Mushrooms for inflammation balance

Reishi leads as the most studied mushroom we sell, with 17 clinical trials pooled in a 2025 review. Maitake is second, with randomised trials in healthy adults. Chaga is third: laboratory research links its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity to compounds the conk draws from the birch, and it has centuries of daily use behind it. All three are 10:1 hot water extracts, tested to 30%, 30% and 10% beta-glucans.

Our top picks

ReishiGanoderma lucidum

the most-studied of the three

Start here. Reishi is the only mushroom on this page with a substantial body of randomised human trials, whatever the outcome measured.

Extraction: Hot Water 10:1
Beta-D glucans: ≥30%; USDA Organic

MaitakeGrifola frondosa

the one with a trial in healthy people

Second, and the one to pick if you cook. Maitake is a genuinely good culinary mushroom as well as an extract.

Extraction: Hot Water 10:1
Beta-D glucans: ≥30%; USDA Organic

ChagaInonotus obliquus

the antioxidant one, on laboratory evidence

Third, and honestly ranked. Chaga has the most enthusiastic marketing in this category and the least human evidence behind it.

Extraction: Hot Water 10:1
Beta-D glucans: ≥10%; USDA Organic

A bundle built for this

Save $13.99 Wind Down Bundle: Reishi and Chaga Powder for Rest and RelaxationReishi for calm evenings and restful sleep, Chaga for the antioxidant load underneath. Both belong at the end of the day. Both as extract powder, 100 g each, 60 servings apiece. Save 13.9...CalmRestAntioxidant support $65.99~~$79.98~~ See the bundle

How they compare

#	Mushroom	Key compound	Best for	From
1	Reishi	Triterpenes, beta-glucans	Everyday support and evening wind-down	$29.99
2	Maitake	Beta-glucan D-fraction	Immune and metabolic support	$29.99
3	Chaga	Melanin, betulinic acid	Antioxidant support	$32.99

Reishi: the most-studied of the three

Ganoderma lucidum

Start here. Reishi is the only mushroom on this page with a substantial body of randomised human trials, whatever the outcome measured.

Reishi is the hard, lacquered bracket fungus of the Chinese materia medica. It is genuinely bitter, which is why most people take it in capsules.

Ours is a 10:1 hot water extract from fruiting bodies, tested to 30% beta-glucans. The bitterness is the triterpene fraction, which is the part most of the laboratory anti-inflammatory work concerns.

Take it in the evening. It is the only extract in our range with a time of day attached to it.

Extraction: Hot Water 10:1
Beta-D glucans: ≥30%
Best for: Everyday support and evening wind-down; USDA Organic

What the research says

A 2025 systematic review pooled 17 randomised controlled trials across 971 participants and found significant improvements in BMI, creatinine, glutathione peroxidase and resting heart rate, while rating the certainty of that evidence low.

The triterpene work that gets cited for inflammation specifically is largely preclinical. We are separating those two things deliberately, because a lot of pages do not.

Shop Reishi

All Reishi extracts →

Organic Reishi Mushroom Powder 10:1 Extract

-13%

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Organic Reishi Mushroom Powder 10:1 Extract. Relax, Restore, Rejuvenate (3.5oz / 100g)

$34.99

~~$39.99~~

Organic Reishi Capsules Mushroom 10:1 Extract

-14%

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Organic Reishi Capsules Mushroom 10:1 Extract (120 count) Relax, Restore, Rejuvenate

$29.99

~~$34.99~~

-27%

Organic Bulk Reishi Powder Mushroom 10:1 Extract (1 KG / 2.2 LB) (10 Bags)

$290.00

~~$399.90~~

Maitake: the one with a trial in healthy people

Grifola frondosa

Second, and the one to pick if you cook. Maitake is a genuinely good culinary mushroom as well as an extract.

Maitake is hen of the woods, the clustered polypore at the base of old oaks. It is savoury and faintly peppery and the powder goes into stock, soup or eggs as readily as into a drink.

Ours is a 10:1 hot water extract from fruiting bodies, tested to 30% beta-D glucans.

