Active Components in Wild and Cultivated Ganoderma Fruiting Bodies

Major active components in wild and cultivated Ganoderma fruiting bodies were determined for comparison. Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) identified the selected wild strains, YX and ZJ, to be Ganoderma sp. with a high homology. The chemical analysis showed the polysaccharide content in the fruiting bodies of YX to be 7.93 mg·g^-1, which was 77% of that of the cultivated counterparts (10.25 mg·g^-1); the triterpenes of YX to be 7.16 mg·g^-1, which was also 77% of that of the cultivated fruiting bodies (9.30 mg·g^-1); the polysaccharides in ZJ fruiting bodies to be 5.34 mg·g^-1, which was 87% of the cultivated counterparts (6.72 mg·g^-1); and, the triterpenes of ZJ to be 9.30 mg·g^-1, which was 75% of the cultivated fruiting bodies (10.66 mg·g^-1). HPLC showed the ganoderic acid F in the fruiting bodies of the cultured Ganoderma to be significantly higher than that in the wild of a same strain as well. The results demonstrated a distinctive difference on the active ingredients between the G.lucidum grown in the wild and that cultivated artificially which could be of interest for marketing and breeding of the fungal material used as a dietary supplement.