Are you looking for the best mushroom supplements? Brands, types of mushrooms, and the part of the mushroom used is important to know. Learn more, including how to use mushroom supplements here
There are many types of mushroom supplements available. The best type to take is from a company you trust, that provides high-quality products for the desired effect. For instance, if you want to support your immune system, then reishi mushrooms can be taken as an extract or supplement.
However, there’s a lot more to the best mushroom supplements than meets the eye. Today we are looking at what makes for the best mushroom supplements.
The best mushroom supplements are certified organic
We are firm believers that the best mushroom supplements are organically grown. There’s a reason for this, which the world-renowned mycologist Paul Stamets discusses in his book MycoMedicinals. According to the book, “Pollutants from air and water can be taken up from the soil and passed directly into the mycelial network. It is essential that not only mushrooms are grown according to certified organic practices, but are grown in environments free of air and water pollution.”
The best mushroom supplements have mushroom fruiting bodies!
Traditionally, the mushroom fruiting body has been the part of the fungus consumed for health benefits. Only in the last couple decades, has mycelium been used instead of the fruiting body.
Why is this? Seemingly, it is done because mycelium grown on grain is cheaper and easier to do than to grow fruited bodies and make supplements with them. For instance, instead of costing $5 for a pound of shiitake mushrooms grown in the US, the mycelium on grain can be grown for close to .25 cents per pound! The choice to use mycelium on grain isn't based on efficacy. It is based on economics and it comes at a cost in quality.
When you make your own mushroom medicine or consume fresh mushrooms you know what you are getting is high-quality mushroom fruiting bodies. If you are looking for the best mushroom supplements to support your health and well being, then you should look for supplements that involve the mushroom fruiting body.
How to use mushroom supplements in your diet
Liquid mushroom extracts can be taken as is. If you don’t like the taste of alcohol, you can squirt some tincture into water or another beverage of your choice.
Mushroom powder can also be blended into beverages like smoothies, protein shakes, milk or alternative milk, coffee, or with hot water for teas. They can also go well in soups, stews, pastas, or risottos. Mushroom powder supplements can be put into capsules as well.
The best mushroom supplements involve mushrooms that have been studied
Mushrooms have been consumed by humans for thousands of years. In modern times, science has sought to look at the constituents of mushrooms to understand them better as food. There have been many studies conducted on mushrooms, although many of these studies involve in vitro tests.
Regardless, it’s worth knowing about these studies and the information presented in them. For instance, the study "A Systematic Review of in-vivo Studies on Dietary Mushroom Supplementation for Cognitive Impairment (P14-021-19)" is one example of an interesting and informative study that looked at multiple mushrooms, including reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus), cordyceps militaris and another species of cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis).
The objective of this study was to review existing articles and studies in the search of evidence on whether or not these mushrooms as supplements could support cognitive abilities.
The method of this study is as follows:
“Relevant articles were identified in major databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and SCOPUS). Key search words were Hericium erinaceus, Ganoderma lucidum, Ophiocordyceps sinensis, Lion's mane, Reishi, Cordyceps, cognitive, memory, dementia, Alzheimer's. Included studies were peer-reviewed in-vivo articles published in English before January 2019, with cognitive outcomes.”
According to the conclusion of the study:
“Despite heterogeneous study design, the results of this review suggest that dietary supplementation with lion's mane, reishi and cordyceps mushrooms may have a beneficial effect on cognitive impairment. Further clinical research studies are needed to demonstrate the potential medicinal benefits of dietary mushroom supplementation in humans with cognitive impairments.”
The best mushroom supplements: Brands that provide them know mushrooms
We’re no stranger to mushrooms here at Fungi Ally. Willie Crosby, the owner of the company, has been growing, teaching about, and using mushrooms for the last 9 years. He started out growing mushrooms with a small-scale mushroom cultivation business from his basement, where he was growing 500 pounds of mushrooms weekly.
He currently spends much of his time teaching and training the mushroom farmers of tomorrow. Willie has previously taught online for Cornell University and UMass Amherst for the past three years, in addition to teaching mushroom cultivation in-person at UMass for 4 years.
We believe people with a passion for mushrooms, and who have had the experience of working with mushrooms through the process of growing them, are a great avenue for getting mushroom supplements.
Check out our entire collection of mushroom supplements on this page of our website. We believe these are the best mushroom supplements available on the market today!