How to Harvest Wild Reishi

Harvest reishi mushrooms to make an invigorating tea.

The wild reishi mushroom features a rusty red color and a shell-shaped form. This tree-shelf fungus grows on the trunks of trees and looks like clusters of barnacles or flat steps on the trunk. In Chinese medicine, the reishi mushroom is highly valued. Asian herbalists prescribe reishi mushroom tea and powder as a vitality aid and a cure for chronic fatigue. In Western medicine, scientists are exploring the reishi as a medication for everything from allergies to diabetes. You can harvest this valuable mushroom for self-healing, though you should consult an expert before treating yourself.

Things You'll Need

• Sharp knife
• Wicker basket

Instructions

1. Search for reishi mushrooms in semi-damp, warm-wooded areas. Constantly wet bark provides the perfect medium for growing mushrooms.

2. Look for red-orange shelf fungus with a smooth edge. The reishi may be striated on the outer with light cream, but it will be mostly red. The mushroom should curve out from the bark and back in toward the tree, curling in on itself deeply where it connects to the tree. It will have a long, tapered stem protruding from the bottom.

3. Inspect the reishi for bruises or holes, both of which are evidence of animal and insect damage. Pass over these specimens. They will not provide the same benefits as a healthy reishi.

4. Slide your knife under the stem of a healthy reishi mushroom. Gently draw your knife around the edge of the stem and up around the mushroom itself, loosening it from the tree trunk. Do this once or twice more, until the reishi loosens enough that you can simply pop it off the tree.

5. Place the reishi mushrooms in your basket. Don't crowd or pack them down; bruised mushrooms will have a poor taste and deteriorate very quickly.

References

• Wellsville Daily: Hunting the Wild Reishi and Other Shelf Fungi
• Reishi Mushroom: Reishi