Dried Shū-shé Língzhī/Reishi Pieces (Ganoderma applanatum)

Shū-shé Língzhī/Reishi (Ganoderma applanatum) is a polypore fungus with a corky texture and umami flavour. Unlike other mushrooms in the Reishi class, Shū-shé has a smooth, pleasant flavour which has traditionally been used to enhance the flavour of stock for soups and stews. The powdery layer found on the top of the bracket has a rich browning and mildly thickening effect, becoming somewhat gellatinous in hot water, and dissolving relatively easily.
Many Ganoderma species, such as the better-known Lingzhi/Reishi, are regarded as potent folk-medicinal mushrooms, traditionally brewed into a tea and/or steeped in alcohol to extract compounds believed to promote health and longevity. Modern science is establishing potent medicinal applications for such extracts. In the case of Shū-shé Língzhī/Reishi, the tea has been shown to have potent pain-relieving, anti-depressant and anxiolytic effects. Observed in the wild, even gorillas know to self-medicate with this mushroom! Known by many names (e.g. 'Book-tongue', 'Powdered Monkey Bench'), in the West it's commonly known as 'Artist's Conk', very much under-valued as a self-standing canvas for painting on when no better surface is available....