What makes a good mushroom supplement?

Mushrooms have become an increasingly popular lifestyle supplement over the last few years, but with an increasing amount of products on the market, it’s important to know what makes a good mushroom supplement. Our Mushroom supplements are formulated by world renowned mushroom expert Martin Powell. We use only the best quality sources and extraction methods to achieve superior nutrient levels and bioavailability.

Are they Organic?

The first thing to look for in a good mushroom supplement is an Organic certification. Mushrooms are very porous, and absorb everything from their environment- both good and bad- meaning they can easily absorb pesticides, fungicides, heavy metals and other toxins used in non-organic growing and can accumulate toxins. Our mushrooms are all certified Organic by the Soil Association- this is a very strict regulatory body that ensures our products are up to a very high standard.

Where are they sourced?

A good mushroom supplement company will be transparent about their sourcing, it’s extremely important to know where your medicinal mushrooms are coming from- where they are grown and the standards of growing is vital. At Mushrooms 4 Life we work with reputable growers from around the globe, our founder Martin has developed relationships with these growers over many years. We source our organic mushrooms from places where they are traditionally cultivated, grown and used- with our mushroom powders and mushroom extracts coming from all over the globe, including North America, Asia and even Siberia.

We work with organic farms who specialise in the growth of organic mushrooms in their natural habitat. They are experts in the extraction process which means our extracts are pure and nutrient-dense.

Why do we source some Mushrooms from China?

We source some of our medicinal mushrooms from China, as they have the longest history in mushroom cultivation, dating back thousands of years, and their knowledge and experience is superior to anywhere else. China is estimated to provide over 70% of the world’s mushrooms and we have longstanding relationships with established and well-respected growers in China and around the world

We source our Reishi mushroom powder and spores from the Longquan district in China- which is the home of Reishi mushroom and its original growing area. This area has a strong mushroom history with a long tradition of mushroom cultivation, with the earliest records of shiitake cultivation coming from the area in 1209. Traditional Chinese Medicine has always revered Reishi mushroom – it was ranked the most healing out of 345 plants and fungi and has been used in Asia for over 2,000 years.

We are transparent about where our medicinal mushrooms are grown and our organic certification, as we believe these standards are vital to a good mushroom supplement. Our growers and their facilities are regularly tested, and all our mushroom products are sent for third-party testing to ensure there are no contaminants. This ensures we bring the highest quality and purest medicinal mushrooms to you.

Sustainability…

Unfortunately, many mushrooms are highly rare and wild harvesting can cause damage or destruction, so it’s important to look for a sustainably harvested product if it is wildcrafted. Wildcrafted Cordyceps is the most expensive herb in China due to its intense harvesting pressure and it would not be possible to turn this into an affordable and sustainable supplement so cultivation is the better option with this mushroom. Most cultivated mushrooms if grown on the right substrate offer the same health benefits as wildcrafted ones and are far more sustainable. With Chaga, it is important that it is wildcrafted and grown on birch as it gets many of its health benefits from the birch tree. We work with experienced growers in Siberia, who are trained and highly experienced in how to harvest the Chaga in order to avoid damaging the host tree and ensuring the Chaga conk can re-grow.

We hope this gives you an insight into what makes a good mushroom supplement. If you would like to learn more about the clinical and therapeutic side of mushrooms, check out our mushroom books here.

You can find our full range of mushroom supplements including our Organic mushroom powders and mushroom capsules here…