Mushroom supplements have recently gained popularity for their various health benefits, including boosted immunity, reduced inflammation, and stress relief. We’ll name five top brands and discuss today’s best mushroom supplement reviews.
Functional mushrooms have been deeply rooted in Eastern cultures for centuries due to their various health benefits. Today, as people in the Western world begin to take more responsibility for their health and wellness, natural health aids like functional mushroom supplements are rising in popularity. The bioactive compounds that mushrooms contain offer various possible health benefits, including potent immune modulation, decreased inflammation, and adaptogenic properties that normalize the body when it’s introduced to stressors.
The best-selling functional mushroom species worldwide is the Reishi mushroom. Known as “The Mushroom of Immortality” for more than two millennia in Asian cultures, modern scientists discovered that this functional and adaptogenic mushroom contains over 400 active compounds. These compounds enable Reishi to assist in protecting and detoxifying the body, explaining its popularity. Read on for our mushroom supplement reviews of five high-quality brands so you can make an informed purchase decision. For the sake of fairness, we have selected a Reishi supplement from each brand to compare.
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Mushroom supplement reviews:
5. Ancient Nutrition
Ancient Nutrition has crafted a Reishi Stress and Immune Support supplementthat comes in a convenient tablet to be taken daily. Each tablet contains a substantial 1 gram of organic Reishi mushroom extract.
Ancient Nutrition uses fruiting bodies and organic mycelium in its products to achieve a more potent source of active compounds. The fruiting body is part of the mushroom that is above the ground and visible, while the mycelium is the root system below. However, their Reishi formula contains added ingredients that may cause unwanted side effects, including guar gum and sunflower lectin. These are common emulsifiers or fillers that may cause gut pain, granting Ancient Nutrition the #5 spot.
Mushroom supplement reviews:
4. Swanson
Swanson’s Full Spectrum Reishi Mushroom supplement comes in capsule form. Each serving contains 1.2 grams of Reishi mushroom fruiting body and mycelium.
Furthermore, the formula only includes three additives to help bind the ingredients together and increase the shelf life of the product. Each added ingredient is safe to consume and is unlikely to cause unwanted side effects, granting Swanson the #4 spot.
Mushroom supplement reviews:
3. Host Defense
Rated the #1 best-selling mushroom supplement brand in the U.S., Host Defense has created Reishi Capsules that only contain two ingredients: organic Reishi mycelium and pullulan (for the supplement capsule). Pullulan is a natural polysaccharide that is used to bind ingredients. It is not absorbed by the body and is safe for consumption.
Most of the health benefits that come from mushrooms stem from their active compounds, usually in the form of beta-glucans. Identifying the beta-glucan content is imperative when searching for a mushroom supplement.
Unfortunately, the Western mushroom supplement market sells many misleading products. In 2017, Nature performed a study of Reishi supplements and found that 74% of the products were inauthentic, with 68% containing starch-like polysaccharides, or fillers.
A mushroom’s fruiting body contains the most active compounds, like beta-glucans. Although there is plenty of research concerning mycelium and its immune-supporting benefits, most of the studies concern pure mycelium created via liquid fermentation. 99.9% of mycelium products are not made with pure mycelium. Many companies instead use myceliated grain, which is mycelium grown on rice or oats. When the mycelium is finished growing, the rice or oats cannot be separated from the mycelium in the final product. The residual grain adds high levels of starch to the mushroom product, diluting the active compounds present.
Host Defense Reishi Capsules contain quality mycelium grown on fermented brown rice. However, the brown rice substrate has been observed to offer health-supporting benefits once it is combined with the mycelium, granting Host Defense the #3 spot.
Mushroom supplement reviews:
2. Mushroom Revival
Mushroom Revival’s Calm Reishi Mushroom Capsulescontain only three simple ingredients: 1 gram of organic Reishi mushroom, organic pullulan, and organic rice concentrate (a natural, anti-caking material). The formula contains mushroom extract, which is made with 100% Reishi fruiting body and no mycelium or fillers. Since Mushroom Revival has created a product with an abundance of beta-glucans and no fillers or unsafe additives, it takes our #2 spot.
Mushroom supplement reviews:
1. Real Mushrooms
Our #1 spot goes to Real Mushrooms for their high-quality Organic Reishi Mushroom Capsules. Made with organic Reishi mushroom extract, the formula contains no added starch, mycelium, or grain with a guaranteed amount of >20% beta-glucans. The Reishi mushrooms used in this product are grown organically and extracted to improve absorption of the beneficial compounds.
Real Mushrooms demystifies functional mushroom consumption by providing the highest-quality research to the everyday consumer. Furthermore, it creates products that only contain fungal parts with the most health-supporting properties. Their formula contains only a few safe, natural additives. With the same amount of Reishi present as Mushroom Revival’s product at a lower price point, Real Mushrooms takes our #1 spot.
As the functional mushroom supplement market grows, you deserve to know what’s in your products. Today, health enthusiasts turn from traditional supplements filled with useless additives to face the same types of ingredients in the fine print of higher-quality health supplements. Hopefully, this list has provided you with the research and recommendations necessary to help you find the highest-quality, most beneficial functional mushroom supplement for you.
Further Reading for Additional Reference:
Britannica: Form and function of fungi
VeryWell Health: What is Beta Glucan?
U.S. Pharmacist: Adaptogenic or Medicinal Mushrooms
National Center of Biotechnology Information: Edible Mushrooms: Improving Human Health and Promoting Quality Life
Google Books: Medicinal Mushrooms: An Exploration of Tradition, Healing, and Culture
Byrdie: Adaptogenic Mushrooms: Benefits and How to Use
Important Note: The information contained in this article is for general informational purposes only, and should not be construed as health or medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or health condition. Before embarking on any diet, fitness regimen, or program of nutritional supplementation, it is advisable to consult your healthcare professional in order to determine its safety and probable efficacy in terms of your individual state of health.
Regarding Nutritional Supplements Or Other Non-Prescription Health Products: If any nutritional supplements or other non-prescription health products are mentioned in the foregoing article, any claims or statements made about them have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and such nutritional supplements or other health products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
