Reishi Tea: Benefits, How to Make It and Liver Safety

Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum, also called lingzhi) is a woody, bitter mushroom used for centuries in Chinese medicine. Today it is sold as tea, powder, extracts, tinctures and mushroom coffee. This guide covers how to make reishi tea, how the forms differ, what human trials found, what is known about reishi and the liver, and who should avoid it.

It is educational, not medical advice.

Key Takeaways

• Tea is a hot water extract. Hot water draws out reishi’s polysaccharides; its bitter triterpenes are usually extracted with alcohol (Wachtel-Galor et al., 2011).
• Trials used 1.44 to 3 g a day of reishi preparations for 4 to 16 weeks, and it was well tolerated (Chu et al., 2012; Klupp et al., 2016).
• Liver safety: trials have not shown rises in liver enzymes, but reishi has been linked to rare single cases of acute liver injury, often with other causes not ruled out (LiverTox, NIH).

What Is Reishi Mushroom?

Reishi is a large, reddish-brown, fan-shaped mushroom. Unlike culinary mushrooms, it is valued for its compounds rather than as food: mainly polysaccharides and triterpenes, the triterpenes giving it a bitter taste. Products are made from different parts of the mushroom, including the fruiting body, the mycelium and the spores, and come as powders, capsules and tea (Wachtel-Galor et al., 2011). More background is on our reishi ingredient page.

How to Make Reishi Tea

Because reishi is woody, it is usually simmered rather than briefly steeped, a method called a decoction. A simple way to make it:

• Start with dried reishi: slices or powder of the fruiting body, from a source that names Ganoderma lucidum.
• Simmer, covered: put the reishi in water, bring it to a boil, then simmer gently.
• Strain and taste: the tea is bitter and earthy, so many people add ginger, lemon, cinnamon or honey.
• Or use an extract powder: stir a pre-made reishi extract into hot water instead of simmering whole pieces.

Hot water mostly pulls out the polysaccharides. The triterpenes are extracted with alcohol or other solvents (Wachtel-Galor et al., 2011), which is why tinctures and "dual extracts" (water plus alcohol) exist.

Chaga is another mushroom often brewed as a tea; our guide to chaga tea covers how to make it and why its oxalate content matters.

Reishi Tea vs Powder, Extract, Tincture and Coffee

Form	What it is	Good to know
Tea	Dried reishi simmered in water	Mostly the water-soluble polysaccharides; bitter; strength varies by batch
Ground powder	The whole dried mushroom, ground	Not concentrated; check which part of the mushroom is used
Extract	A concentrated water, alcohol or dual extract	Labels may show a ratio such as 8:1; check the solvent and amount per serving
Tincture	An alcohol-based liquid extract	Carries more of the triterpenes than plain tea
Reishi coffee	Coffee blended with reishi powder or extract	Contains the caffeine of the coffee; the reishi amount is often small

For more on forms, see mushroom extracts vs powders and what an 8:1 extract means; for coffee blends, see mushroom coffee vs regular coffee.

Reishi Benefits: What Human Trials Found

• Healthy adults, 4 weeks: 18 adults took 1.44 g a day of encapsulated reishi (equal to 13.2 g of fresh mushroom) or placebo. No marker changed significantly, though lipids trended slightly lower and antioxidant capacity in urine rose; there was no sign of liver, kidney or DNA toxicity (Wachtel-Galor et al., 2004).
• Borderline blood pressure or cholesterol, 12 weeks: in 26 adults, 1.44 g a day was well tolerated. Body weight and blood pressure did not change, while plasma insulin and insulin resistance were lower than on placebo (Chu et al., 2012).
• Type 2 diabetes, 16 weeks: in 84 adults with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, 3 g a day had no effect on blood sugar or the secondary measures, and did not raise the risk of side effects (Klupp et al., 2016).
• Healthy adults, 6 months: in 42 adults, 225 mg a day of an extract enriched in triterpenes and polysaccharides raised antioxidant markers and lowered the liver enzymes GOT and GPT during treatment (Chiu et al., 2017).

Reishi is also widely used for sleep and stress; that research is covered in our guide to reishi for sleep, and how it compares with other functional mushrooms is in adaptogenic mushrooms.

For the lab, animal and mushroom blend research as well, see our guide to reishi mushroom benefits. To see how reishi compares with maitake, an edible mushroom studied for immune support, read our guide to maitake vs reishi.

Reishi Mushroom and Liver Toxicity

The US National Institutes of Health LiverTox database describes reishi as well tolerated and not associated with liver enzyme rises during use, but implicated in rare single instances of acute liver injury, most of which did not adequately rule out other causes (LiverTox, NIH). In the 4-week trial above there was no sign of liver toxicity (Wachtel-Galor et al., 2004), and in the 6-month trial liver enzymes fell rather than rose (Chiu et al., 2017).

