Reishi

An ancient herb safe for pregnancy & postpartum that promotes liver health, reduces inflammation and supports sleep.

The safest herb to take during pregnancy is Reishi. This earthy bitter, antioxidant rich mushroom promotes liver health, reduces inflammation and supports sleep by encouraging the body to return to peaceful equilibrium.

Reishi is traditionally used in Chinese medicine to:

• Balance spirit
• Support healthy immune system function
• Improve sleep quality / deep sleep

Active Benefits:

• A heightened sense of calm
• Enhanced mental and physical resilience
• Elevation of overall well-being
• Hormone rebalancing
• Fertility support
• Deep Sleep
• Digestive Health
• Energy & Vitality
• Healthy Sleep Cycle
• Healthy Stress Response
• Immunity

It’s a Class A safety herb and is generally safe for most women. Herbalist Ron Teeguarden speaks of reishi babies, born in China, who are calm, healthy and super alert. Superfeast founders, daughter Aiya is a reishi baby, and was born super calm and alert.

DI DAO | VEGAN | PALEO | GLUTEN FREE

About Reishi

Regarded by ancient herbalists as the ‘mushroom of immortality,’ reishi is traditionally used in Chinese medicine to support healthy immune system function and promote a healthy stress response. A famous Shen tonic, reishi is recommended to calm and balance the spirit, and to enhance sleep quality. It strengthens the Heart, Kidneys, Lungs, and Liver - it is one of those special herbs that work on all Three Treasures (Jing, Qi, and Shen), as well as all the five Taoist organ systems. 

In China, reishi is known as ling zhi which means  'spirit plant' or 'tree of life mushroom.' The Chinese character for ling zhi is composed of three characters that represent a shaman praying for rain. The Latin translation of Ganoderma is ‘gano’ (shiny) ‘derma’ (skin).

Reishi is extremely rare in the wild and was once reserved for use amongst emperors and royalty only. Immortalised throughout Chinese art, temples, statues, and paintings, reishi mushroom was held in the highest esteem amongst Chinese royalty and is surrounded by many legends over the past 4 millennia. Kuan Yin, known as the goddess of healing, was occasionally depicted carrying a reishi mushroom. This polypore was extremely prized amongst the Orient and often hung above doorways as a protector.

Reishi is high in beta-glucans and over 100+ distinct varieties of polysaccharides. Triterpenes are the compounds in reishi responsible for the bitter taste that reishi possesses. Triterpenes are only extracted via ethanol and hot water; this is why we dual-extract SuperFeast Reishi.

Listen to Mason chat about Reishi here.

How Do I Take Them?

Enjoy them as you normally do - in a delicious tonic (recipes), in your meals, or on their own with some hot water as an herbal elixir. To be taken after 12 weeks gestation.

Adults, mix 200mg in 250ml warm water & drink immediately. Take three times a day. Stir into hot water or plant milk for an instant tonic tea. Works well in hot or cold drinks, broths and meals. We love it in warm plant milk before bed with honey. Always use a dry spoon.

How Much Should I Take?

Less is more with tonic herbs during pregnancy. We like to keep the dose low (1/4 - 1/2 tsp) and recommend you take it easy during this time.

Postpartum you can use I Am Gaia and Eucommia Bark in higher doses to rebuild your energy (Qi), Blood and Jing. We recommend about 1 tsp a day of these herbs for the first 40 days postpartum. After this, reassess to gauge whether these herbs are relevant for you to continue taking. It’s great to consult with a practitioner like a Chinese or integrative doctor or naturopath for postpartum care.

Sourcing:

SuperFeast Reishi is carefully dual-extracted and sourced Di Dao from the Dabie Mountains in China. See full sourcing details below.

Please Note that in the world of herbs and humans, and the complex intersection of chemistry and the less tangible elements like emotions and spirit, not to mention the quality of the herbs you are sourcing and their potency (if you’re not buying Superfeast, make sure you find out how the herbs are grown and produced, as well as how they’re prepared and extracted, if at all) - all this means that not all herbs work for every body, all the time.