Role of Ganoderma in the Control and Prevention of Microbial Infections

Abstract

Health is a sense of well being of body, mind and soul. Health means developing resistance power and power of function of the body against diseases. From time immemorial ever since man was born, a constant fight is going on between man and the parasites such as bacteria, viruses etc. To undertake this fight, nature has gifted man a natural doctor called “Immunity” right from his birth. This doctor was born with man and dies with him. Ganoderma lucidium commonly called Lingzhi by the Chinese and known as Reishi in Japan is a basidiomycete, lamella less fungus belonging to the family of Polyporaceae. It has been used for over thousands of years in Japan and China as a miraculous remedy for a wide range of diseases i.e. it is a herb with multiple application hence considered as universal medicine for all diseases. Currently more than 2000 biochemical and pharmacological reports are published on medicinal properties of Ganoderma and its active principles, which have identified the effects of Lingzhi as mainly that of polysaccharides, triterpenes, adenosine and essential fatty acids. Red Reishi is non toxic, produces no side effects and generally recommended as a general tonic and immune modulator i.e. regulates and fine tunes the immune system. The main purpose of the study was to explore the role of Ganoderma in the control and prevention of microbial diseases. The research was fundamentally of descriptive type. Primary data were collected through a questionnaire with 19 questions having 4 options each to administer to the subject responses. Out of 100 respondents, 40 were from Lalitpur district 30 from Kathmandu district and 30 from Kaski districts. Some of the major findings of the study are as follows: Ganoderma is used for the cure, control and prevention of a wide range of diseases including microbial diseases and is highly effective against these diseases. Adoption of ganotherapy for microbial cases of infection is fairly limited in the study area and is confined to bacterial and viral diseases. However Ganoderma is as highly effective against microbial diseases as in non-microbial cases. Ganotherapy is considered the best mode of therapy by its consumers. An extremely large proportion of the Nepalese population is ignorant and unaware of Ganoderma and its therapy and is being deprived of its immense health benefits. Thus from the study it is concluded that Ganoderma lucidium has great pharmaceutical value and helps in the control and prevention of a wide spectrum of diseases including a number of microbial diseases primarily bacterial and viral diseases. It is indeed a great protector, protecting us on every level - physically, immunologically, mentally and spiritually thus helping us to adapt to the world and provides additional power for us to achieve a superior level of life. Thus ganotherapy as a matter of fact, is a natural treatment, the study of which has indeed a great significance in the field of health sector.