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Where are your mushrooms from?

All our mushroom extracts are from a leading supplier of organic mushroom extracts. They have decades of mushroom growing experience. All of their extract are made from certified organic fruiting bodies, organically grown or wildcrafted from deep within mountain regions of China.

China is the leading supplier of mushrooms worldwide and supplies over 85% of the world’s mushrooms. It is one of the only places in the world where you can get 100% organic fruiting body extracts that can be sold at an affordable price.

Note that any products made in the USA are typically not mushroom but mycelium grown on grain.

Grain ends up being a significant portion of these products. Read your supplements panel very closely and search “mycelium on grain” in google image to see what it actually is. Independent analysis has shown these types of products to contain very little of the active compounds found in the research.

Do you test for heavy metals?

Of course. All products are screened for heavy metals. We follow the American Health Products Association (AHPA) guidelines for heavy metals which is in compliance with CA Prop 65.

Why do you only list beta-glucans and not polysaccharides?

Beta-glucans, which are a polysaccharide, are the most well researched medically active compound in mushrooms. For this reason, we specifically measure beta-glucan levels on our products. We do not believe in using polysaccharides as a measure of quality as it can be easily doctored using starch. Starch is an alpha-glucan, which is also a polysaccharide.

As an example, mycelium on grain products have been shown to have high levels of starch, which allows them to tout high polysaccharide numbers when in reality they have very low amounts of beta-glucans as the bulk of these polysaccharides are made up of starch. The starch comes from the grain that ends up in the final product.

Why do you list starch on your packaging?

We list starch as a way to prove that our product is 100% mushroom. Typically whole mushrooms contain less than 5% starch so any product claiming to be made from pure mushroom should also conform with the rule. All of our products have  less than 5% starch as they are made purely from mushrooms without any added of fillers or carriers.

Starch is a common carrier material that can be found in medicinal mushroom supplements. It is often used as a flow agent in form of dextrose or maltodextrin. Flow agents are often added in the packaging process to help the mushroom materials flow through the machinery better.

In the case of mycelium on grain products, high amounts of starch are present due to the grain that ends up in the final product.

This is why it is so important to measure starch so that you’re not wasting your money on carrier materials or grain.

What is mycelium on grain?

Mycelium is the vegetative state (think root system) of the fungal life cycle. The fungal lifecycle consists of spore, mycelium and mushroom. Mycelium is the stage that produces a mushroom but it is not a mushroom. Just look at some images in Google.

Mycelium on grain or grain spawn is a method for producing the seed for growing fresh mushrooms. It has now been adopted by many mushroom ingredient suppliers as an inexpensive way to produce a “mushroom” supplement, yet in reality it is not a mushroom product. It is a mycelium on grain product.

The process involves taking a plastic bag of sterilized, cooked grain (rice, oats, sorghum, etc), injecting it with a fungal culture (reishi, chaga, shiitake etc.) and allowing the mycelium to grow out on the grain. Once the mycelium is fully grown out on the grain, it is harvested and the mycelium with the grain is dried and turned into a powder. This produces a product that does not contain any mushrooms, though the package may say “mushroom” on it, and it has a very high starch content (upwards of 70%) because of the residual grain ending up in the final product. Because of all this added starch, the amount of fungal material in the product is very low, leading to very low levels of active compounds like beta-glucans.

Mycelium on grain is a cheap way to make “mushroom” supplements that are not actually mushrooms. In reality, when you compare the amount of active compounds in the product, it ends up being a very expensive product.

Product made entirely from fruiting bodies, like Real Mushrooms, typically have 5-10x more beta-glucans than mycelium on grain products.

What are the concentration ratios of your products?

Our extracts range from 1:1 to 16:1 but we do not list them specifically as we believe extract ratios have only limited value when not accompanied with active compound testing.

For example, without analytical testing there’s no way to know whether a 10:1 extract is more concentrated than a 4:1 extract. It is also possible to have two products with the same extract ratio yet with completely different levels of active compounds.

Also note that the higher the extract ratio, the more dense and sticky the final product gets so in order to keep it as a free flowing powder, a carrier is often added. This will dilute the potency. This is why measurement of active compounds and starch is so important.

Extract ratios can also be misrepresented. For example, fresh mushrooms are typically 90% water so the wet to dry ratio is 10:1. Some products use this ratio saying their products are a 10:1 extract (10lb of fresh mushrooms = 1lb of powder) when in reality it’s just a 1:1 (1lb of dried mushrooms = 1lb of powder). All extract ratios should be based off dry weight.

