4 Tips for Choosing High-Quality Mushroom Supplements to Support Your Health

Published on November 20, 2022


“Mushrooms are mothering; they represent Earth energy. Mushrooms transform wood and decaying matter into earth and are representative of Earth.”— Susan Hirsch, Gaia Herbs Formulation Manager

Mushrooms are certainly a delicious delicacy, but they are much more than just food. In fact, they have been used in traditional herbalism for thousands of years to help maintain overall good health.* At Gaia Herbs, we have combined this ancient wisdom with modern scientific expertise to create six new high-quality mushroom formulas designed to meet today’s wellness needs.*

Keep reading for four tips to help you choose a high-quality mushroom supplement and discover what sets our mushroom supplements apart from the rest of the fungi field.

1. Choose Products Made with Mushroom Fruiting Bodies

Even though mushrooms aren’t plants, but rather fungi, let’s compare the two and use plant terms to better understand a mushroom’s anatomy. A mushroom’s “roots” are known as mycelium, while the mushroom itself is like a plant’s “flower.” 

A mushroom’s stem grows out from the mycelium underground and pops up above the soil. The stem, gills, and cap—the parts of the mushroom that are above ground and that we eat—are known as the mushroom’s fruiting body

Recent research has confirmed that the concentration of active beneficial compounds, such as beta glucans, is highest in the fruiting body of the mushroom versus the mycelium. To save money, many companies use mycelium in their formulas, a part of the mushroom that simply is not as powerful, as it contains less active beneficial phytochemicals.

Gaia’s Mushoom Supplements, Made From 100% Fruiting Bodies

At Gaia, all of our new mushroom supplements contain only organic and sustainably sourced mushroom fruiting bodies. Each product in our new line of clean, pure mushroom supplements contains only 100 percent mushroom fruiting bodies and nothing else—no fillers, starch, grains, or mycelium—to offer you the strongest wellness support.* 

2. Look to the Label for Beta Glucan Levels

Beta glucans are a type of complex polysaccharide (a carbohydrate)aka sugar, found in abundance in the cell walls of fungi. Mushroom beta glucans role in supporting immune health and overall wellness.*REF#36 A 2017 research survey conducted on wide-ranging studies on beta glucans tracked how they “stimulate the immune system” and thereby may help fight infectious bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic diseases.

Simply put, it's beta glucans you want from a mushroom supplement. So before you buy one, make sure you know precisely what beta glucans it offers.

Beta Glucan Levels in Gaia Mushroom Supplements

At Gaia, every batch of mushroom extract is assessed for purity, potency, and integrity. Because of our rigorous quality testing, we can guarantee the beta glucan levels in each formula. Indeed, you will find the amount of beta glucans the product contains right on its supplement facts label.

If you are interested in learning even more about Gaia’s mushroom supplements, we offer full transparency for all ingredients at meetyourherbs.com, the world’s first herb traceability platform.

 3. Explore a Product’s Extraction Process

A mushroom’s beneficial compounds are accessed during the extraction process. Inadequete extraction can significantly impact the levels and quality of a mushroom’s healthy beta glucans. Thus, the type of process a company uses in the creation of their mushroom products matters—it impacts the product’s potency. Only buy from companies with the knowledge and scientific expertise to ensure efficacious supplements.

Gaia’s Extraction Process

Every step in the creation of our mushroom formulas is designed to optimize the levels of valuable beta glucans they contain. 

First, our mushrooms are harvested at their peak potency. Then, the whole dried mushrooms are ground, and the mushroom powder is extracted in hot water—called a 1:1 process—for several hours. We extract our mushrooms in this manner two to three times for maximum beta glucan capturing efficacy. Finally, the powerful mushroom extracts are dried and ground back into a powder to be put into capsules.

Gaia’s Specialized Dual Extraction Methods

Certain mushrooms—lions’ mane, cordyceps, and reishi—contain additional beneficial compounds. For these mushrooms, we add another step in the process: ethanol extraction, which brings out these other constituents. 

When combined with hot water extraction, this additional, specialized extraction process is known as dual extraction. Dual extraction ensures optimal bioavailability, absorption, and digestibility.*

4. Check for Concentration & Capsule Count

Isn’t it frustrating to discover that a dosage of a new supplement is two, three, or even more pills? It means your supply will last for far less time than you thought! No one wants to have to take pill after pill after pill just to get an efficacious dose. 

