Welcome to Leo season.

As we journey with each mushroom, think about the qualities and healing effects they have and how can we integrate them more into our lives. Whether that be through ritual, ingestion or just learning and building more awareness about their incredible capabilities and role they play in our world.

When we time the embodiment of each mushroom with the energies of the sky, this alchemizes a deeper connection and understanding of the earth and our physical vessels.

Mushrooms are nature's alchemists and we get to dive deep into our next fungi below. Also, refer to the Astrological Planner as your navigational tool throughout 2023 where you will find an intro to each and fungi archetype for each zodiac season.

Reishi (Ganoderma lingzhi)

Reishi is the shining center of attention in the field of medicinal mushrooms.

It is known as the 'mushroom of immortality' and revitalizes the whole body, as well as a go-to for heart health and all round immune boosting magic.

It's pretty much all of the things; immunomodulatory, anti-tumoral, anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, anti-candida, anti-oxidant, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, blood pressure and blood sugar moderator, cholesterol reducer, cardiovascular support, kidney, liver, lung and nerve tonic, and a stress reducer.

It's warming effects nourish, tonify, remove toxins, astringe, disperse accumulation, and strengthen qi. It can help balance hormones, normalize blood glucose, cholesterol levels, fight various allergies, treat asthma, and help alleviate arthritis symptoms. As the 'miracle elixir' is also brings calmness to the mind, maintaining homeostasis.

Reishi has been documented as medicinal for over 2000 years. In Japan it has been used to help cure cancer and is listed as an official cancer treatment today. Also used for heart disease, liver problems, high blood pressure, joint inflammation, and ulcers. In China it is used for aging related diseases, coronary heart disease, chronic bronchitis, hypertension, as a diuretic, laxative, sedative, and tonic.

Main modern use:

Healthy immune system support, life-enhancing, homeostasis, heart health, sleep quality.

PLANET:

SUN - Governs life force, expression, will, heart function, heat regulation, sight, and metabolism.

SIGN:

LEO - Life force, will power, self-expression, entertainment, and play are qualities Leo brings with passion. It rules the heart, vena cava, aorta, myelin sheaths, spinal cord and back in general.

Pairing notes:

Radiant longevity. The Sun governs our life-force, solar plexis, heat, and heart function. Leo as a fixed fire sign governs the cardiovascular system, our will, and our unique expression. This shroom can also be paired with Taurus (foundational longevity), Libra (rules adrenals, homeostasis), Sagittarius (rules arterial circulation/arteries), Pisces (rules immune system, spirit).

If you are interested in medicinal mushrooms to deepen your relationship with Leo this season check out Cordyceps, Chaga, or Lion's Mane from Feral Fungi. Use code MAGICOFI for 20% off at check-out!

Alchemist, Ethnobotanist, Mycologist & Spagyricist, Jason Scott, shares his wisdom of Reishi and Leo below.

Reishi in Leo

Radiant Immortal Vitality

Common Name: Reishi, Ling Zi
Latin Name: Ganoderma lingzhi, Ganoderma lucidum
Family: Ganodermataceae
Tastes: Bitter
Affinities: Vitality, Immune, Heart
Energetics: Warm and Dry
Planetary Rulership: Sun, Jupiter

Radiating Vitality

Many mushrooms tout numerous healing benefits, often producing cumbersome lists. If anything could be considered a panacea of natural healing, it is likely held within queendom fungi. Among medicinal mushrooms, a humble varnish known as Reishi in Japan or Ling Zhi in China is notorious.

Reishi has been called the 10,000-year mushroom and the mushroom of immortality and likely refers to numerous species of varnish conk mushrooms in the Ganoderma genus. The two primary species are Ganoderma sichuanense and Ganoderma lucidum. The former has more recently been referred to as Ganoderma lingzhi and is considered synonymous with sichuanense and what was most likely the traditional Ling Zhi.

Ganoderma lucidum and lingzhi are interchangeable with slight morphological and phytochemical differences. Other common North American species, such as Ganoderma oregonense, Ganoderma sessile, Ganoderma ravenelii, and Ganoderma curtisii, can effectively be used similarly to the traditional Reishi.

In the depths of the forest, a white rot fungi fruits annually produce a beacon of vitality, a conk mushroom that radiates out, dark red in the center, to orange, to yellow with a soft white growth edge. Visually this abundant mushroom is a tribute to the Sun with its brightness, color, and, most of all, its vital force.