Extraction: Hot Water 10:1
Beta-D glucans: ≥30%
Best for: Immune and metabolic support; USDA Organic

What the research says

A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 47 healthy adults over 60 found a rise in natural killer cell activity over eighteen weeks (Jogi 2026). That is an immune measure rather than an inflammatory one, and we are labelling it as such.

It used 50 g of whole mushroom baked into bread rather than a 10:1 extract, and only one of the two strains tested produced the effect.

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All Maitake extracts →

Organic Maitake Mushroom Powder 10:1 Extract

-13%

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Organic Maitake Mushroom Powder 10:1 Extract. Balance Your Wellness Naturally (3.5oz / 100g)

$34.99

~~$39.99~~

Organic Maitake Capsules Mushroom 10:1 Extract

-14%

Subscription

Organic Maitake Capsules Mushroom 10:1 Extract (120 count) Balance Your Wellness Naturally

$29.99

~~$34.99~~

-27%

Organic Bulk Maitake Powder Mushroom 10:1 Extract (1 KG / 2.2 LB) (10 Bags)

$290.00

~~$399.90~~

Chaga: the antioxidant one, on laboratory evidence

Inonotus obliquus

Third, and honestly ranked. Chaga has the most enthusiastic marketing in this category and the least human evidence behind it.

Chaga is the black, cracked mass on a birch trunk. It never forms a fruiting body, so we extract the wild-harvested conk, which is where the actives sit.

Its dark colour comes from melanin and from betulinic acid derivatives it takes up from the birch. It is the most drinkable extract we sell, which is a genuine advantage for something you are meant to take daily.

Extraction: Hot Water 10:1
Beta-D glucans: ≥10%
Best for: Antioxidant support; USDA Organic

What the research says

A 2024 review in Mycology maps the modern literature: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity, almost all of it in laboratory and animal models.

Human trials are the next step and we will publish them the day they land. In the meantime Chaga offers a consistent laboratory picture, centuries of daily use, and a tested certificate on every batch.

Shop Chaga

All Chaga extracts →

Super Six Mushroom Blend Powder 10:1 Extract

-18%

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Super Six Mushroom Blend Powder 10:1 Extract. Reishi, Cordyceps, Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Tremella & Turkey Tail (3.5oz / 100g)

$36.99

~~$44.99~~

Organic Chaga Mushroom Powder 10:1 Extract

-13%

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Organic Chaga Mushroom Powder 10:1 Extract. Immune System & Cellular Health Aid (3.5oz / 100g)

$34.99

~~$39.99~~

Organic Super Six Mushroom Blend Capsules 10:1 Extract

-11%

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Organic Super Six Mushroom Blend Capsules 10:1 Extract (90 count) - Red Reishi, Cordyceps, Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Tremella, and Turkey Tail

$39.99

~~$44.99~~

Emperor 4 Mushroom Blend Powder 10:1 Extract

-23%

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Emperor 4 Mushroom Blend Powder 10:1 Extract. Reishi, Cordyceps, Lion’s Mane & Chaga (3.5oz / 100g)

$32.99

~~$42.99~~

-27%

Bulk Chaga Powder Mushroom 10:1 Extract (1 KG / 2.2 LB) (10 Bags)

$290.00

~~$399.90~~

-51%

Bulk Lion's Mane + Chaga (50/50) Powder Mushroom 10:1 Extract (1 KG / 2.2 LB)

$195.00

~~$399.90~~

-51%

Bulk Chaga + Reishi (50/50) Powder Mushroom 10:1 Extract (1 KG / 2.2 LB)

$195.00

~~$399.90~~

The Long Game mushroom extract powder bundle

-24%

The Long Game: Turkey Tail, Reishi, Chaga, Tremella Powder Bundle

$121.99

~~$159.96~~

-22%

Steady: Reishi, Lion's Mane and Chaga Powder for Stress and Mood

$93.99

~~$119.97~~

How long until it works

Week 1 One serving daily. Reishi in the evening, the others whenever suits.
Weeks 2 to 4 Nothing dramatic. These are slow, everyday extracts.
Weeks 4 to 8 The window the human trials use, and the honest point to judge.
Ongoing Daily rather than as a course.

What customers report. Individual experience varies; none of this is a clinical claim.

