Reishi at Holland and Barrett: Capsules, Powder, Tea and What to Check (UK)

What reishi does Holland and Barrett sell?

On 1 November 2026 the reishi category page listed 72 products. Holland and Barrett sold 26 of them itself; the other 46 came from what it calls trusted sellers, other companies selling through its website.

• Formats: about half were capsules or tablets. The rest were powders and drink mixes, liquid extracts and tinctures, ready-to-drink cans and lattes, one gummy and two reishi soaps.
• Sold by Holland and Barrett: brands included fourfive, Bristol Fungarium, Cannaray, Mindful Extracts, Grass and Co, The Herbtender and New Nordic.
• Other sellers: Love Mushrooms, Mushrooms For Life, Mycology Nutrition, KIKI Health, Together Health, Hifas da Terra, New Leaf and Quirky Monkey, among others.

Several are blends, mixing reishi with lion’s mane, ashwagandha, magnesium or sage. Stock in shops varies, so check the website or ask in store. For brand detail, see our guides to Grass and Co, Cannaray and Hifas da Terra.

Holland and Barrett’s own-brand reishi

What the two own-brand product pages said:

Where “20000mg” comes from. A 20:1 extract means about 20 parts of dried mushroom went into 1 part of extract. So 1,000mg of extract is described as the equivalent of 20,000mg. It describes the starting material, not 20g of reishi in your capsules.

Polysaccharides are not beta-glucans. “Polysaccharides” is a broad group of carbohydrates that can include starch. Lab methods exist that measure beta-glucan separately, so a stated beta-glucan figure tells you more. Neither page gave one.

The capsules are a blend. They also contain magnesium citrate (112.5mg of magnesium, 30% of the nutrient reference value) plus vitamins B6 and B12. If you take another magnesium supplement, add the two together and keep supplements to 400mg a day or less, as the NHS advises; see Holland and Barrett magnesium for that range. The capsule page asks anyone pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or under medical supervision to consult a doctor first.

The powder page describes a bitter, earthy taste. Our reishi powder vs extract guide explains how ground mushroom and extracts differ.

Reishi tea at Holland and Barrett

We found no own-brand reishi tea. The one reishi teabag on sale was Quirky Monkey Chamomile Tea with Reishi Mushroom (Night-Tea Night), sold through the website by Neuromonkey Ltd: 15 pyramid teabags of 75% chamomile flowers and 25% reishi mushroom pieces, steeped for 3 to 5 minutes. A Natur Boutique Reishi Tea page is still online but marked discontinued.

Other reishi drinks listed included Water Junkie Reishi Dream cans, a Mindfuel Flow reishi oat latte and Quirky Monkey’s Reishi Mushroom Coffee Fusion. That last one is coffee, so count the caffeine. To brew your own, our reishi tea guide has a recipe, and mushroom coffee explained covers the coffee blends.

Is ganoderma the same as reishi?

Yes. Ganoderma lucidum is reishi’s Latin name, and lingzhi is its Chinese name. A search for “ganoderma” on Holland and Barrett’s website returns the same reishi products, and the own-brand capsules list “Reishi Mushroom Extract 20:1 (Ganoderma Lucidum)”.

The name on a label isn’t always the exact species inside. A 2018 DNA study of 20 reishi products sold in the US found that 93% were Ganoderma lingzhi, a close relative, and none were Ganoderma lucidum in the strict sense. Our reishi mushroom guide covers the species, doses and side effects.

Where Evopure fits

We sell online, direct from our own website, and we’re not saying ours are better. These are different products, not like-for-like swaps:

• Reishi Mushroom Adaptogenic Complex: a reishi hot chocolate, about 30 servings a pouch, made with cocoa, reishi mushroom, maca, cinnamon and coconut sugar. It contains a little natural caffeine from the cacao. See reishi cacao and what to check on a mushroom hot chocolate.
• Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex: a berry drink powder with magnesium bisglycinate and citrate (148mg of magnesium per serving), glycine, L-theanine, chamomile, passionflower, hops and oat straw. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
• Sleep CBD Oil: broad spectrum CBD with 0% THC, plus passion flower and a terpene blend. CBD isn’t a treatment for sleep problems. If you take any regular medicines, check with your GP or pharmacist first.

The FSA’s 10mg a day figure is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication.

All three are vegan and made in the UK, for adults (18+) only. We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Reishi: what the research says

No published trial has tested these products, and reishi has no authorised health claim in the UK. For reishi in general:

• Fatigue: a Chinese trial of 132 people with long-term fatigue found a reishi polysaccharide extract did better than placebo after 8 weeks. It hasn’t been repeated in a large trial.
• Heart and blood sugar: a 2015 Cochrane review of 5 trials (398 people) found no meaningful change in blood sugar, blood pressure or cholesterol.
• Cancer: a 2016 Cochrane review found only small, poor-quality trials. Reishi isn’t a cancer treatment.
• Sleep: no human trial has had sleep as its main outcome. See reishi for sleep.

For how reishi compares with other mushrooms, see lion’s mane vs reishi vs cordyceps.

Who should check first

iReishi is sold legally in the UK as a food and food supplement. Most people in trials had no problems, but check with your GP or pharmacist first if any of these apply:

• Liver disease, or you drink heavily. Liver injury is rare, but a handful of cases have been published, mostly after a month or two of reishi powder. Stop and get medical advice if your skin or eyes turn yellow.
• Blood thinners or a bleeding disorder, or surgery coming up: reishi may slow blood clotting.
• Blood pressure, diabetes or immune-suppressing medicines, or cancer treatment.
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding: avoid it, as safety hasn’t been studied.
• Mushroom allergy: avoid it.

iAsk your GP or pharmacist before giving any supplement to a child. For the shop’s other mushroom range, see lion’s mane at Holland and Barrett.

What to check on any reishi label

For the wider picture, see how to choose a mushroom supplement in the UK. Comparing the same shop’s other ranges? See Holland and Barrett ashwagandha and Holland and Barrett CBD.

Waiting for the sales? See our Holland and Barrett Black Friday guide before you stock up.