Can Reishi Really Help With Fatigue? What an 8-Week Clinical Trial Found

5 minute read

If you feel like “tired” has become your personality, you are not alone.

Late nights, constant stress, never-ending to-do lists – for a lot of people, fatigue is just the background noise of life. That is why more and more people are looking for gentle, non-jittery ways to support their energy and resilience.

One of the most talked-about options?
Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) – the so-called “mushroom of immortality.”

It has been used in traditional medicine for centuries. But what does modern research actually say, especially when it comes to fatigue?

Let us look at one of the key human trials and then talk about what that means if you are taking Reishi in capsule or powder form.

The Clinical Trial: Reishi vs. Fatigue

In an 8-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (the gold standard format), adults with neurasthenia – a condition marked by chronic tiredness and low resilience – were given either:

A standardized Reishi polysaccharide extract, or
A placebo

Both groups took their capsules three times a day for eight weeks.

Here is the stat that matters:

In an 8-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, a Reishi polysaccharide extract cut fatigue scores by 28.3% and improved overall clinical status in 51.6% of participants, compared with 24.6% on placebo.

In plain language:

People taking Reishi reported about 28% less fatigue.
Just over half (51.6%) were rated as clearly clinically improved.
In the placebo group, only around a quarter (24.6%) improved that much.

The Reishi group also reported a bigger bump in sense of well-being compared to placebo.

So yes, everyone improved a bit (placebo is powerful), but the Reishi group did better.

What Was Actually Used in the Study?

The study did not use a random mushroom tea or a sprinkle of powder. It used:

A standardized Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide extract
At a defined, fairly high daily dose
Taken consistently for 8 weeks

That means:

We cannot say every Reishi product will copy-and-paste these results.
We can say that a well-made Reishi preparation rich in polysaccharides has shown promising effects on fatigue and well-being in humans.

Our Reishi is just that.

This is where our capsules and powders come in.

How This Connects to Reishi Capsules & Powder

Most people are going to experience Reishi in everyday formats, like:

Capsules – easy, precise, travel-friendly
Powder – mix into coffee, smoothies, broths, or evening tonics

If your product is:

Made from real fruiting bodies (not just mycelium on grain)
Grown and processed with care
Standardized or at least naturally rich in beta-glucans and other polysaccharides

…then you are delivering the same family of compounds that were central to that fatigue study – just in a more everyday, functional-food way.

The mindset shift:

Not: “This capsule is the exact clinical extract.”
But: “Modern research on Reishi polysaccharides shows meaningful benefits for fatigue and well-being. Our capsules and powders make it easy to build those compounds into your daily routine.”

What Reishi Is Good For

Based on current research, traditional use, and the 8-week clinical trial, Reishi is best thought of as:

A long-game support tool
More “resilience-building” than “instant energy drink”

Potential areas of support (non-diagnostic, non-treatment language):

Everyday fatigue and stress support – especially if you are run down or under chronic stress
General well-being and quality of life – feeling a little more balanced, a little less wiped
Nervous system and immune support – Reishi’s polysaccharides and triterpenes are being studied for their effects on immune modulation, inflammation, and oxidative stress

Always with the caveat: this is support, not a cure.

How to Use Reishi Capsules & Powder in Real Life

1. Daily Capsules for the “Set It and Forget It” Type

If you like things simple and consistent:

Take Reishi capsules once or twice daily, ideally at the same time each day.
Many people prefer Reishi in the evening for its more calming, “down-regulating” feel, but morning can work too – it is about routine.

Pair it with:

A glass of water
Your nightly wind-down ritual
Your supplement stack focused on stress, sleep, or immune support

2. Powder for Rituals, Drinks, and “Stacking”

Reishi powder is perfect if you like to build it into habits you already have:

Add to a warm evening latte with non-dairy milk and cinnamon
Blend into a smoothie with berries and healthy fats
Stir into broths or soups if you are not a sweet-drink person

You can also “stack” it with other mushrooms depending on the goal:

Reishi + Lion’s Mane for calm focus
Reishi + Chaga / Turkey Tail for immune support
Reishi + Cordyceps for recovery days

How Long Until You Feel Anything?

The clinical trial ran for 8 weeks, and that is a good mental timeline:

Think weeks to months, not days.
Reishi is doing slow, behind-the-scenes work – it is not a pre-workout powder.

We encourage you and Reishi to start a relationship:

Commit to daily use.
Check in around week 4–8 to see how you are sleeping, recovering, and coping with stress.
See it as one piece of a bigger picture that includes sleep, movement, and blood sugar management.

Safety & Common Sense

The fatigue trial and other human studies found that Reishi extracts were generally well tolerated. Some research does note mild digestive changes or other minor side effects in a small number of people, so it is still important to be smart.

Good general guidance:

If you are on medications (especially anticoagulants, immunosuppressants, or chemotherapy), talk to your healthcare provider first.
If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or are breastfeeding, check in with a practitioner who knows your history.
Start with the recommended dose on the label and see how you feel.

The Takeaway

If you are looking for a steady, non-jittery way to support your energy, stress response, and recovery, Reishi in capsule or powder form is one of those rare things that sits at the crossroads of:

Ancient tradition
Modern research
Real-world habit-building

Which is exactly where the good stuff usually lives.

References

Tang W, Gao Y, Chen G, et al. A randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of a Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide extract in neurasthenia. J Med Food. 2005;8(1):53-58. (PubMed)

Pazzi F, et al. Ganoderma lucidum effects on mood and health-related quality of life: overview and fibromyalgia trial context. Healthcare. 2020;8(4):520. (Includes discussion of cancer-related fatigue trial using Reishi spore powder.) (MDPI)

Bishop KS, Kao CH, Xu Y, et al. From 2000 years of Ganoderma lucidum to recent developments in nutraceuticals. Phytochemistry. 2015;114:56-65. (Nature)

Cochrane Review Group. Ganoderma lucidum mushroom for the treatment of cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. (Cochrane Library)