Medicinal Mushrooms
Medicinal mushrooms such as Lion's Mane, Reishi and Chaga have been used in Asia for centuries, as tea, powder or extract. At Dutch-Smart you'll find them as powder, capsules, drops and dried mushroom. Lion's Mane stands out for its white, shaggy appearance and is increasingly taken as a daily supplement. Reishi is traditionally brewed as a tea, and Chaga grows as a hard black growth on birch trees. These mushrooms naturally contain beta-glucans and polysaccharides, among other compounds. Each product page tells you the origin, the form and how to use it.
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Medicinal mushrooms: species, formats and how to use them
Medicinal mushrooms, often called functional mushrooms, are species with centuries of use in Chinese and Japanese herbal tradition. This range covers Lion's Mane, Reishi, Chaga, Maitake, Agaricus blazei and Tremella as powder, drops or capsules.
Lion's Mane, Reishi and Chaga
Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus) grows on dead beech and oak and is easy to recognise by its white, hanging spines. In Japan and China it has been eaten for centuries. Researchers are mainly interested in its hericenones and erinacines, although there are no firm conclusions for humans yet.
Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) is woody and bitter, so it is brewed or extracted rather than eaten. It has been used in Chinese tradition for more than 2,000 years, often as an evening tea for rest and relaxation. Alongside polysaccharides it contains triterpenes, which give it that bitter taste.
Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is not a mushroom with a cap and stem at all. It is a sclerotium, a hard black mass that grows on birch trees in cold regions such as Siberia and Scandinavia. Besides polysaccharides, chaga contains betulin and betulinic acid, compounds the fungus takes up from the birch bark.
Maitake, Agaricus blazei and Tremella
Maitake (Grifola frondosa) grows in dense clusters at the base of oak trees and is known in Japan as the dancing mushroom. Agaricus blazei comes from Brazil and is a relative of the common button mushroom. Tremella fuciformis, the snow fungus, has a jelly-like texture. We stock all three as capsules containing 400 mg of extract, with maitake also available in a small tub of 30.
Powder, drops or capsules
The format mainly changes how you take it. Extract powder, such as Chaga 100 g, is dosed at one teaspoon of roughly 1.5 g a day, stirred into hot water or a shake.
Liquid extracts like Reishi extract 30 ml are taken as 5 drops twice a day. One bottle holds 60 doses, roughly a month's supply.
Capsules are tasteless and easy to carry. With the Lion's Mane extract capsules you take one capsule twice a day with a meal, so a tub of 120 lasts 60 days.
If you want mushrooms combined with cannabinoids, have a look at Verum Viridi Fungi CBD oil: CBD and CBDA in MCT oil with extracts of maitake, reishi, chaga and cordyceps, and less than 0.2% THC.
What to look for in a mushroom extract
Start with the source. Many cheap products are made from mycelium grown on grain, which means a good part of the powder is simply starch. The extract powders and the 120-capsule tubs in this range are made from 100% fruiting body. Next, check the extraction method. Polysaccharides such as beta-glucans dissolve in hot water, while triterpenes and betulinic acid need alcohol. A dual extract using water and ethanol captures both groups. Finally, look at the content: a figure such as 30% polysaccharides is concrete and verifiable, a vague label like superfood is not.
Using them safely
Medicinal mushrooms are food supplements, not medicines. They do not replace a varied diet or treatment by a doctor. Stick to the dose on the label. If you take medication such as blood thinners, blood pressure tablets or drugs that suppress the immune system, check with your GP or pharmacist first. The same applies during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Chaga is naturally high in oxalate, so take care if you have kidney problems. You will find more products under supplements.
Frequently asked questions about medicinal mushrooms
Are medicinal mushrooms the same as magic mushrooms?
No. Lion's Mane, Reishi, Chaga and the other species here contain no psilocybin and are not psychoactive. They are legal food supplements.
What is the difference between fruiting body and mycelium?
The fruiting body is the mushroom itself, while mycelium is the thread-like network that grows underground or through the substrate. A fruiting body extract usually contains more polysaccharides per gram than mycelium grown on grain.
Can you combine different mushrooms?
Yes, for example Lion's Mane in the morning and Reishi in the evening. Keep to the label dose for each species and start with one product so you know how you respond.
How long should you take a mushroom extract?
Traditionally these mushrooms are taken daily over a longer period, not as something you notice straight away like coffee. A tub of capsules or a bottle of extract gives you one to two months to see whether it suits you.
Any questions? Our customer service team is happy to help.