Quick answer
No trial of reishi powder, extract or tea in children turned up in the sources checked. One randomized trial gave preschoolers a yogurt with reishi beta-glucans daily for 12 weeks and judged it well tolerated, with no rise in liver enzymes. NIH's liver database describes rare cases in adults. Ask a doctor, such as a pediatrician, first.1,2
Key facts
- One randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in children aged 3 to 5 gave a yogurt with reishi beta-glucans daily for 12 weeks, and its authors judged it well tolerated.1
- In that trial no abnormal increase in serum creatinine or liver enzymes occurred, and the abstract does not say how many children took part.1
- A laboratory study of blood cells from healthy children and children having chemotherapy found variable toxicity from three reishi extracts, and its authors advised caution; no child took reishi.3
- LiverTox describes rare liver injury from reishi in adults, usually 1 to 2 months after starting, and gives a usual range of 500 mg to 3 g a day without an age.2
- Of 19 reishi supplements bought in the United States, the measured triterpenes and polysaccharides matched the label in only 5.4
The one trial in children
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Medellin, Colombia gave children aged 3 to 5 without symptoms either a yogurt enriched with beta-glucans from reishi or a placebo yogurt, daily for 12 weeks. Physical and laboratory checks were done at the start and on day 84, and adherence was above 90%.1
The trial's main outcomes were counts of immune cells. For safety, the report says no abnormal increases in serum creatinine or liver enzymes occurred and judges the interventions well tolerated. The abstract does not state how many children took part.1
A yogurt holding a purified fraction, beta-glucan, is not the same as reishi powder, extract or tea, so the trial cannot stand in for them. It lasted 12 weeks, and it was not designed to establish an amount to give a child.1
What a laboratory study found
A 2008 study used blood cells from healthy adults, healthy children and children having chemotherapy, and two human cell lines. Three reishi extracts showed variable toxicity with no consistent pattern, and the authors advised caution in their use. No child took reishi in the study.3
A study in cells cannot show what happens in a child who takes reishi. It is listed because it is the only study we found that used cells from children, and because its authors drew a cautious conclusion.3
What NIH's liver injury database says
LiverTox describes reishi as a possible rare cause of clinically apparent liver injury, with cases in adults that began usually 1 to 2 months after starting. It gives a usual range of 500 mg to 3 g a day without naming an age, and it has nothing specific on children.2
Our page on liver damage sets out what LiverTox says in full. For children, the point is that the largest official source describes adults.2
What is not known
- An amount of reishi for a child from any official source. LiverTox gives none.2
- Whether reishi powder, extract or tea behaves like the yogurt in the trial. No study we found tested them in children.1
- Safety beyond 12 weeks in children. The one trial stopped there.1
- Whether a product matches its label. In one analysis, 5 of 19 matched.4
Who should ask first
- A parent or guardian can ask a doctor, such as a pediatrician, before giving a child any reishi product, including tea or powder.2
- A parent of a child who is being treated for cancer can ask the child's care team before any supplement. The laboratory study used cells from children having chemotherapy.3
- A teen who is allergic to mushrooms or molds, or who takes medicines, can ask a pharmacist.
Questions people ask
Is reishi mushroom safe for kids?
No source we read tests reishi powder, extract or tea in children. One randomized trial of a yogurt with reishi beta-glucans in children aged 3 to 5 judged it well tolerated over 12 weeks. Ask a doctor first.1
Is reishi safe for teens?
None of the sources we read reports on teenagers on their own. NIH's liver database describes rare liver injury from reishi in adults. A teen can ask a pharmacist about any product.2
Is reishi good for kids?
The one trial in children measured immune cell counts, not health outcomes, so this page makes no claim about benefit. The question here is what is known about safety, and it is limited.1
See what we make
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Sources
- Henao SLD, Urrego SA, Cano AM, Higuita EA. Randomized Clinical Trial for the Evaluation of Immune Modulation by Yogurt Enriched with β-Glucans from Lingzhi or Reishi Medicinal Mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum (Agaricomycetes), in Children from Medellin, Colombia. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2018;20(8):705-716. Opened 2026-10-07.
- LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. Lingzhi, Reishi. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Last update October 5, 2024. Opened 2026-10-07.
- Gill SK, Rieder MJ. Toxicity of a traditional Chinese medicine, Ganoderma lucidum, in children with cancer. Can J Clin Pharmacol. 2008;15(2):e275-285. Opened 2026-10-11.
- Wu DT, Deng Y, Chen LX, Zhao J, Bzhelyansky A, Li SP. Evaluation on quality consistency of Ganoderma lucidum dietary supplements collected in the United States. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):7792. Opened 2026-10-07.
This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.