Description
The hat, which measures 4 to 20 cm, has a varnished wood appearance. It is yellow in color then reddish brown. It is rounded or kidney-shaped, furrowed and zoned concentrically and slightly wrinkled radially (like wood). A horny cuticle shining like lacquer covers it. The margin is clearer and then darker. The tubes and pores are thin, yellowish and brown, often covered with bloom white. The generally lateral foot has a length varying between 4 and 20 cm, is gnarled, black-brown and shiny. The thin, fibrous flesh has a beige-brown hue and gives off a weak odor. Although tough, the fungus disappears in winter. On the other hand, it can be desiccated and stored for many years.
Ecology
The shiny ganoderm comes from June to November in Europe, on the ground nearby and on the buried roots of hardwoods (including fruit trees). Without being rare, it grows alone or in very small groups.
Use
Coriace and bitter, it is difficult to use for gastronomy.
Dried and / or powdered and presented under various conditions. In contrast, it has been used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine for over two millennia as a tonic or immune stimulant.
Properties
We especially lends properties anticancer which were partly confirmed by scientific studies 2 . Its efficacy against the activity of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has also been shown by some studies 3 , 4 , but not in human subjects. As a result, mushroom cultivation was started in the Far East .
Several compounds present in Ganoderma lucidum have been isolated. Among those which are associated anti-HIV activity, we find the ganodériol F, the ganodermanontriol , and terpenes such as ganodermanondiol and ganolucidique acid 3 , 4 .