Mushrooms are certainly very special foods, often with particular nutrients. You may have heard of shiitake mushrooms, for example, but for a long time there has been news on the net about the benefits of ganoderma or reishi mushroom or ling-zhi, a superfood rather than a mushroom. It would grow on oak trees and horse chestnuts, not only in the East but also here in Italy, and according to some studies conducted by the Chang Gung University in Taiwan, it would be useful in combating obesity.
But not only that: in the past this same mushroom, ganoderma lucidum, of leathery consistency, would have been indicated as an anticancer remedy, due to its benefits on the immune system. Too bad we have already heard the same story for every food with immunostimulating properties: from serioola to turmeric to cauliflower. In fact, ganoderma is a mushroom that in traditional oriental medicine is associated with longevity, so much so that it is called the “mushroom of immortality”.

But on a scientific level, how reliable are the benefits of this mushroom?
I begin to tell you about the miraculous mushroom that cures even the most serious diseases: a study on the origins of this legend reveals that wild ganoderma is in general very rare., and that the miraculous and healing properties of the mushroom obviously refer to the wild version, rare and very expensive, which became the prerogative of the nobles (and the doctors who treated them). At the moment, environmental diversity and different cultivation methods affect the morphology of this mushroom. Put simply, ganoderma are not all born the same. Even transport conditions alter the composition of the ganoderma. Since in the meantime, a few centuries have passed since the oriental nobles who used it exclusively, and the production of the mushroom has become on a large scale, you can imagine what is left of the famous disease-fighting mushroom of immortality. Now think about how supplements are obtained and put two and two together.
Ok, so as a panacea for all evils we have to stick more to mythology than to current scientific results. However, there have been studies on the anticancer effects of ganoderma, based on in vivo (mice) and in vitro experiments, which have established that particular substances contained in this fungus reduce the aggressiveness of neoplasms. Very few experiments on humans: three on humans using only ganoderma extract, with small samples (one hundred) of patients evaluated for a few weeks (maximum two months). Little, alas, to be able to say that we are facing the life-saving natural drug. 
So let’s see if ganoderma works for weight loss. Follow me to page two.