A 2023 case report described a 47-year-old man who developed acute hepatitis after taking reishi powder together with alcohol; his symptoms and blood tests had returned to normal at a two-week follow-up (Guedikian et al., 2023).

Stop taking reishi and contact a clinician promptly if you notice yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, pain in the upper right abdomen or unusual tiredness.

Side Effects and Who Should Avoid Reishi

In the trials above, reishi was well tolerated and did not raise the rate of side effects compared with placebo (Chu et al., 2012; Klupp et al., 2016). Check with a clinician before using it if any of these apply:

• Liver disease, or regular heavy alcohol use.
• Blood-thinning medication, or surgery coming up.
• Medication for blood sugar or blood pressure.
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
• A mushroom allergy.

How Much Reishi?

There is no official daily amount. Trials used 1.44 to 3 g a day of reishi preparations for 4 to 16 weeks, or 225 mg a day of an enriched extract for 6 months (Wachtel-Galor et al., 2004; Klupp et al., 2016; Chiu et al., 2017). Tea strength varies, so a labeled extract is easier to measure. If you use a product, follow its label.

Our Forage provides 200 mg of reishi 8:1 extract per two-capsule serving, alongside lion’s mane and cordyceps (200 mg each), chaga, maitake, turkey tail and shiitake (150 mg each), Himalayan shilajit (100 mg) and ashwagandha root extract (100 mg). The label directions are two capsules daily in the morning, with or without food; details are in the Forage FAQ. It is made with third-party tested ingredients. Our Lithium Orotate Supplement also contains reishi, alongside low-dose lithium orotate, lemon balm, vitamin B6 and zinc.

More guides are in our Learn hub and our stress and mood guide.

Safety note: talk with a clinician before taking reishi if you have a liver condition, take blood thinners or medicine for blood sugar or blood pressure, have surgery planned, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Sources

• Wachtel-Galor S et al. Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi or Reishi): A Medicinal Mushroom. In: Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects, 2nd edition. CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, 2011. PubMed
• Chu TT et al. Study of potential cardioprotective effects of Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi): results of a controlled human intervention trial. Br J Nutr, 2012. PubMed
• Klupp NL et al. A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial of Ganoderma lucidum for the treatment of cardiovascular risk factors of metabolic syndrome. Sci Rep, 2016. PubMed
• LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. Lingzhi, Reishi. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 2012. PubMed
• Wachtel-Galor S et al. Ganoderma lucidum ("Lingzhi"), a Chinese medicinal mushroom: biomarker responses in a controlled human supplementation study. Br J Nutr, 2004. PubMed
• Chiu HF et al. Triterpenoids and polysaccharide peptides-enriched Ganoderma lucidum: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study of its antioxidation and hepatoprotective efficacy in healthy volunteers. Pharm Biol, 2017. PubMed
• Guedikian R et al. Ganoderma lingzhi (Reishi Mushroom)-Induced Acute Liver Injury in the Setting of Alcohol Use: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. Cureus, 2023. PubMed

Frequently Asked Questions

Is reishi tea good for you?

Reishi has been well tolerated in trials of up to 16 weeks. Trials have measured antioxidant markers, liver enzymes, blood lipids and blood sugar. It has a long history of use as a traditional tonic.

How do you make reishi tea?

Simmer dried reishi slices or powder in water, covered, then strain. It is bitter, so ginger, lemon or honey help. An extract powder stirred into hot water is a quicker option.

Is reishi bad for your liver?

Trials have not shown liver enzyme rises, and one 6-month trial found them lower. Rare case reports of acute liver injury exist, so people with liver disease should check with a clinician first.

What does reishi tea taste like?

Bitter and earthy. The bitterness comes from its triterpenes.

Can you drink reishi tea every day?

Daily reishi was taken for 4 to 16 weeks in trials, and an enriched extract for 6 months. Check with a clinician if any caution above applies to you.

Is reishi tea or extract better?

Tea mainly provides the water-soluble polysaccharides. Extracts are measured and concentrated, and dual extracts also carry the triterpenes.

Does reishi coffee have caffeine?

Reishi coffee contains the caffeine of the coffee it is blended with. Reishi tea made from the mushroom alone contains no coffee.

Who should not take reishi?

People with liver disease, those taking blood thinners or medicine for blood sugar or blood pressure, anyone with surgery planned, people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and anyone allergic to mushrooms should check with a clinician first.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This content is for education and is not medical advice. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Talk with a healthcare provider before starting a new supplement if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication.