Faq

Even though the label may say “mushroom”, you need to look at the
Supplement Facts panel. For example, does it say Reishi mushroom?
Reishi mushroom mycelium? Or Reishi mycelium? Some products will list
the Latin name, Ganoderma Lucidum, without mentioning mushroom or
mycelium.

Honest companies will reveal if the product is
mycelium. They will also state in the “Other Ingredients” that
there is grain or myceliated grain. Note that it is a requirement for
herbal products to state “plant part” and also whether there are
other unrelated materials present.

Many companies selling
mycelium products will have the word “mushroom” everywhere. In
their literature, label, website. Seeing the word mushroom so many
times can obscure the actual product – low potency mycelium on
grain.

MOG is actually nothing more than what commercial mushroom growers
call “grain spawn”. Grain spawn is cheap to produce and is
therefore economical to grow.

Unfortunately, mycelium grown on grain or rice contains minimal
amounts of the important compounds that are in medicinal mushrooms.

Myceliated grain is cheap to produce, often cheap to purchase, but
the lack of medicinal compounds makes it gram for gram the most
expensive product on the market.

Although mushroom powders are superior to MOG powders, they are still
less potent than a concentrated extract.

Traditional Chinese Medicine, which has used mushrooms and herbs for
thousands of years, almost always makes tea from herbs. Tea is a
simple water extract. Traditional Chinese

Medicine practitioners will boil herbs for long periods of time to
extract the medicinal compounds.

A hot water extract is a very simple and effective way to concentrate
mushrooms and at the same time make them more bio-available.

Note that a steam extraction does not make medicinal compounds
bio-available like hot water extraction does.

The combined use of alcohol and water is utilized when some important
compounds in the mushroom are not water soluble, such as Reishi or
Chaga triterpenoids.

Be sure it is Certified Organic.

Mushrooms tend to concentrate pesticides and heavy metals from the
soil, so the Mushrooms must be grown under Organic conditions. It
should have the logo of USDA Organic or NOP or other certification
organization. Natural does not mean organic

Be sure it is Certified Organic.

Mushrooms tend to concentrate pesticides and heavy metals from the
soil, so the Mushrooms must be grown under Organic conditions. It
should have the logo of USDA Organic or NOP or other certification
organization. Natural does not mean organic

Some companies make the claim that their product has “all stages”,
or is a “unique combination” of mushrooms and mycelium.

They may also claim this is therefore “full spectrum”. They make
further claims that this provides a more diverse menu of medicinal
compounds. A mushroom and its mycelium are actually made of similar
tissue, but with important differences.

Mushrooms are genetically more complex and have more medicinal
properties. Look to see if the companies that make this claim
actually give you a percentage of each fungal part.

One company that makes this claim uses only 10% mushroom in one of
their products. Another doesn’t even state how much of their
mycelium product is actual mushroom.

Don’t be fooled. Mushrooms are more expensive to grow but are of
higher value and therefore likely to be left out or included in small
amounts just to make the claim of being present.

Also, there are 2 methods for growing mycelium:

1. Solid Fermentation: Grown on grains or rice where the end
product is up to 70% growing medium of no medicinal value.

2. Liquid Fermentation: Grown in liquid and fed supportive
nutrients so the end product is 100 % mycelium with zero filler.

A few of our products are either a mix of Organic Fruiting Bodies and
Liquid Fermentation Mycelium or Powerblend that is pure Liquid
Fermentation Mycelium. We state the percentages of Beta d-Glucans on
all our packages!

What actually does a full spectrum mushroom product mean?

Generally speaking, this means that the product in question has all
the major components of the mushroom present. So an analysis of the
product would show a profile that matches the data that is present in
major published research or government databases.

For example, the USDA has a database of foods and natural products
that lists nutritional information based on approved analytical
tests.

If the product is a mushroom extract, full spectrum would indicate
that the naturally occurring components would remain in approximately
the same ratio as the mushroom itself.

How is it possible then that mycelium grown on grain or rice, which
is part of the final mycelium product, can be full spectrum?

It simply can’t be, by definition. Whether you have pure mycelium
or a real mushroom, the addition of grain negates a claim of full
spectrum.