Reishi is at the center of my own Myco-Medica or mushrooms that I use in my personal and clinical practice. I often shy away from “one-size-fits-all” regarding mushrooms and herbs. Still, in my experience, Reishi has a unique capacity to assist nearly everyone I have encountered or worked with.

There is a unique action within Reishi specifically and mushrooms in general that I can only refer to as a sort of intelligence. We might call this mushroom immune-modulating, but realistically there is an intelligence underlying the way it works with our immune system, nervous system, circulatory system, and nearly every other system in our body.

Most herbs are either immune stimulating or immune depressant, but Reishi is generally a safe mushroom to use in both auto-immune conditions and depressed immune conditions alike. Beyond its striking support of immune health, it is foundational to vitality in many other ways.

Reishi is restorative and feeds the core energy reserves by nourishing the adrenals and the nervous system, making it one of the best mushrooms one can turn to for fatigue and burn-out. The diversity of actions inherent in Reishi makes it one of the best tonic mushrooms you can include in your daily regimen. Like the sun to our astrological bodies, it radiates out and feeds the deep reserves of vitality.

Reishi, like many mushrooms before, has a long list of medicinal virtues, including immune-modulating, hepatoprotective, stress relief, anti-anxiety, nervous system support, digestive support, adrenal support, histamine modulating, blood sugar regulating, circulatory tonic, anti-cancer, anti-tumor, cardiovascular support and more.

The Mushroom of Immortality is a well-deserved title for this famously iconographic mushroom that has been used effectively for thousands of years. It snuck its way into almost all of the mushroom formulas we make in the lab, and for a good reason. It speaks to the versatility of this mushroom, echoed in its pure vitality.

Doctrine of Signatures in Reishi

Reishi, in nature, grows in a disc-shaped conk that radiates out, starting dark brown and red at the source of the fruit into lighter red, then orange and yellow to a soft fleshy white growth edge. Stumbling across this mushroom, it is unmistakable and truly a treasure of the forest.

Through its bright shiny skin – Ganoderma translates to shiny or bright skin – and its color combination, it is a clear homage to the Sun. With its traditional use and lore, no mushroom reflects vitality more than Reishi.

Reishi has a solid affinity for overall vitality, commonly referred to as the mushroom of immortality, and it touches nearly every center that produces our vital nature: our immune system, our adrenal system, our heart, and our nervous system. When first determining the planetary correspondence for Reishi, there was no question that this fungal powerhouse belonged to the sun.

Aside from the long list of benefits and varying system affinities, a few stand out more prominently than others. I primarily work with Reishi for the immune system, adrenal support, and cardiovascular or heart health, all predominantly associated with the Sun. Often overshadowed by its Lunar opposite, Lion’s Mane, Reishi is majorly supportive of the nervous and digestive systems.

While some of these systems have other planetary affinities, at the core of each of them is vitality, and Reishi shines its vital light from the center of our astrological solar system out onto all of the other systems of the body; it is the source of light that illuminates the potential latent in everything beyond it.

Invigorating Leo

Leo radiates the vibrance of the Sun out into the world, a high-spirited fire sign portrayed as the lion, the kings and queens of the jungle. Often Leo is boisterous, vivacious, theatrical, and passionate; they relish in the spotlight.

Sharing the Sun's vitality takes much energy, and Leo is steadfast, reliable, and loyal. They are dedicated to friends and family, pouring their hearts into passions and relationships. They are born leaders, and leaders need a deep well of vitality to draw from.

While their power lies in the Sun, solar herbs and fungi can help to feed their inner flame, to nourish vitality, and to invigorate Leo so that it can continue outward with pride and strength. Reishi is Leo’s ultimate fungi ally.

Reishi feeds a strong heart, mind, robust immune system, and a solid vital force. The vitality stores accessed through Reishi can fuel Leo by providing its underlying dynamism. It will allow Leo to express all of its potential leadership and bravery in a balanced and regal way.

Reishi can also support any individual moving through Leo season and tune them into their deepest, most vital parts to align where the Sun shines in their chart with the world around them.

Other Leo-Supporting Fungi

Cordyceps, Chaga, Lion’s Mane.

If you are interested in medicinal mushrooms to deepen your relationship with Leo this season check out Cordyceps, Chaga, or Lion's Mane from Feral Fungi. Use code MAGICOFI for 20% off at check-out!