Comment · Thu, September 18, 2025 · ND Owner
Is Red Reishi 9% and Lucidimax worth the cost when Lucidispore offers more ganoderic acids for less?
Original post in this thread
DoctorBoneMarrow · 9 points
I took some info from this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/NootropicsDepot/comments/1me780g/new\_products\_alert\_cyatherm\_capsules\_lucidimax/
* Lucidispore (30ml): A minimum of 9g (total) of ganoderic acids for $59.99.
* Red Reishi 9% (180 caps): A minimum of 2.43g (total) of ganoderic acids for $99.99.
* Lucidimax (60 servings/120 caps): A minimum of 1.32g (total) of ganoderic acids for $69.99.
I understand ganoderic acids aren't the whole picture when it comes to Reishi and that you miss out on the immune-enhancing benefits of the beta-glucans from the fruiting bodies. However even accounting for that, the difference in price is enormous.
I can buy Lucidispore and address the immune support aspect separately with something like Turkey Tail, and the total cost per mg of ganoderic acids would still be much lower than buying Red Reishi 9% or Lucidimax. I could even buy Immune Defense, which also contains Reishi, take just a half-serving alongisde Lucidispore, and Lucidimax would still be more expensive.
**A. Lucidispore (portioned…
What they were answering
DoctorBoneMarrow · 2 points
Thanks for the detailed reply.
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Zero, at least not the ganoderic acids in the USP monograph. The triterpenes in the spores are more like ganosporelactone A/B, ganodermonotriol, ganodermondiol, and lucidumol A/B. This is what I mean by the combination is unique. The compounds the spores of reishi are not found in the fruiting body, and vice verse. It's similar to lion's mane, where we have to use the mycelium for the erinacines, and then the fruiting body for the hericenes/hericenones.
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Not currently elucidated, but something we are working on.
That clears things up. I didn't realize the spore triterpenes were completely different compounds from the fruiting body's ganoderic acids. If there's a clear synergy between them, then the value proposition for Lucidimax is much better than I initially thought.
To confirm I've understood the nuance correctly:
1. According to the USP monograph, the triterpenes in the spores are completely different from the ganoderic acids in the fruiting bodies.
2. The "not currently elucidated" part refers to whether there might be a crossover of other compounds that the USP doesn't currently recognize as ganoderic acids.
That's a more complex answer. Generally, the immune and cholesterol benefits are the most talked about with beta-glucans. However, beta-glucans are a type o…
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · ND Owner
According to the USP monograph, the triterpenes in the spores are completely different from the ganoderic acids in the fruiting bodies.
That's correct. The USP monograph was built solely off the fruiting bodies. This means the ganoderic acids quantified in the USP method are only looking at compounds in the fruiting body, and actually even only a fraction of the total that are in the fruiting bodies. We have developed, and are validating, a new method to quantify more. The USP monograph looks at 10. We are looking at 15 as of right now. We may end up quantifying around 20 when we are all said and done.
The "not currently elucidated" part refers to whether there might be a crossover of other compounds that the USP doesn't currently recognize as ganoderic acids.
Yeah, there may be some crossover that the USP monograph doesn't quantify. However, currently our label claims are only based on the USP monograph. Till we validate the method, we will not update our claims. We always validate first.
One more question, do you think the 1:1 Cistanche can enhance the absorption of Salidrosol when taken orally? I have the dropper bottle but sublingual administration is hit-or-miss for me and gives extremely short-lived effects. I was thinking that Cistanche might help with oral absorption like it does with echinacoside and verbascoside.
It's possible. However, I am not sure there is really any objective data on it. I will say that I personally love the combo. I take Cistamax with Salidrosol all the time, and I get great energy from it.