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Research finding
Lingzhi alongside chemo- and radiotherapy: a pooled analysis of 5 randomized trials
Pooled 5 controlled trials with 373 cancer patients in total. The researchers reported that patients who took lingzhi on top of chemo- or radiotherapy were about 1.27 times as likely to respond positively to treatment as those receiving chemo- or radiotherapy alone, with higher counts such as CD3, CD4 and CD8 and better quality-of-life scores.
Pooled human studiesCombines results from several human trialsHow the study was done
The researchers searched several international medical databases, selected randomized controlled trials that met their criteria, and carried out a comparing “chemo/radiotherapy plus lingzhi” with “chemo/radiotherapy alone”.
What the researchers say
Cochrane’s plain-language summary says lingzhi may increase the chance of responding to treatment, but this conclusion is uncertain. The researchers considered that, since lingzhi may enhance tumor response to treatment and stimulate immunity, it could be offered as an adjunct to conventional treatment; they also stated that current evidence does not support lingzhi as a first-line treatment, that there are no data yet on survival, and that larger trials are needed.
Source
Jin X et al., Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi mushroom) for cancer treatment, Cochrane systematic review, 2016
Abstract and plain-language summary checked Last updated: 2026-10-15