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Artist's Conk Mushroom: Aphrodisiac, Anyone?

Updated: Aug 18, 2022

Though you may be a bit surprised to see the Artist’s Conk mushroom (Ganoderma applanatum) in our product line, we at Mindfull Mycology truly believe in the health benefits of this grandfather of the forest.

A close cousin to the highly medicinal Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) mushroom (link to Reishi mushroom article), Artist’s Conk can live up to 50 years as it slowly stretches into conks from dead or dying hardwood and conifer trees. The relation between the Artist’s Conk mushroom’s long life and medicinal efficacy is no coincidence; it’s a direct result of Artist’s Conk antimicrobial activity.

As for the name, it’s a nod to the fact that the underside of this woody polypore, white to gray and speckled with thousands of pores, will bruise brown and retain the bruising for years if preserved. Think of it as a quasi-fungal canvas. And Google "Artist Conk art." It's uniquely beautiful.

As for Artist’s Conk health benefits, it possesses beta-d-glucans and triterpenes similar to Reishi mushrooms, giving it many of the same health benefits as Reishi mushrooms.

Studies have shown that the compounds within Artist’s Conk may reduce tumor formation.

Alcohol extracts of the fruiting body—Mindfull Mycology uses only 100% fruiting bodies in our dual (water and alcohol) extracts—show activity against bacteria like E. coli.

But the most eyebrow raising benefit may be Artist’s Conk’s ability to increase nitric oxide synthase, a vasodilator. In other words, some consider Artist’s Conk to be something of an aphrodisiac.

Finally, studies have found compounds within Artist’s Conk mushroom may assist in fighting free radicals, viruses, and may support the protection of the liver.

Like Reishi mushrooms, Artist’s Conk mushrooms are inedible. At Mindfull Mycology, we perform a dual extraction using a Soxhlet extractor with water and alcohol to ensure all our products contain these beneficial compounds.

Still thirsting for more?

To learn about our current extraction processes, read our article Medicinal Mushroom Extractions: A Primer on Our Process, dive into our methods with our simplified How to Use a Soxhlet Extractor guide, and learn why we use a Soxhlet in our post Soxhlet Extractor: Why We Do What We Do.

Or, to learn more about why we prefer the dual extract methodology for our products, head on over to Medicinal Mushroom Dual Extracts: Why We Make Them and You Take Them.

And to learn more about the mushrooms in our other products, click on the name of the mushrooms below:
As with any dietary supplement, consult with your physician before incorporating Artist’s Conk mushroom extracts into your supplement regimen. That being said, we at Mindfull Mycology know of zero side effects or contraindications with Artist’s Conk.

Citations:*^

*Please note some of the links above will direct you to the abstract of the study. Many of these studies are behind a paywall. By using the website Sci-hub.se, you will be able to circumvent the paywall and read the entire study.

^Please understand that most of these studies have been conducted on mice or in vitro, known as “test tube studies.” Currently, double-blind placebo human clinical trials for medicinal mushrooms are scarce.

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