As you are probably aware there is a lot of “marketing” going on in the mushroom supplement industry, particularly around the mighty Lion’s Mane mushroom.
With so many brands out there, buying a Lion’s Mane supplement can feel overwhelming. I wanted to share with you what I have learnt in order to help you make an informed choice.
There are 6 main debated characteristics of a mushroom supplement:
- Whole food vs. extract
- The chitin wall
- Absorption of heavy metals/pollution
- Drying method
- Mycelium or 100% fruiting body
- Beta-glucans
Here’s why each of these contribute to the quality and overall benefits of your Lion’s Mane supplement – and how that makes ours superior.
1. Is it a whole food or an extract?
Let’s break down what an “extract” is. You take a plant or a mushroom and extract one or two compounds and then suspend those compounds in water or alcohol.
This is how you take a solid (ie: a Lions Mane mushroom) and make it into a liquid.
Whilst this is cheap to produce, it doesn’t contain the full spectrum of benefits contained within the mushroom.
I’m pretty sure we can’t even identify half the active compounds in Lion’s Mane… let alone extract them!
Over thousands of years, this incredible mushroom has evolved into the super food it is today.
To me, it is a little arrogant to think we can improve on that further by adding alcohol/water.
What is more, both humans and the mushrooms have evolved together meaning our bodies recognise the mushroom as food.
Once you isolate certain compounds it is no longer as readily recognisable by the human body.
That’s why for me I prefer a whole food mushroom supplement.
Something that contains the full spectrum of nutrients, vitamins and active compounds (even if we can’t yet identify what half of them are!)
2. The Chitin Wall
You might have heard about this already.
There is a cellular wall in the mushroom that MAY (the science is still out) make it difficult for the body to break down a lot of the beneficial compounds in the mushroom.
This is the main reason why people who sell extracts say it is better to take an extract of Lion’s Mane.
However, our mushrooms are heated before drying to ensure they are safe to consume.
This heating process breaks down the Chitin wall.
3. Concerns about heavy metals/pollution
Mushrooms are super absorbent. If you ever go out foraging with an experienced person, you will notice they never harvest from the side of the road.
Why?
Because the mushrooms will most likely absorb the pollution from the passing cars. They can also absorb heavy metals from the water.
For me, I wouldn’t feel comfortable eating an imported mushroom, so I won’t sell them when there is Australian grown readily available.
Even if it is “certified organic” I would still be dubious about the growing methods and quality of the water.
Australia has a reputation for the best clean air and clean water on the planet… it’s a no-brainer for me.
4. How is it dried?
Fresh is always best. No matter what you are drying there is always some nutrient loss in the drying process. Our aim is to deliver our mushrooms as close to “fresh” as possible.
How do we do this?
With a technology known as freeze drying.
Freeze drying very quickly takes the mushroom to -65 degrees Celsius because it happens so quickly it minimises nutrient loss dramatically compared to other drying methods. It’s “snap” dried.
Freeze drying is (almost) nutritionally equivalent to eating the mushroom fresh.
It’s a very expensive process but one that I think is well worth the extra cost.
5. Does it include the mycelium?
Have you heard the claim “mycelium is just filler”? It’s an interesting claim and I am yet to see any evidence that it is true.
The mycelium contains a whole lot of the benefits contained in the mushroom. Just like the roots of other plant materials (think valerian root, ashwagandha root, etc).
Themycelium does not contain hericenones but does contain many more biologically active erinacines (15 identified thus far, A-K, P-S), making for a very strong case to incorporate mycelial into the mushroom supplement.
It becomes obvious that mycelium is not a filler if you do your research… so why do sellers of imported mushroom extracts still insist that it is?
Because the farms they buy from overseas don’t bother with the hassle of incorporating mycelium into the finished product.
6. I only care about Beta-glucans %
When you sell an extract that only contains beta-glucans than you need to convince your customers that only the beta-glucans are relevant…. but this is completely false
These mushrooms are complex and they contain a huge amount of active compounds.,(ie: lions mane contains hericenones, erinacines, beta-glucans and more).
Beta-glucans are only one of many active compounds contained in this incredible whole food.
Have another question about buying a Lion’s Mane supplement? Please comment below!
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