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The white underside of the mushroom Artist Conk (Ganoderma applanatum) turns brown when bruised and can be intricately etched into detailed carvings, hence the English common name of this ubiquitous American tree fungus.

Artist Conk is a perennial that can live for 40-50 years or longer and grow quite large. Mushroom expert David Arora calls it “the most common conk in our area [USA],” together with Red-belted Conk (Fomitopsis pinicola). [400].

Artist Conk can be found growing on practically every species of hardwood tree, plus many conifers, including Douglas Fir. Arora says, “The only regions where it seems to be absent are those where there aren’t any trees!” [400]

Our ancestors would burn Artist Conk because it produced not only a pleasant odor but an insect repelling smoke as well. [25]

In 2008, a study by Jeong et al. stated that an isolated compound from Artist Conk “significantly inhibited the growth of solid tumor [Sarcoma-180] and increased the natural killer (NK) cell activity.” [401] NK cells, or Natural Killer cells, are white blood cells that form a vital part in the human immune system’s cancer fighting arsenal. At least four additional studies have also reported positive findings in regards to the anti-tumor properties of Ganoderma applanatum. [402, 403, 404, 405]

An area more unique to the research on this particular mushroom species is its influence on blood sugar levels and preventing diabetic complications. A 2007 study concluded that an isolate from Artist Conk lowered blood sugar levels by an average of 22.0% and blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) by 20.3% [406] . The lowering effect on blood glucose levels by an alcohol extract of Ganoderma applanatum had been previously reported by Jung et al. in 2005. [407]

However, the main purpose of the 2005 study by Jung was to assess Artist Conk’s effect on inhibiting aldose reductase, an enzyme that’s considered responsible for the organ complications seen in diabetics. It is commonly believed that inhibiting aldose reductase in diabetics could have a major effect on decreasing side-effects of diabetes. Jung reports that “these results suggested that G. applanatum [Artist Conk] might possess constituents with anti-diabetic and inhibitory effects on diabetic complications.” [407] Two other studies have also found Artist Conk exhibiting significant aldose reductase inhibiting properties. [408, 409]

Moving on to other areas of health, a 2005 paper published findings that Artist Conk extract “could strengthen gastric mucosa barrier,” which may come in handy for treating gastric ulcers. [410] Other studies have reported Ganoderma applanatum extract as immune boosting, [25] anti-bacterial, [411, 412, 413] antioxidant, [416] anti-viral, [414] diuretic and anti-parasitic. [415]

In addition, Paul Stamets also lists respiratory conditions and inflammation as areas where research has shown Artist Conk extract to be beneficial, in his book Mycelium Running. [134]

Note: The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult a licensed medical practitioner before using any herb (or mushroom) for medicinal purposes.

Dr. Rafael has worked with natural health since finishing Chiropractic University in 1996. He currently focuses on medicinal fungi, working with the extracts of Paul Stamets, including the synergistic MycoSoft Gold Formula including Artist Conk. For research references to this article, please visit the Ganoderma applanatum medicinal research page.