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.

Artist Conks can live for 50 years and grow to arms width or more. David Arora of the mushroom identification guide Mushrooms Demystified says that along with the Red-belted Conk (Fomitopsis pinicola), Artist Conk is “the most common conk in our area [USA].” [400]

Artist Conk can be found growing on practically every species of hardwood tree, plus many conifers, including Douglas Fir. Arora says, “The only regions where it seems to be absent are those where there aren’t any trees!” [400]

Our ancestors would burn Artist Conk because it produced not only a pleasant odor but an insect repelling smoke as well. [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. Never use any medicinal mushroom or herb without prior approval by a medical doctor.

Dr. Rafael has worked with natural health since finishing Chiropractic College in the mid-90’s. He currently specializes in 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 go to the Ganoderma applanatum research page.