemlock trees. So it is not all that surprising that several Asian studies have been conducted specifically on Ganoderma tsugae.
Grown commercially in Taiwan as a medicinal mushroom, Hemlock Varnish Shelf is exported to mainland China, where it is traditionally used to treat autoimmune diseases and asthma, as well as other conditions involving inflammation.
The single modern study conducted on Hemlock Varnish Shelf extract to treat an autoimmune disease, conducted in 2001, concluded that it "improved the survival rate of lupus." [800]
A bit more research has been conducted on asthma and lung inflammation. In 2007, it was reported that Ganoderma tsugae extract produced "anti-inflammatory effects on airway responses" [801] in broncheoalveolar inflammation, including allergic asthma. [802, 803]
One of the most novel uses of Hemlock Varnish Shelf is as a skin substitute during wound healing. The skin substitute material, commercially sold as Sacchachitin, has been proven in numerous studies to promote and speed up skin healing. It has been observed that "rapid wound healing" takes place when covered by Sacchachitin as compared to regular gauze [804] - a "wound area covered by SACCHACHITIN completely healed by 21 days, while that covered with cotton gauze did not." [805, 806, 807]
Hemlock Varnish Shelf extract has also been tested for its antitumor properties with promising results. [808, 809, 810, 811, 812] In particular lung cancer [813, 814, 815] and breast cancer [816] have responded favorably in scientific research. It was also shown in one study to help prevent cancer metastasis. [817]
Similarly as the Common Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), Hemlock Varnish Shelf also exhibits immunomodulatory properties, [817, 818, 819, 820, 821, 822, 823] which means that it may adjust the immune response either up or down depending on what the situation calls for. [824, 825] While we mostly think of the immune system as something we wish to be strong, in autoimmune conditions and inflammatory diseases, the over-active immune system actually needs to be slowed down, or "put on ice" as it may be.
One study conducted in 2004 found Hemlock Varnish Shelf extract to posses liver protective properties and be anti-fibrotic. [826]
Note: The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult a licensed medical practitioner before using any herb (or mushroom) for medicinal purposes.
Dr. Markho Rafael has worked with natural health since finishing Chiropractic College in 1996. He currently specializes in medicinal mushrooms, specifically working with MycoMedicinals from Paul Stamets, which include reishi synergistic blends such as G5 (Ganoderma Five) and CordyChi Extract. For scientific references to this article, please go to the Ganoderma tsugae list.