There is a Chinese proverb, 一分钱，一分货 (yì fēn qián, yì fēn huò), that says paying one cent gives you one cent’s worth of goods. In other words, you get what you pay for – the higher the price, the better the quality. You may be wondering: does this proverb apply to Ganoderma Lucidum (lingzhi) products? Long answer short: “Yes” and “No”.
When does this Chinese proverb apply and when does it not?
How can we distinguish between low and superior quality lingzhi products?
Use our “Quality Assessment” checklist to select lingzhi savvily!
The "Yes"- Getting What You Paid For
Yes, lingzhi is expensive. It was, after all, once reserved for royalty. Obtaining premium quality lingzhi, requires technical expertise and precise quality control. It is this precise quality standards, from growth conditions to harvesting and processing, that allows us to present you premium lingzhi products with superior levels of bioactive compounds. Lower grade processing methods may allow for lower price tags, but this compromises quality and yields products with inferior bioactive compounds (and thus limited health benefits).
The "No" - Not Getting What You Paid For
Although lingzhi spores oil was invented close to three decades ago, this ‘liquid gold’ costed over $1,000 per bottle at that time. Thanks to technological advancement and decades of research, we have developed efficient yet cost-effective means of producing lingzhi products; concurrently maintaining superior quality and standards.
Unfortunately, sometimes one does not get what they paid for. This problem may occur when:
- We do not conduct our own ‘quality assessment’.
- We are unsure how to assess quality of what we are buying.
- Not enough information is provided for us to assess quality.
Lingzhi is one of the most treasured medicinal herbs to take if you wish to invest in your health. But before you invest, do equip yourself with our “Quality Assessment” checklist and select savvily to get the most value out of your investment.
Select Lingzhi Savvily - A Quality Assessment Checklist
Origin – Quality of the Fungi Itself
Assess quality of the lingzhi mushroom:
- Where does the lingzhi originate from?
- Where is it grown?
- What food or fertiliser sources are used?
A lingzhi supplement is only as good as the lingzhi that was used in it. Wild lingzhi is exposed to varied environmental conditions and can contain contaminants or inferior levels of bioactive compounds. Cultivated lingzhi is often preferred for consistency and quality control in growth environment and bioactive content.
The indigenous food source of lingzhi is Duan Wood (椴木). Although grains are useful as additional fertiliser in lingzhi growth substrates, growing lingzhi on grain alone dilutes the medicinal value. Choose lingzhi grown on wood-based substrates for better medicinal value!
Processing – Quality of Methods Used
Assess quality of processing methods:
- Are the lingzhi spores cracked or broken?
- What processing method(s) was used?
Quality of methods used to process raw lingzhi mushrooms ultimately affect the levels of bioactive compounds in the final product. Some bioactive compounds within lingzhi are temperature-sensitive and require advanced processing techniques to protect these bioactives from spoilage.
Lingzhi spores have a thick indigestive outer wall that must be cracked or broken – this cracking process allows our human digestive system to absorb the bioactive compounds hidden within these indigestible spore walls. Most lingzhi spores powder in the market uses physical or mechanical processing methods to crack spore walls. Unfortunately, these mechanical cracking methods reduces bioactive content due to heat and oxidation generated during the process.
Poor quality lingzhi spores oil extracted from these mechanically-cracked lingzhi spores have low physiological benefits as some of the bioactive compounds are spoilt by oxidation. Supercritical CO2 Extraction, likely the best technique for extracting lingzhi spores oil, is an expensive process that maintains temperatures below 40°C to protect precious bioactive compounds from spoilage and oxidation.
Content – Quality of the Lingzhi Product
Assess quality of the lingzhi product:
- What composition of the product is obtained from lingzhi?
- What is the concentration of main bioactive compounds (polysaccharides & triterpenoids)?
- Has the manufacturer conducted any research studies to test product efficacy?
| Ganoderma Lucidum (lingzhi) Product | Main Bioactive Ingredient(s) |
| Spores Powder | Polysaccharides Triterpenoids |
| Spores Oil | Triterpenoids |
Are you getting what you paid for? Just as how we compare nutritional information between similar food products, checking the percentage of bioactive ingredients per 100g is a good comparison technique to ensure we obtain the superior lingzhi product that offers us the best value.
More ‘miligrams’ or ‘grams’ of lingzhi does not equate to more health benefits; the true health value of lingzhi products stem from the bioactive compound content. Different lingzhi products may contain the same net weight or physical weight (in grams) of spores powder/spores oil but products processed using inferior methods will have much lower health-boosting bioactive compounds.
How can we select superior lingzhi products with the most value? Check the product label and compare the main bioactive ingredient(s) per 100g! As lab tests do not distinguish between lingzhi-derived polysaccharides/triterpenoids and other types of polysaccharides/triterpenoids, be sure to get Ganoderma Lucidum products from a trusted manufacturer. Has the manufacturer conducted any scientific tests or studies to support the efficacy of their lingzhi products?
Pressed for time?
Here are two concise (but crucial) ‘Quality Assessors’ to remember:
- Know what you are paying for - check the product label.
- When purchasing a premium product like lingzhi – quality trumps quantity.
The Checklist In Action
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