14/10/2026
Does Reishi lower cortisol?
Here's what we know.
Your body produces cortisol to deal with stress. Short term, that's useful. Long term, chronically elevated cortisol can become a problem.
Reishi contains ganoderic acids, a class of triterpenes found almost exclusively in Ganoderma lucidum. Research suggests these compounds interact with the GABAergic system, the same pathway targeted by many pharmaceutical calming agents.
Cui et al. (2012) demonstrated anxiolytic effects in animal models through this exact mechanism. It's not a human clinical trial, but the pathway is well-characterised and the research is ongoing.
Reishi has been used for over 2,000 years in traditional Chinese medicine specifically for "calming the spirit" (安神).