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Background
From “herb of immortality” to ruyi scepter: more than 2,000 years of lingzhi culture
Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica (神农本草经) is the earliest medical text to describe lingzhi’s types, origins, properties and uses systematically; it divided lingzhi by color into the “six zhi”. From the Han dynasty onward, lingzhi was seen as an auspicious omen and later evolved into the ruyi, a symbol of good fortune; the “lingzhi and auspicious clouds” carved on the ornamental columns in front of Tiananmen in Beijing are one example.
Book on lingzhiSummarized from a published book; verifiable by title and ISBNPublished book · see title and ISBN in the sourceHow the study was done
Traces the image of lingzhi through myths and legends, poetry, Taoist medicine and traditional objects.
What the researchers say
The ancient practice of distinguishing lingzhi by color does not correspond to species in the modern scientific sense.
Source
Lin Zhibin (ed.), 灵芝从神奇到科学 [Lingzhi: From Mystery to Science], 3rd ed., Peking University Medical Press, 2018, ISBN 978-7-5659-1844-5, Ch. 1–2; Wu Tingyao, reviewed by Hsu Rey-Shyang, 灵芝，妙不可言 [Lingzhi: Wonderful Beyond Words], People’s Medical Publishing House, 2017, ISBN 978-7-117-24242-4, Ch. 1
The two books agree Last updated: 2026-10-06