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Artist's conk

Ganoderma applanatum

Also calledBianlingzhi, 'flat lingzhi' (Chinese) · Laomujun, 'old mother fungus' (Chinese) · Laoniugan, 'old ox liver' (Chinese) · Artist's bracket

A large woody bracket fungus of tree trunks. In Chinese medicine it is bianlingzhi, 'flat lingzhi', used against tumours, pain, bleeding and phlegm; on the Northwest Coast of North America it served protective and ritual purposes. All evidence for medical effects comes from laboratory and animal studies.

What it is used for

  • Used as an anti-cancer drug in China and Japan according to a 2024 review. A methanol extract killed liver, lung and skin cancer cells in vitro and reduced chemically induced liver cancer in rats; no human trials were found.1,3

  • Extracts lowered raised liver enzymes in rats, and a triterpenoid (ganoapplanilactone C) reduced fat build-up and damage in the livers of zebrafish on a high-fat diet. Polysaccharides improved liver injury markers in obese rodents. No human studies.2,3,4

  • Polysaccharide preparations improved glucose tolerance, insulin responsiveness and blood lipids in diet-induced obese rodents, but a 2026 review called the evidence 'pre-translational': small studies, mostly from one research network, with no human data.2

  • Pain (general)
    Traditional

    Chinese medicine credits it with relieving pain.1

  • Bleeding
    Traditional

    'Stopping bleeding' is one of its recorded Chinese medicinal effects.1

  • Cough
    Traditional

    Recorded in Chinese medicine for 'eliminating phlegm'.1

Safety

Pregnancy
Insufficient data
Breastfeeding
Insufficient data

Interactions with medicines

  • anticoagulants and antiplateletsMinorA 2026 review advises bleeding-risk monitoring in people on these drugs in any human study; no interaction has been documented.
Interaction checker →

Toxicity

No human safety data were found. In rats a methanol extract did not change body weight or blood counts, but the highest dose caused mild liver inflammation. The same review recommends liver-enzyme monitoring in human studies.

In the healing traditions

  • Traditional Chinese Medicine

    Bianlingzhi (flat lingzhi)

    Relieves pain, clears heat, eliminates accumulation, stops bleeding and eliminates phlegm; used against cancer and for 'rheumatic tuberculosis'.

  • Indigenous North American

    Bracket fungus

    Among the Nitinaht of Vancouver Island, used for protection against people with ill wishes; related Ganoderma shelf fungi were used by the Haisla and Hanaksiala as protection at shamanic dance houses and in secret-society rituals. No medicinal uses are recorded in NAEB.

    Turner et al. 1983, Ethnobotany of the Nitinaht Indians

  • Modern pharmacology

    Ganoderma applanatum triterpenoids and polysaccharides

    Over 300 compounds, mainly lanostane triterpenoids, meroterpenoids, steroids and polysaccharides, studied in cells and animals for anti-tumour, liver-protective, hypoglycaemic, anti-obesity, antioxidant and antibacterial effects.

Active compounds

lanostane triterpenoids (e.g. applanoids, ganoapplanilactone C)
anti-liver-fibrosis and lipid-lowering in lab and zebrafish studies
polysaccharides
studied for glucose, lipid and gut-barrier effects in rodents

History

In China the fungus carries folk names such as 'old mother fungus' (laomujun) and 'old ox liver' (laoniugan), and it is used there and in Japan as an anti-cancer remedy. On Vancouver Island the Nitinaht kept it for protection against ill-wishers, and among the Haisla and Hanaksiala Ganoderma brackets were placed at the entrance of shamanic dance houses and used to handle live coals in secret-society rituals.

Sources

  1. 1.Cheng M et al. The artist's conk medicinal mushroom Ganoderma applanatum: mycological, mycochemical, and pharmacological properties: a review. Int J Med Mushrooms 2024 (abstract)
  2. 2.Mfopa A et al. Ganoderma applanatum polysaccharides in obesity-associated dysglycaemia and liver injury: gut-liver mechanisms and translational gaps. Niger Med J 2026
  3. 3.Rijia A et al. Unveiling the anticancer potential and toxicity of Ganoderma applanatum wild mushroom derived bioactive compounds: an in vitro, in vivo and in silico evaluation. Bioorg Chem 2025 (abstract)
  4. 4.Guo Y et al. Ganoapplanilactone C from Ganoderma applanatum ameliorates metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease via AMPK/mTOR-mediated lipid regulation in zebrafish. Antioxidants 2025 (abstract)
  5. 5.Native American Ethnobotany Database (BRIT): Ganoderma
  6. 6.Tian J et al. Highly oxygenated lanostane triterpenoids from Ganoderma applanatum and their anti-liver fibrosis effects. Bioorg Chem 2025 (abstract)
  7. 7.GBIF: Ganoderma applanatum (Pers.) Pat. (IUCN: not evaluated)

Reference, not prescription. Nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and be dangerous in pregnancy; tell your doctor or pharmacist about anything you take.