Without analytical testing of active compounds and starch measurements to show purity, extract ratios have limited value. Higher extract ratio does not equate to higher potency.

For these reasons, we do not specifically publish our extract ratios. If you’d like to know, just contact us.

The amount of active compounds in our products are some of the highest in the marketplace and the low levels of starch demonstrate the purity of our products.

Do you provide certificate of analysis?

Yes. Please contact us directly if you wish to see a certificate of analysis.

How is a mushroom extract made?

You take dried mushrooms and grind them into a fine powder.

Then you will cook them multiple times with water and/or alcohol. Water to release water soluble compounds. Alcohol to release non-water soluble compounds.

This cooking breaks down the cell walls of the mushroom allowing for the extraction of the beneficial compounds (beta-glucans, triterpenes, etc.). The mushroom cell walls are made up of chitin, which our bodies do not have the enzymes to break down properly so if we just eat fresh mushrooms the active compounds are not as bioavailable to us. Hence, the requirement for extraction.

The resulting liquid from cooking the mushrooms is drained off and concentrated to the desired consistency. If any alcohol is used in the extraction, it is precipitated out (removed).

The liquid is then sent to a spray dryer, which removes all the water, leaving you with the final powder.

So the final liquid is now a powder without any of the water and/or alcohol.

I’m not feeling anything. Are they working?

The important thing to remember with medicinal mushrooms is that they are adaptogens and adaptogens work over long periods of time. The benefits of medicinal mushrooms are obtained through prolonged use.

Medicinal mushrooms are not necessarily something you are likely to “feel” like caffeine or aspirin. Some people do say they “feel” them but it is uncommon.

Will using the extract with hot liquid kill the active compounds?

No.

All of our products have already been extracted with hot water and/or alcohol. Any further “extraction”, like adding them to hot water, will not effect the powder or the medicinal compounds.

What is the nutritional breakdown of mushrooms?

Generally speaking, mushrooms are about 25% protein, 58% carbohydrates and 3% fat. The rest is vitamins and minerals.

What mushrooms are contained in this blend?

• 15:1 Organic Chaga Extract (hot water extraction)
• 15:1 Organic Lion’s Mane Extract (hot water extraction)
• 15:1 Organic Cordyceps Militaris Extract (hot water extraction)

What is the concentration ratio of Activate?

This product is a 15:1 extract meaning that 15 kilos of ground Chaga, Lion’s Mane, and Cordyceps Militaris make 1 kilo of our extract.

Why do you use Cordyceps Militaris instead of Cordyceps Sinensis?

We use Cordyceps militaris because fruiting bodies can be cultivated much better than Cordyceps Sinesis thus resulting in a consistently potent blend of Cordyceps-M in Activate.

What am I supposed to feel?

Activate is a blend of natural nootropics and adaptiogens.  Nootropics are fundamentally different from the rapid jolt of alertness received from caffeine or stimulants.  Please have some patience as you should take Activate a few days in a row to let the active nootropics build up and unlock the full benefits.

Is it made from caterpillar fungus and does it contain bugs?

Our products contain no bugs.

Can I take more than one serving at day?

Yes.  There is no negative side effects with the consumption of these mushrooms.  However we would not recommend taking it close to bed time as it may keep you awake.

What does it tastes like?

To be perfectly honest, these taste like mushrooms. So if you are not a fan of the mushroom flavour we would recommend you mix the sachets with your coffee or smoothies and so on to mask the taste.

What is the concentration ratio of Regenerate?

This product is a 20:1 extract meaning that 20 kilos of ground up reishi make 1 kilo of our extract.

What part of the mushroom is used for extraction?

We strictly use the fruiting body of the reishi mushroom for extraction.

What type of Reishi is used?

We use certified organic red reishi (the best type) that has been grown optimal on duanwood logs.

Is your Reishi first harvest?

Yes, we only use first harvest Reishi mushrooms.

Can I take more than one serving at day?

Yes.  There is no negative side effects with the consumption of these mushrooms.

Why does it taste bitter?

When it comes to reishi, you want it to taste bitter. Bitterness is a key quality indicator of reishi. The bitterness comes from the beneficial triterpene compounds that develop through the mushroom’s interaction with the wood it grows on. Many reishi products do not taste bitter and this is a clear indication that they do not contain these beneficial triterpene compounds. So if you are not a fan of the Reishi bitterness we would recommend you mix the sachets with your coffee or smoothies and so on to mask the taste.