Shop all inflammation mushrooms

-13%

Subscription

Organic Chaga Mushroom Powder 10:1 Extract. Immune System & Cellular Health Aid (3.5oz / 100g)

$34.99

~~$39.99~~

-13%

Subscription

Organic Maitake Mushroom Powder 10:1 Extract. Balance Your Wellness Naturally (3.5oz / 100g)

$34.99

~~$39.99~~

-13%

Subscription

Organic Reishi Mushroom Powder 10:1 Extract. Relax, Restore, Rejuvenate (3.5oz / 100g)

$34.99

~~$39.99~~

-14%

Subscription

Organic Maitake Capsules Mushroom 10:1 Extract (120 count) Balance Your Wellness Naturally

$29.99

~~$34.99~~

-14%

Subscription

Organic Reishi Capsules Mushroom 10:1 Extract (120 count) Relax, Restore, Rejuvenate

$29.99

~~$34.99~~

-27%

Bulk Chaga Powder Mushroom 10:1 Extract (1 KG / 2.2 LB) (10 Bags)

$290.00

~~$399.90~~

-27%

Organic Bulk Maitake Powder Mushroom 10:1 Extract (1 KG / 2.2 LB) (10 Bags)

$290.00

~~$399.90~~

-27%

Organic Bulk Reishi Powder Mushroom 10:1 Extract (1 KG / 2.2 LB) (10 Bags)

$290.00

~~$399.90~~

Frequently asked

Which of these has the best evidence?

Reishi leads on depth: 17 randomised human trials pooled across 971 people in a 2025 meta-analysis. Maitake follows with a placebo-controlled trial in healthy older adults. Chaga brings the antioxidant profile the boreal north has relied on for centuries. That is the order they appear in.

Are mushrooms anti-inflammatory?

The laboratory work across these three is consistent and genuinely interesting, and Reishi carries a substantial body of human trials on top of it. Larger studies are the natural next step for an area attracting this much attention.

Can I take these instead of anti-inflammatory medication?

These are foods, taken daily for general wellbeing. Anything you have been prescribed is a conversation for the doctor who prescribed it.

Which one if I only want one?

Reishi, on the evidence, taken in the evening. If you want something you can cook with as well, Maitake. If what you actually want is a pleasant daily drink, Chaga, and you should buy it for that reason rather than for an anti-inflammatory claim.

How long before I judge it?

Four to eight weeks of daily use. None of these acts quickly and none of them is meant to.

Do the beta-glucan percentages matter here?

They are the number to compare products on, yes. Reishi and Maitake are both tested to 30% and Chaga to 10%, which is a property of the species rather than of our processing. Watch for a "polysaccharide" figure quoted instead, because starch is a polysaccharide.

References

The nutritional significance of Ganoderma lucidum on human health: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trialsJafari A, Mardani H, Mirzaei Fashtali Z, Arghavan B
The widest survey of the Reishi literature: 17 clinical trials covering 971 participants, at doses from 200 to 11,200 mg a day. Pooled analysis found significant improvements in BMI, serum creatinine, glutathione peroxidase and resting heart rate. Many other markers did not move, and the reviewers rate the certainty of the underlying trials as low and call for better-designed studies, which is the usual state of a field this active and this young.
Food Science & Nutrition · 2025
Maitake Mushroom (Grifola frondosa) Enhances Cognitive Function in Healthy Older Japanese: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled TrialJogi EM, Kato MC, Masuda Y, Konishi M, Kuwabara N, Sato S, Nakagawa S, Yamasaki K, Aoki R, Ohno M, Ohata S, Kato S, Hashimoto M
Forty-seven healthy adults aged 60 and over ate bread containing 50 g of maitake daily for eighteen weeks. One strain produced a significant improvement on the Japanese Montreal Cognitive Assessment against placebo, and natural killer cell activity rose in the same group and tracked the cognitive score. Two strains were tested and one moved the needle, which tells researchers exactly where to look next.
Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology · 2026
Therapeutic properties of Inonotus obliquus (Chaga mushroom): A reviewErn PTY, Quan TY, Yee FS, Yin ACY
A review pulling together the modern research on Chaga: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity, traced to the melanin, polysaccharides and triterpenes the conk accumulates from the birch it grows on. A consistent laboratory picture, and human trials are the natural next step.
Mycology · 2024