Mushroom Supplements: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Mushroom Supplements are becoming one of the most popular health and wellness trends today. They've been featured on mainstream media websites like ForbesThe New York Times and are frequently talked about on the most popular podcast in the world the Joe Rogan Experience.

There is a good reason for this.

Mushroom Supplements work. They have amazing Benefits that can help a lot of people.

But the Industry has a dirty secret they don't want you to know.

Most Medicinal Mushroom Supplements contain no mushrooms.

But more on that later.

Let me introduce myself first.

My Story: Who am I?

My name is August Collins or as the locals call me “The Mushroom Guy” (God, I hate that name).

I’m not a licensed mycologist, but I might as well be.

I’ve been doing this for over 20 years.

I started out with a mild interest in mushrooms. I thought they were cool to find and eat.

I soon found out that Mushrooms were a lot more powerful than that.

Almost every time after consuming certain mushrooms  I began to notice I had more energy and I was more attentive.

I decided to do some research and investigating.

Austin Collins, aka "The Mushroom Guy"

What I found was SHOCKING.

There was a specific set of mushrooms that were not only medicinal, but they were used in countries like Japan for potential anti-cancer benefits.

But that was just scratching the surface when it came to Medicinal Mushrooms and their potential.

Want to try Mushroom Supplements for yourself?

The Benefits of Mushroom Supplements

Like I said earlier, Mushroom Supplements are great. The problem is identifying which Mushrooms to take and which companies to trust.

There are over 10,000 known mushrooms species in the world.

Only a portion of these are considered medicinal mushrooms.

When it comes to Medicinal Mushrooms we are usually talking these 5 "Power Mushrooms":

Lions Mane

Lions Mane is an edible mushroom that has been used in Chinese and Japanese culture for centuries. It is known primarily for it's brain boosting Nootropic effects.

Cordyceps 

Cordyceps mushroom is a superfood, an adaptogen, and an AMPK Activator. It's most famously known for helping the 1993 Chinese track team set world records due to it's ability to increase Energy and Endurance.

Reishi

Reishi or "Lingzhi" is a polypore mushroom with a well established history of medicinal use in China and Japan. It has gained attention for it's potential anti-cancer benefits, Longevity and Stress Improvement.

Turkey Tail

Turkey Tail is considered to be the most researched medicinal mushroom in existence. It has also gained attention for it's potential anti-cancer benefits.

Chaga

Chaga is commonly referred to as the "King of Medicinal Mushrooms". It's been used for centuries in Russia, China and Siberia. It's most known for it's immune boosting benefits as well as Anti-oxidant and DNA Support.

Amazing right? They've basically got all the benefits you'd ever want covered.

Now what if you could combine these 5 power mushrooms into a single supplement?

Well, someone did exactly that.

The supplement is called Mushroom Total.

And my research indicates this is the Best Mushroom Supplement on the market.

The Truth About Medicinal Mushrooms

Now, lets get the the meat and the potatoes of why we're here.

The truth is, most American supplement companies are not selling you real mushrooms.

Most of the "Mushroom" Supplements you buy in health food stores or online are fake.

They are selling you cheap mycelium on grain and claiming it as real mushrooms.

They do this to maximize their profits.

The good news is, there are multiple ways to identify this practice, it just takes a bit of investigating of the label.

You want a Medicinal Mushroom Supplement that mentions these 3 things on the label:

  • Hot Water Extracted
  • Beta-D-Glucans
  • Made of Fruiting Bodies

If it doesn't mention any of those things, it is not an authentic mushroom product and you might as well be taking a sugar pill.

Sounds complicated? Don't worry I've done all of the research for you.

I've literally cut through all the bullshit and found the best mushroom product on the market, that checks all of those boxes.

The Best Medicinal Mushroom Supplement

Have you not been reading? I already told you! Alright, Alright, we all skim sometimes to get the "quick answer".

The Best Medicinal Mushroom Supplement is Noomadic Herbals Mushroom Total.

I have personally tried this supplement.

They are hot water extracted.

They are measured by Beta-D-Glucans.

They are made of fruiting bodies.

Mushroom Total checks all the boxes.

Why a Hot Water Extract?

If you eat Medicinal Mushrooms whole, you won't get all their benefits. Medicinal Mushroom beneficial compounds are not bio-available in their raw form.

Beneficial Mushroom Compounds like Beta-D-Glucans are stuck "inside a cage" surrounded by an indigestible compound called Chitin.

In order to get the Benefits of Medicinal Mushrooms you must break the compounds out of this cage.

The way that is done is by using a proper extraction method, a hot water extraction.

When a mushroom undergo's a hot water extraction, the Chitin "melts" and the cage is broken. The Mushroom compounds then become bio-available.

Why Measured by Beta-D-Glucans?

Beta-D-Glucans are the leading indicator of quality when it comes to Medicinal Mushrooms.

The higher the Beta-D-Glucan content the higher the bio-actives in your Mushroom Supplement.

Other measurement methods can be faked. Beta-D-Glucans cannot be.

The highest quality Mushroom Supplements measure by Beta-D-Glucans.

Why Mushroom Fruiting Bodies?

Making it simple, there are two parts to a Mushroom. The above ground portion (Fruiting Bodies) and the underground root structure (Mycelium).

Both pure mycelium and fruiting bodies have medicinal benefits.

The problem is that pure mycelium isn't economically viable to be sold to consumers.

The result has been a product called mycelium on grain (or biomass). Mycelium on grain is what it sounds like. Mycelium that is grown on grain, no mushrooms are produced.

It looks like this. Does that look like a Mushroom to you?

The mycelium and the grain are then grinded up and called a mushroom supplement. Remember, no mushrooms were produced.

The end result is a little bit of mushroom mycelium and a whole bunch of grain.

The FDA even has a labeling process against calling "mycelium on grain" mushrooms. Most companies do not follow this policy.

They want to pretend they are selling authentic mushrooms.

Research or clinical trials done on Medicinal Mushrooms always uses fruiting bodies or pure mycelium. Since pure mycelium is too expensive to sell commercially, that leaves us with Mushroom Fruiting Bodies as the only viable mushroom supplement option.

Sounds confusing right? It is. These big supplement companies want it to be that way.

Are Medicinal Mushrooms Safe?

This is a question I get a lot. I think it's mainly due to us growing up being told that "Mushrooms are poison don't eat them!" and while this is true, there is a large percentage of mushrooms that are poisonous, Medicinal Mushrooms are absolutely safe.

The dangers of Mushrooms only really comes into play when you pick and identify them yourself.

The best part about Medicinal Mushrooms is you can buy them in an easy to consume supplement, eliminating all the dangers.

Mushroom Total Reviews and Testimonials

I'm not the only one who loves this product.

I'd love to "take credit" and say I found out about Mushroom Total first! But there are a lot of people with the same experiences.

Here are some real customer reviews from Amazon: