Health Benefits of Mushroom Fruiting Bodies
Medicinal mushrooms have been a big deal in Asia for ages, especially in Traditional Chinese Medicine. China even started growing shiitake mushrooms way back in the 12th century, and now they make over 70% of the world’s mushrooms.
In 1999, these mushrooms were worth about $6 billion globally, and by 2014, this jumped to $18 billion. They've really taken off in North America over the past 25 years. Back in 1990, only a few companies sold mushroom products, but by 2015, almost every supplement company had some.
Mushrooms are getting more popular, and as more mushroom products hit the shelves, it's getting more important to identify a good quality mushroom product. This is key for increasing people's health effectively. As people need to make sure they are buying mushroom products that really work!
With a battery of tests that are specific to basidiomycetes, it is possible to create a fingerprint that can demonstrate with certainty the medicinal potential of a given basidiomycete product. These tests include a Megazyme beta-glucan and starch analysis, and even more analysis for specific types of mushrooms. These analyses demonstrate the significant differences between commercial mycelium products produced on a grain substrate and a 100% fruiting body mushroom extract.
A lot of experts agree that growing mycelium (a part of the mushroom, not the fruiting body) in big tanks (fermentation tanks) is a good, standard way to make a bunch of the healthy stuff we talked about, like beta-glucans. But making other things, like triterpenoids, is trickier without the right starting materials. In North America, making basidiomycete mycelium in tanks isn't really popular or cheap yet. Most companies just grow mycelium on grain, an old-school, cheap method that's been around for 50 years.
The problem with grain-grown mycelium is that it's got too much starch, which doesn't contain all the healthy stuff in it. So, it's tough to say these products are powerful enough for health benefits.
Now, about 100% fruiting body mushrooms – they're really the star of the show. They're packed with beta-glucans and don't have much starch. They also have stuff like chitins and other compounds that are great for your gut. Plus, they make other healthy bits in good amounts, like ganoderic acids in reishi mushrooms and triterpenoids in chaga.
Mushrooms grow in conditions that are pretty close to nature, on stuff they'd normally grow on in the wild. This natural way of growing them makes mushrooms perfect for us!
Fruiting bodies of mushrooms are rich in vital bioactive compounds. Studies have shown that they contain higher concentrations of beta-glucans, and other nutrients. These compounds are crucial for the mushroom's health benefits, particularly in boosting immunity and providing antioxidant support.
In contrast, mycelium extracts, often grown on grain substrates, are found to have lower concentrations of these beneficial components. The grain-based substrate can dilute the potency of the mushroom's bioactive compounds, leading to a product with less value, and potentially less intense effects on the immune system.
When selecting your mushroom-infused beverage, like a robust mushroom coffee, it's crucial to pick one that's made with a high-concentration, high-quality extract. That's exactly 'what do you coffee', a Canadian mushroom coffee brand, pride on providing. The carefully crafted products ensure that you're getting all the exceptional health benefits of the highest quality mushroom extracts possible.