Is Older Lingzhi Better? One Article Explains the Famous Producing Areas and Nutritious Ways to Eat It

Lingzhi, also known as red lingzhi, crimson lingzhi, and danzhi, has the effects of tonifying qi and calming the spirit, relieving cough and asthma, and prolonging life. So, where are the relatively famous lingzhi producing areas? Is it better the older it is? How should it be eaten for nutrition?

1. Where are the relatively famous lingzhi producing areas?

The general characteristic of the natural distribution of lingzhi fungi in China is that there are many in the southeast and few in the northwest. If a diagonal line is drawn from the Greater Khingan Mountains in the northeast toward southeastern Tibet in the south, the distribution of lingzhi can be divided into two very different major regions, which precisely shows that the distribution of species in the Ganodermataceae family matches China's topography, landforms, and ecological environment. It is currently known that to the west of this line, due to causes such as drought or severe cold, there is a lack of natural conditions for lingzhi to reproduce and grow, and only two species, the artist's conk and lingzhi, are distributed there. In Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Ningxia, the common lingzhi (red lingzhi) has almost not been found. Red lingzhi is mainly distributed in the Changbai Mountains and the Taiwan region, and the lingzhi from the Changbai Mountains and the Antrodia camphorata from Taiwan are relatively famous.

2. Is lingzhi better the older it is?

In fact, the idea that lingzhi is better the older it is is a misunderstanding. The lingzhi fruiting body is annual, and the best-quality lingzhi is when the pale yellow growth line at the edge of the fruiting body has just faded and spores have not yet been released. Lingzhi with more years contains especially large amounts of woody components, while the active ingredients are instead very few, so its extraction value is not as good as that of young lingzhi, nor as good as lingzhi mycelium powder.

3. How should lingzhi be eaten for nutrition?

First: lingzhi drink

After slicing the whole lingzhi, put it into a pot, add an appropriate amount of clean water, then simmer over low heat for two hours, then add an appropriate amount of honey to the medicinal liquid and it can be eaten directly.

Second: lingzhi decoction in water

Slice the lingzhi, then put it into a bowl, add an appropriate amount of clean water, and decoct it. Generally it must be decocted three or four times, and then all the medicinal liquid is mixed together for consumption.

Third: lingzhi soaked in liquor

Slice or cut the lingzhi into small pieces, then put it into baijiu to soak, and then seal it well. After three days, when the color of the baijiu changes from white to brownish red, it can be drunk, and an appropriate amount of rock sugar or honey can also be added according to personal taste.