By Qudsia Bano ISLAMABAD, May 16 (INP-WealthPK): Ganoderma lucidum, or reishi, is a dark mushroom, which can help the body cope with stress and boost the immune system because it is an adaptogen. Pakistan can also take initiatives to promote reishi mushroom cultivation because of its various medicinal uses. Several Asian countries, including China, Japan and Korea, use the reishi mushroom in their traditional medicinal systems. Red Reishi, lingzhi, or ling chih (in China), and ‘manner take’ are some of the other names for this mushroom. Although the fungus can be eaten whole, powdered forms or extracts are widely employed in traditional and alternative medicine. The reishi mushroom is harvested after the fruiting body has fully grown. Dirt and superfluous substances are removed after collection, and the fruiting body is dried. A majority of reishi mushrooms sold in stores are cultivated with mushroom caps that are reasonably regular in shape among farmed lots, though sizes may vary. There is also wild reishi, whose caps come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Wild Reishi mushroom grows on the roots and stumps of dead oaks and other hardwood trees in China. Ms Uzma, a senior scientific officer with National Agriculture Research Centre, told WealthPK that the highest graded reishi mushroom was one that was huge, deep red, and had a swirling ram's horn design on it. “Reishi mushrooms are relatively uniform in size, colour and shape when farmed. Some purchasers favour the antler shape or the uncommon wild fruiting body. These vary in size, colour and shape, and commonly have a gnarled appearance,” she said. Uzma said that from two Pakistani species recently gathered on false Ashoka trees, Ganoderma pakistanicum was reported as a new species (monsoon long folium). “Because mushroom farming is labour-intensive, it has the potential to have a significant economic and social impact by providing income and job opportunities for both women and youth, especially in rural areas in developing countries.” Referring to China, the NARC scientist said overall mushroom production in China in 1978 was only 60,000 tonnes, accounting for less than 6% of global mushroom production. “In 2006, however, China's total mushroom production surpassed 14 million tonnes, accounting for more than 70% of global mushroom production,” she added, stressing that Pakistan could also take initiatives to promote reishi mushroom cultivation because of its various medicinal uses. She said contents of the reishi mushroom remain stable at normal temperatures and typical humidity levels due to its woody nonvolatile nature.  Ganoderma mushroom farming has been promoted commercially the world over, particularly in tropical Asian countries, to meet the mushroom's steadily growing demand as natural medicine. Wood log, short basswood segment, tree stump, sawdust bag, and bottle processes are currently used in commercial Ganoderma production, she maintained, saying that Ganoderma mushrooms grown on natural logs were of outstanding quality and fetched the highest prices in Southeast Asian markets. However, the yield may be lower, and the production period may be slightly longer than that of sawdust synthetic log culture, said Uzma, adding it was critical to protect the woods from which logs were harvested as this was a major environmental concern.