It gets worse when one realizes that the majority of the MOG product
is actually grain.

Our products are 100% naturally produced mushrooms. This is the true
definition of Full Spectrum.

FDA states this clearly in Compliance
Policy Guide, Section 585.525.

Be aware that mycelium on grain producers always use the term
mushroom for their product sales. This is misleading and is counter
to FDA regulations. Be certain of your product labeling.

Special note about mycelium: The supplement market is flooded with
mycelia grown on various grain substrates.

These products do not and cannot separate the grain from the mycelia.
In most cases, the grain accounts for 50% of the final product and
should be considered a carrier or excipient. Tests show that these
products are more grain than mycelium.

Medicinal Mushrooms are the most powerful natural healing substances.
They are classified as “Adaptogens” meaning that they support the
body to heal and balance itself holistically.

Adaptogens support your body to naturally regulate itself by
normalizing over activity or under activity of the organs and glands.

Most nutritional supplements deliver ingredients in an isolated state
whereas Medicinal Mushroom supplements are consumed in a whole state
where each ingredient or aspect synergistically supports other
ingredients to deliver their benefits optimally. There is a very high
level of bio-availability of a properly grown and processed Medicinal
Mushroom product.

More and more people – doctors among them – have become aware
that when it comes to preventing illness and disease, food plays a
major role. This shift toward good nutrition as the key to a long,
healthy life isn't just based on anecdotal evidence. A growing body
of medical research is backing the old adage that “you are what you
eat.” This nutritional research is also finding that not all foods
are equal. When it comes to good nutrition some are better than
others.

High in antioxidants, beta-glucans and polysaccharides, mushrooms are
one of nature’s most perfect foods.

Not only are they loaded with healthy nutrients, but those nutrients
are easily absorbed and used by humans. Recent research has focused
on a unique potent antioxidant in mushrooms – called
L-Ergothioneine (ERGO) – as a natural way of nutritionally
supporting your body’s immune system.

ERGO appears to be a far more powerful antioxidant than other
substances such as beta-carotene and vitamins C and E. One unit of
synthetic ERGO antioxidant is equal to 7,000 units of the antioxidant
Trolox (water soluble vitamin E.) Antioxidants are the body’s
defense system against cellular damage.

Research has shown that the ERGO antioxidant found in mushrooms is
not only one of the most potent of antioxidants but also the one most
efficiently used by the body. Humans possess a unique specific
“transport” system that moves ERGO into important cells in the
body, such as the red and white blood cells. And unlike antioxidants
such as vitamins C and E, unused ERGO appears to be stored by the
body for quick use rather than flushed as waste.

The awareness that nutrition plays a key role in promoting good
health has led to the growth of the multi-billion dollar nutritional
supplement market.

The purpose of all of these nutritional supplements is to provide the
body with the nutrients it needs to thrive, protecting us from
today’s increased health challenges and supporting us to live
longer, healthier lives.

Since most of us no longer eat properly or cannot get the full array
of nutrients we require from our nutrient depleted foods, we have
come to depend on these nutritional supplements, such as vitamin
pills, to fill in the gaps. The problem, however, is that most of
these supplements on which we rely often contain synthetic or
extracted chemicals and nutrients whose absorption, cell penetration
and physiologic effects are questionable.

Most nutrition experts today agree that the best nutrition comes from
whole foods. The cellular processes of humans is complex and needs a
complex food to match. Mushrooms, as it turns out, are one of the
most complex foods available, containing more than 3,000 specific
chemicals that match the system requirements of humans. The best
advice for good nutrition should perhaps not be "Eat your
vegetables" but instead, "Eat your mushrooms."
Researchers and health practitioners are identifying what they call
“super foods” – foods shown to have tremendous health benefits,
including the ability to help prevent many diseases.

The super foods theory has led to increased studies on the health
benefits of specific foods, with mushrooms being one food that has
received much recent attention. And what researchers are finding is
that mushrooms really do provide many high level health benefits.
Mushrooms are complex biological organisms that contain numerous
bioactive nutrients and antioxidants.