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.
According to American tree expert David Arora – author of mushroom identification guide Mushrooms Demystified – Artist Conk is “the most common conk in our area [USA],” along with Red-belted Conk (Fomitopsis pinicola). [400] Artist Conks can grow huge and live for 50 years.
“The only regions where [Artist Conk] seems to be absent are those where there aren’t any trees!” says Arora. [400] It can grow on most hardwood trees plus some conifers species, like the northwestern Douglas Fir.
In the past, people would burn Artist Conk to give off an insect repellant smoke as well as an odor that was also pleasant to humans. [25]
As commonly seen in modern scientific research, the focus of studies on Artist Conk extract has largely been in regards to its anti-tumor potential. Several studies have affirmed that it does exhibit tumor inhibiting properties. [402, 403, 404, 405] A 2008-paper by Jeong et al. reported that a compound isolated from Ganoderma applanatum “significantly inhibited the growth of solid tumor [Sarcoma-180] and increased the natural killer (NK) cell activity.” [401] Natural killer cells are white blood cells that are part of the body’s defense against cancer.
A less commonly studied area when it comes to medicinal mushrooms is their effect on blood glucose levels and diabetic complications. Jung et al. in 2005 reported that an alcohol extract of Artist Conk showed blood glucose lowering properties. [407] This was later confirmed in 2007 when a new study reported an average 22.0% blood glucose lowering effect by a compound isolated from Ganoderma applanatum, as well as a lowering of blood lipids (triglycerides and cholesterol) by 20.3%. [406]
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]
An unusual article published in 2005 reported that a polysaccharide extract from Artist Conk “could strengthen gastric mucosa barrier,” a potentially useful property when treating ulcers. [410] Several other studies have found Artist Conk extract or isolated compounds from Artist Conk to be anti-bacterial, [411, 412, 413] anti-viral, [414] anti-parasitic, [415] immune enhancing, [25] diuretic, [415] and potently antioxidant. [416]
Additionally, world renowned medicinal mushroom expert Paul Stamets also includes inflammation and respiratory conditions as two more areas where scientific research on Artist Conk extract have yielded positive results. [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. Markho Rafael has worked in the natural health field since finishing Chiropractic College in the mid-90′s. 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.
