Herb & supplement monograph

Reishi Mushroom Drug Interactions, Uses, Effectiveness, Safety & More

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS ·Updated July 2026

What is this page for?

First and foremost: how Reishi Mushroom interacts with medications. The heart of this page is the interaction list — every drug Reishi Mushroom is known to interact with, and how serious each one is.

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Reishi Mushroom is, what people use it for and how strong the evidence is, its safety and side effects, and answers to the questions we’re asked most — written and reviewed by the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice, and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

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Reishi Mushroom Drug Interactions: The Bottom Line

From the HelloPharmacist Editorial Team · Updated July 2026

Based on the available evidence, the overall risk of a clinically significant Reishi Mushroom drug interaction appears low for most people, though a few medication groups deserve real attention. None of the listed interactions are rated major, and all rest on limited or theoretical evidence rather than well-documented human harm.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The strongest concern is with anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs: at everyday amounts reishi does not seem to affect platelets, but higher doses do, so people on blood thinners have the most reason for caution about bleeding. Blood pressure medications also stand out, since reishi has lowered blood pressure in some, though not all, patients, and an added drop could matter for someone whose pressure is closely managed. With diabetes medications, animal research suggested a blood sugar effect, but studies in people with type 2 diabetes have not shown lower fasting glucose, making this a weaker concern.

What the rest of the list means

A long interaction list can look worrying, but here it mostly reflects a few theoretical mechanisms applied across hundreds of medications. In several cases, effects predicted from animal or lab research have not produced meaningful changes when actually studied in people.

Check your medications against Reishi Mushroom

Based on HelloPharmacist’s Reishi Mushroom interaction data and reviewed under our editorial standards.

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Reishi Mushroom

375 medications have a known interaction with Reishi Mushroom, graded by severity. Select any drug for the full evidence-based detail.

Don’t want to scroll the list? Just ask.

Tell us the medications you take and we’ll check each one against Reishi Mushroom using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Reishi Mushroom interaction data for education only — always confirm with your pharmacist. How we use AI

2,830 drugs

Read The List Like a Pharmacist

What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean

Severity — How Serious It Can Be

Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.

Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented

Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
Probable. Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
Possible. Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists
Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.

Where This Data Comes From

Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
Each drug listed above links to the full report for that exact Reishi Mushroom combination — clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations.
Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

The big picture

The kinds of drugs Reishi Mushroom affects

Every type of medication (drug category) Reishi Mushroom is known to interact with. Open any category for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

All 3 drug categories Reishi Mushroom interacts with

Anticoagulant/antiplatelet DrugsAntidiabetes DrugsAntihypertensive Drugs

Anticoagulant/Antiplatelet Drugs

Theoretically, high doses of reishi mushroom might increase the risk of bleeding.
A dose of 1.5 grams daily of reishi mushroom does not seem to decrease platelet aggregation, but a higher dose of 3 grams daily does.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Antidiabetes Drugs

Theoretically, reishi mushroom might have additive effects with antidiabetes drugs.
Animal research suggests that reishi mushroom decreases blood sugar. However, in patients with type 2 diabetes, taking reishi mushroom does not reduce fasting glucose levels, and its effects on glycated hemoglobin are inconsistent.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Antihypertensive Drugs

Theoretically, concurrent use of reishi mushroom with antihypertensive drugs might increase the risk of hypotension.
Reishi mushroom has shown hypotensive activity in animal research. Clinical evidence suggests that reishi mushroom reduces blood pressure in some, but not all, patients with hypertension.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

Reishi Mushroom: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Reviewed July 2026 ·

The bottom line

Reishi is a traditional Asian mushroom widely used to support the immune system and overall wellness. Human evidence for most of its claimed benefits is limited or low-quality, so it should not replace proven treatments. It is generally well tolerated for short-term use, but check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or take other medicines.

Scientific name: Ganoderma lucidum
Family: Ganodermataceae
Part used: Fruiting body, mycelium, and spores
Common forms: Capsules, tablets, powders, extracts, teas, and tinctures

People commonly use it for

Immune support
Fatigue and general well-being
Stress and sleep
Inflammation
Heart and cholesterol health

Popular and traditional uses — not proof it works. See “Uses & effectiveness” below for the evidence.

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Generally well tolerated short-term, but long-term safety is not well studied.

PregnancyInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using

Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center). Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

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Overview

Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) is a tough, woody mushroom with a shiny, reddish-brown surface. It grows on trees in warm, humid parts of Asia, though much of what is sold today is cultivated commercially.

Reishi has been used in traditional Chinese and other Asian medicine for thousands of years. Because the raw mushroom is bitter and hard to eat, it is usually taken as a capsule, powder, extract, or tea. People take it for a wide range of reasons, most commonly to support the immune system and general well-being.

How it works

Reishi contains compounds that researchers believe may be responsible for its effects, including polysaccharides (such as beta-glucans) and triterpenes (such as ganoderic acids).

In laboratory and animal studies, these compounds appear to interact with immune cells and show antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Triterpenes have also been studied for possible effects on cholesterol and blood pressure.

It is important to remember that most of this research is from test-tube or animal studies. What happens in a lab does not always carry over to real benefits in people, so these mechanisms remain largely theoretical.

Effectiveness

Does Reishi Mushroom work?

Here’s what the research actually shows for each use — graded by Natural Medicines and reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD.

Evidence overview · 31 uses evaluated

1 Leans ineffective 30 Insufficient evidence

How to read these evidence grades

Natural Medicines’ 7-point scale. We show each rating’s label word-for-word.

1EffectiveStrong, consistent evidence it works.

2Likely EffectiveGood evidence, though not yet conclusive.

3Possibly EffectiveSome evidence suggests a benefit.

4Possibly IneffectiveSome evidence it may not help.

5Likely IneffectiveFairly strong evidence it doesn’t help.

6IneffectiveStrong evidence it doesn’t work.

7Insufficient Reliable Evidence to RateToo little research to say either way.

Possibly Ineffective Hyperlipidemia