What do the states mean?+
- Solid: well studied, and it works.
- Half-there: the science is still forming.
- A ghost: almost no real studies.
- Hollow: well studied, and it does not work.
- A cord: the pair itself has been tested together.
- Air: nobody has ever tested this pair.
The full scoring method: How we score
Reishi benefits: where the science stands
For immunity and colds: not settled yet.
Immunity and colds are what most people take reishi for, and the best studies disagree: one found it helps, one found no effect. As of August 2026, the verdicts on this page rest on evidence from 5 trials, drawn from the strongest research among the 112 papers on PubMed that mention reishi. Every claim is checked below.
112 papers on PubMed · evidence from 5 trials
Claim by claim
- Immunity and coldsThe science is still forming. The best studies disagree.
- Blood pressureAlmost no real studies. Nothing clear so far.
- EnduranceThe science is still forming. Results lean positive, but there is not much yet.
- Stress and anxietyThe science is still forming. Results lean positive, but there is not much yet.
See 1 more scored claim+
- Weight and body fatAlmost no real studies. Nothing clear so far.
Pairs people ask about
The five sources we read
- 2008Randomized trial · 40 people · no clear effect on immunity and coldssource
- 2015Randomized trial · 64 people · benefit for endurancesource
- 2021Randomized trial · no clear effect on blood pressure; no clear effect on weight and body fatsource
- 2024Randomized trial · 60 people · benefit for immunity and coldssource
- 2024Randomized trial · 78 people · benefit for endurance; benefit for stress and anxietysource
Chosen as the strongest evidence out of 112 papers on PubMed. Every row links to its paper.
Fair questions
Does reishi work?+
For immunity and colds, it is not settled. The best studies disagree.
Is reishi safe?+
No caution is recorded on this page. That is not a safety guarantee; the studies we read were not safety trials.
How many studies exist?+
112 on PubMed for reishi itself; the count is measured from PubMed, not estimated. We read the five strongest and linked every one above.