Ganoderma Lucidum Extract
Ganoderma lucidum extract is prepared from the fruiting body, mycelium or spores of the woody bracket fungus Ganoderma lucidum and related species in the Ganoderma lingzhi complex, known as reishi or lingzhi. The mushroom is too tough and bitter to be eaten directly, so it reaches the market almost entirely as an extract.
Two constituent classes define the material and they require different solvents. Beta-glucans and other polysaccharides, chiefly beta-1,3 and beta-1,6 linked glucans bound to protein, are recovered by hot water and are the fraction associated with immune modulation. Triterpenes, the ganoderic and lucidenic acids, are alcohol soluble, contribute the intense bitterness of the mushroom and are the fraction assayed in triterpene-standardised grades. A dual extract combining both is common because neither solvent alone captures the whole profile.
The powder is tan to dark brown, with a bitter taste that has to be masked or encapsulated. Polysaccharide-rich grades disperse in water to a colloidal solution and are hygroscopic; triterpene-rich grades are only partly water soluble. Spore products are a separate article, and the spore wall must be broken mechanically before the contents are accessible.
We source bulk Ganoderma Lucidum Extract from top China manufacturers for our partners, working with several of them. The manufacturers are in Anhui, Fujian and Shaanxi. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Function
- Plant extract
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Tan to dark brown fine powder with characteristic bitter taste |
| Beta-glucan (enzymatic method) | 20.0 percent minimum |
| Total triterpenes | 4.0 percent minimum |
| Identification | HPTLC and HPLC profile conform to Ganoderma lucidum reference |
| Starch | 5.0 percent maximum, confirming fruiting body origin |
| Loss on drying | 6.0 percent maximum |
| Total ash | 8.0 percent maximum |
| Residual solvents (ethanol) | 5000 mg/kg maximum |
| Lead | 2.0 mg/kg maximum |
| Arsenic | 1.0 mg/kg maximum |
| Cadmium | 1.0 mg/kg maximum |
| Total plate count | 10000 cfu/g maximum |
| Escherichia coli | Absent in 1 g |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
Grades are set by the part used, the solvent and the assay. Hot water extracts are standardised on polysaccharide content, typically 10, 20, 30 or 50 percent, and buyers should insist on beta-glucan measured by an enzymatic method rather than total polysaccharide by a colourimetric method, because the latter reads starch and added maltodextrin as polysaccharide. Alcohol and dual extracts are standardised on triterpenes, commonly 2, 4, 6 or 8 percent by ultraviolet or HPLC.
Raw material grade matters as much as assay. Fruiting body extract, mycelium grown on grain and cracked-wall spore powder are three different products with different composition, and grain-grown mycelium carries residual starch from the substrate. Spore oil, a supercritical carbon dioxide extract of the cracked spore, is sold separately on its triterpene content. Organic certified fruiting body material is widely available, and ratio claims such as 10 to 1 or 30 to 1 are quoted alongside but are less informative than an assay.
Applications
- Immune support capsules and tablets standardised on beta-glucan content
- Mushroom coffee, cocoa and instant beverage blends, where a water-soluble extract dissolves without residue
- Functional tea and tonic drinks, usually with the bitterness balanced by sweetener and other botanicals
- Sleep and stress supplement formulas, often combined with ashwagandha and other adaptogenic botanicals
- Sports recovery and general wellness blends alongside cordyceps and lion's mane extracts
- Gummies and chewables using a deodorised, low-bitterness grade
- Softgels formulated with spore oil for the triterpene fraction
- Skin care and cosmetic products positioned on antioxidant and moisturising claims
- Traditional herbal decoction bases and tonic preparations
Brands Using Ganoderma Lucidum Extract
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Ganoderma Lucidum Extract on the ingredient label.
- Om Mushroom SuperfoodReishi Mushroom Capsules ↗The product page identifies the mushroom inside as Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) and states an efficacious dose of 2000 mg of whole mushroom powder.Label verified 2026-08-31
- Gaia HerbsReishi Mushroom Capsules ↗The supplement facts panel lists organic Reishi fruiting body extracts as the active ingredient, with the page stating the capsules are 100 percent reishi mushroom extract with no fillers, starch, grains or mycelium.Label verified 2026-08-31
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Ganoderma Lucidum Extract
Top Ganoderma Lucidum Extract manufacturers in China.
Anhui Jinzhai Xianzhiling Biotechnology Co., Ltd.3 ingredients in the directory- Fujian Xianzhilou Biological Science&technology Co., Ltd.3 ingredients in the directory
Xi'an Sost Biotech Co., Ltd.10 ingredients in the directory
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States reishi is used as a dietary ingredient in supplements and reishi preparations are also used in teas and beverages. There is no food additive regulation specific to Ganoderma lucidum, and suppliers rely on its status as a dietary ingredient with a documented history of use, or on self-affirmed GRAS conclusions where the extract is put into conventional foods. Claims are limited to structure and function statements with the standard disclaimer, and any suggestion of treating disease would put the product outside the supplement framework.
In the European Union the position is more restrictive. Ganoderma lucidum preparations are treated case by case, with a distinction drawn between traditional forms with demonstrable consumption in the Union before May 1997 and concentrated or mycelium-derived preparations that may require novel food authorisation. Health claims relating to immune function for this botanical are not authorised. There is no E number, as the extract is not an additive. Codex has not adopted specifications for mushroom extracts; the general Codex provisions on contaminants and food hygiene apply, and heavy metal uptake by the fungus makes those contaminant limits the control that matters.
Manufacturing Process
Cultivated fruiting bodies are harvested, cleaned of substrate, sliced and dried, then milled to a coarse powder. Hot water extraction is carried out in a countercurrent or batch reactor at close to boiling for several hours, which is necessary because the beta-glucans are locked inside a chitinous cell wall and shorter or cooler extraction leaves most of them behind. The liquor is separated from the spent solids by filtration or decanter centrifuge and concentrated under vacuum. Where a polysaccharide-enriched grade is wanted, the concentrate is precipitated with ethanol, the precipitate is redissolved and the alcohol wash repeated to strip small molecules and much of the bitterness.
For triterpenes the milled mushroom, or the spent cake from water extraction, is percolated with 60 to 95 percent ethanol at moderate temperature, and the extract is concentrated and often passed over adsorption resin to enrich the triterpene fraction. A dual extract is made by combining the two streams in a fixed ratio. The combined concentrate is standardised, blended with a small quantity of carrier where necessary, spray dried at a controlled outlet temperature, sieved and packed. Spore products follow a different route in which collected spores are cracked by low-temperature mechanical milling or pressure differential before extraction or supercritical carbon dioxide processing.
