A huge Lingzhi mushroom was found by a lumberjack in Nghe An Province's Tuong Duong District and is expected to sell for a hefty sum of US$5,000.
The lumberjack sold the 70kg (when counting all its branches) fungus for $1,500 to Pham Dinh Toan, who took four men into the woods to remove the mushroom that some believe is thousands of years old, reports VietnamNet.
Due to tough terrain and the mushroom’s enormous size, the team could only carry two of its seven branches home.
According to Toan, the largest branch weighed in at 51.3kg and stretched 1.2m long, 0.5m wide, and 0.65m tall.
While this mushroom is huge, it pales in comparison to the 220kg specimen uncovered by a Buon Ma Thuot resident last October who rejected offers of up to $47,000 to part with the overgrown fungus.
In his book Reishi: Ancient Herb for Modern Times, Kenneth Jones writes that Lingzhi mushrooms have been used for over 2,000 years in Chinese medicine as they reduce allergic reactions, counter the effects of chemotherapy, may help fight diabetes and improve liver health, among other health benefits.
