If you live in eastern North America, you have likely seen and heard much about “reishi.” People may claim it can cure every illness and disorder and you might even be offered dried or tinctured “reishi” mushrooms with no real evidence backing their effectiveness; actually this species known as Ganoderma tsugae should be considered “reishi.”

Ganoderma tsugae is the name of a laccate mushroom species found on hemlock trees’ wood. While similar to other Ganoderma species that grow on wood, Ganoderma tsugae stands out by having no stem in its fruiting body shape (Figure 1) and context tissue characteristics between cap surface and tubes and throughout stem (Figure 1). Finally, its distinctive spore size, color and shape set it apart as being distinct.

This parasitic and saprobic species causes white rot in hemlock heartwood, as well as being widespread across its region, often found alone or growing gregariously on dead hemlocks or sometimes other conifers as well. Furthermore, it has also been seen on living trees which have begun dying or near decayed wood, spreading from one tree to another through wind or birds.

G. tsugae stands in stark contrast to other Ganoderma species that can be serious pathogens of conifers and other plants, and does not pose as significant a threat to living hemlocks or conifers. Therefore, its presence doesn’t indicate imminent failure or death for these trees, and may actually benefit them by helping their roots absorb moisture and nutrients more readily from soil.

Research indicates that G. tsugae contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, improves spontaneous behavior, cognitive performance and neuronal morphology while attenuating age-induced behavioral deficits at low doses. Its protective effects stem from activation of innate immune responses and neuronal morphology while simultaneously inducing SOD-1, catalase, BDNF 4-HNE production as well as dendritic branching.

These findings are in line with pharmacological evidence showing that G. tsugae reduces D-gal-induced cognitive impairment, reduces accumulation of advanced glycation end products in the brain, and promotes neuronal growth. Therefore, CBD oil has emerged as a promising candidate in treating cognitive disorders related to aging, neurodegeneration and inflammation. So it is essential to establish an effective methodology for monitoring nonvolatile flavor compounds present in raw G. tsugae, and creating an extraction process with high quality results. This study presents the first evaluation of nonvolatile flavor components present in mature and baby G. tsugae fruiting bodies and mycelia as well as submerged culture filtrate. Results revealed the presence of nine triterpenoids including a- and b-ganodermal alcohols as well as a- and b-ganoderic acids – responsible for providing its distinctive terpene aroma of G. tsugae tea.