Mushrooms And Temples

Mushrooms and Temples Taiwan has many temples tucked away in the cities, but its best temples are located out in nature, typically in areas where the natural feng shui alone is inspirational. While some city temples are surrounded by fortune tellers with their complex face charts and blind people offering massage with their sensitized hands, my favorite temple complex is out away from the sprawl of civilization. My fondness for this temple developed because I studied Chinese at a university just below it when I was in undergrad, and the hike to the temple’s mountain summit was my weekly ritual. I did the climb not so much for any spiritual ascent, but simply for the exercise, clean air, and the bottle of homemade reishi mushroom wine that I brought home with every trip. The temple complex that I am referring to is called zhi nan gong; it is one of the largest temple complexes in northern Taiwan. It consists of a group of large temples and small shrines, and is conveniently located just outside of Taipei. This temple complex has something for everyone; whether you are fascinated by Taoism, Buddhism, local culture, nature, medicine, fireworks or tea eggs, you will find what you seek at zhi nan gong. The temple is surrounded by picturesque mountains covered in subtropical forest, and has a spectacular view of not only Taipei city, but also of a beautiful tea park on the adjacent mountainside. The tea park is composed of about 60 teahouses that all cultivate their own tea on-site, giving locals a place to sit outside and brew endless pots of fresh world-class oolong tea until the arrival of dawn. Do keep in mind that although a trip to the teahouse makes for an idyllically romantic date, the spirit residing at zhi nan temple is reputed to bring bad luck upon unmarried lovers who visit there; play it safe and do the tea park on a separate trip. To get from town or the tea park to the temple will take a bit of exercise, as it is one thousand steps up the staircase to the temples at the top of the mountain. Along the way, you will find a pond with lots of cute little turtles, statues of all the zodiac animals, and houses that make you feel like you have gone back in time by 60 years. If you are an aficionado of medicinal herbs, you will find a treasure house of ganoderma mushrooms awaiting you at the top of the climb. Even if you aren’t an herb nerd that will traverse a mountain to see some special mushrooms, the scenery will suffice to keep you hiking. Three temples share the mountaintop. In the typically inclusive spirit of Chinese religions, three totally separate religions share the space without conflict. The Taoist temple is the largest, but the slightly smaller Buddhist temple boasts an imported Indian statue of Sakyamuni Buddha and some seriously large gongs. The smallest temple is for the local deity, the tu ti gong that presides over the local area. This is the temple to go to if you want eggs hard-boiled in concentrated tea. Temples like zhi nan gong see a relatively significant amount of religious activity, in part because the religious practices of Taiwan were not influenced by China’s cultural revolution. Nonetheless, a white tourist won’t get too much in the way if they remember to smile and don’t snap photos of people in prayer. Of course, buying some fireworks and tea eggs is always a good way to amass good karma and win the approval of the locals. As you exit the temple, you will encounter a small shop that specializes exclusively in ganoderma (reishi) mushrooms. The sweet little man who runs the shop has a number of prized specimens enclosed in glass cases. He has all different forms, wild and cultivated, antler-shaped and mushroom-shaped. He makes “wine” from the mushrooms, which actually has a reasonably nice flavor, a surprise because ganoderma mushrooms are notoriously bitter. I'm not sure exactly how the wine is made; it is low in alcohol and is not a simple alcohol extract. The shopkeeper has something of interest for any herbalist: those who like to get a buzz while they achieve health and longevity can opt for the wine, those who endorse only teas can buy some pre-sliced ganoderma, and the abstainers can pick up a nicely-shaped specimen as a souvenir. He has one mushroom that is virtually the size of his desk, far too heavy to carry down the hill. I suspect that the secret to the old man’s longevity is that he gets exercise from frequent hikes up the mountain, each time carrying a giant slab of fungus. The majority of ganoderma mushrooms currently used are cultivated, although the discovery of a

feasible cultivation technique came only recently. Prior to cultivation, ganoderma enjoyed a legendary status as a rare fungus that was highly sought and difficult to acquire. It had connotations of health and longevity, even immortality; it was pursued by the first Emperor of China, among many others. Ganoderma mushrooms are found as a motif in Chinese artwork, and are carved into the intricate designs found in the Forbidden City in Beijing. Ganoderma, otherwise known as reishi (its Japanese name) or líng zhī (its Mandarin name), is increasingly well-known in the West because of the impressive research that has been done on its medical applications. Different forms have different clinical uses. Cultivated forms take on several different colors, and can be seen in “antler” forms as well as traditional mushroom forms. Wild ganoderma can be incredibly expensive, costing several thousand dollars per pound. Since cultivated forms are cheap (<$20/lb), they are more commonly used; the pre-sliced forms are easier to deal with because the density of the mushroom requires a stout slicing machine to make it manageable. Despite the famous status of ganoderma, it is not widely referenced in English literature on Chinese medicine. Below is a brief summary of its properties, translated from a contemporary textbook on Chinese medicinals:

Líng zhī (灵芝) English: ganoderma. Latin Pharmaceutical: Ganoderma. Source: Ganoderma japonicum (Fr.) Lloyd, G. lucidum (Leyss. ex Fr.) Karst. Nature and Flavor: sweet; balanced. Channel Entry: heart, liver, lung. Actions: Nourishes the heart and quiets the spirit; suppresses cough and dispels phlegm; supplements qi and nourishes the blood. Indications: 1) Disquieted heart spirit manifesting in insomnia or fright palpitations: Líng zhī has a sweet, balanced flavor and enters the heart channel; it is used here because it supplements heart blood, boosts heart qi, and quiets the spirit. It is used to treat patterns of insufficiency of qi and blood causing the heart spirit to be deprived of nourishment. This manifests in a disquieted heart spirit, insomnia, fright palpitations, profuse dreaming, forgetfullness, fatigue of the body and spirit, and poor appetite. In the clinic, it may be used as a single agent, swallowed as a powder; it may also be combined with dāng guī (Angelicae Sinensis Radix), bái sháo (Paeoniae Radix Alba), bai zi rén (Platycladi Semen), suān zao rén (Ziziphi Spinosi Semen), and lóng yan ròu (Longan Arillus). [Sorry, no display for 3rd tone mark] Modern preparations include tablets, syrups, and capsules, which are said to have a definite effect on qi and blood vacuity patterns of insomnia and forgetfulness. 2) Cough and panting with copious phlegm: Líng zhī is used here because it supplements the lung and boosts qi, and also transforms phlegm, suppresses cough, and calms panting. It treats patterns of phlegm-rheum, and is particularly effective for cold patterns of cough with copious phlegm and panting. 3) Vacuity taxation: Throughout the ages, materia medica texts have indicated that líng zhī is an important medicinal for supplementing and strengthening. It is used for vacuity taxation with shortness of breath, no thought of food or drink, and reversal cold of the extremities, possibly with vexation, agitation, and dryness of the mouth. Dosage and Instructions for Use: 3–15 g in decotions, 1.5–3 g as powder. Modern Applications: Líng zhī is also used to treat angina pectoris, hepatitis, hyperlipidemia, high blood pressure, and leukopenia.