The Reishi mushroom, also known as Ganoderma lucidum or Lingzhi, is a historical herb known as the "herb of divine energy" in China, Japan, Korea, and other Asian nations(Wasser,2005). For about 2000 years, this nutritious mushroom has been used in combination with other herbal medicines such as Fo-ti to cure and avoid a variety of severe illnesses and diseases. This herbal mushroom has a wide list of health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, boosting your immune system, improving cholesterol level, decreasing anxiety, and lowering the risk of heart disease. Moreover, the Reishi fungus has been shown to be beneficial to the skin, preventing hair loss and premature hair loss.
Reishi mushrooms also have effects on our hair as it has an anti-inflammatory benefit, in combination with being packed in antioxidants. Reishi do not only enhance the circulation of our blood and increases the blood flow, but it also enables more oxygen, nutrients, and minerals to enter the scalp and encourages healthy hair development. Furthermore, hair breakage and hair loss can be due to different health concerns, one cause of poor hair growth is caused by inadequate blood circulation in the scalp. Research has shown that Reishi also helps treat and restore hair loss as it could serve as a DHT blocker. When hair follicles become more responsive to DHT, DHT connects to receptors in the hair follicles, causing them to diminish and resulting in androgenetic alopecia (as known as female and male pattern hair loss and baldness). In a study done on the anti-androgenic properties of mushrooms, Reishi was found to prevent the conversion of testosterone into DHT, a significant factor in male pattern baldness. This suggests that Reishi may have the ability to prevent pattern baldness (Ogdon-nolan, 2021) It is believed that Reishi includes properties that increase hair growth, strengthen roots, and enhance fullness, thereby significantly improving overall hair health.