When buying a mushroom supplement, check the label to see how many capsules a serving contains—and how concentrated those capsules are.

Gaia’s Concentrated Mushroom Supplements

In our mushroom supplement line, each 400-450 mg concentrated capsule contains 2,500 mg (or 2.5 grams) of dry mushrooms—delivering 5x-6x strength of others’ dosages. That’s why you only need one capsule a day for wellness support, versus two or three with many other brands.*

Because you get the support you need in just one capsule, eachGaia product comes as a 40-day supply, while other brands offer just 30 days’ worth per bottle.*

Discover Gaia’s Best Quality Mushroom Supplements

Discover sixmushroom supplements—four single-mushroom formulas and two mushroom blends—made with organic fruiting bodies and delivering 5x-6x the strength of other brands. The capsules are purity-tested, vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, and soy-free.

1. Lion’s Mane Mushroom

Lion’s mane has long been regarded for its ability to support brain and neurological health.* Our Lion’s Mane Mushroom formula is designed to help maintain mental performance, cognition, focus, and a healthy nervous system.*

2. Reishi Mushroom

Known as the “mushroom of immortality,” reishi is valued for longevity support.* This adaptogenic Reishi Mushroom tonic is formulated to maintain a healthy immune system, support heart health, and help your body cope with stress.*

3. Cordyceps Mushroom

Cordyceps has been traditionally used to manage exhaustion and fatigue, and like reishi is considered an adaptogen.* This adaptogenic Cordyceps Mushroom formula can help sustain energy and stamina and support the body’s ability to maintain balance when stressed.*

4. Turkey Tail Mushroom

Turkey tail is the best-studied traditional mushroom and is prized for its concentration of beta glucans. Our Turkey Tail Mushroom formula offers daily support for healthy liver function, aiding the body’s innate cleansing process, plus natural antioxidant support.*

5. Respiratory Mushroom Blend

With pollution levels rising and lung health being more important than ever, it's important to provide your lungs with extra daily support all year long.* Our Respiratory Mushroom Blend of reishi and cordyceps can help maintain overall lung and respiratory health.*

6. Immune Mushroom Blend

With five potent immune-supporting mushrooms—reishi, cordyceps, turkey tail, shiitake, and chaga—our Immune Mushroom Blend can help your body build its immune defenses to support your well-being year-round.*

Frequently Asked Questions about Mushroom Supplements

Want to learn more about what makes mushrooms so magnificent? Check out these answers to some our most commonly asked mushroom supplement questions!

What are the Best Mushroom Supplements for Brain Function?

The beneficial antioxidants in reishi, lion’s mane, and chaga mushrooms can help brain function, along with numerous other benefits.* Antioxidants help our bodies reduce oxiditive stress, which is the damage that certain chemicals called free radicals do to our bodies. Oxidative stress can negatively affect the performance of organs such as the brain. 

Thankfully, the antioxidants found in Gaia’s Reishi Mushroom supplement and Lion’s Mane Mushroom supplement can neutralize free radicals’ detrimental effects.*

What are Mushroom Supplements for Mood Support?*

One of lion’s mane’s many benefits is to help support your mood.* 

Gaia’s Lion’s Mane Mushroom supplement is made with the best ingredients and extraction processes to ensure all benefits are at their maximum potency.

What is the Best Mushroom Supplement for Health Overall?

There are several mushroom supplements that provide beneficial effects to your overall wellness.* Whether it’s the longevity support of Gaia’s Reishi Mushroom tonic, neurological support from our Lion’s Mane Mushroom supplement, or the antioxidants of Turkey Tail Mushroom, there are multiple choices to choose from!

Gaia Herbs: Creating the Best Mushroom Supplements for Your Health*

Do you have any other questions about mushroom supplements? Not sure which mushroom supplement is right for you? Reach out to us, and we’ll be happy to answer all your questions about our mushroom supplements. 

Learn even more about us, our farm, and our award-winning products today!

 

REFERENCES:

  • 1. Dalia Akramiene, Anatolijus Kondrotas, Janina Didziapetriene, Egidijus Kevelaitis, "Effects of beta-glucans on the immune system", Medicina (Kaunas) . 2007;43(8):597-606.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17895634/