Extract or powder?

"Depending on the use, mushrooms can be used in the form of organic powder or extract. It is therefore extremely important to choose the product that is most suitable for you and at the same time one that will not clog our body with impurities. Each person reacts differently to the substances contained in mushrooms, so a powder, extract or a combination of both may be the right choice. However, in most scientific studies, mushrooms processed by extraction are used. And that's saying something."

Both powders and extracts have their advantages and disadvantages. We commonly recommend taking vital mushrooms in extract form. There is only one reason. If we want to make the most of the active substances from the mushroom, we have to process it in some way to disrupt the chitin coating of the mushroom cell. Humans do not have the necessary enzymes to digest chitin, so during digestion they cannot release the active substances from the mushroom cell wall and excrete them. To do this, the mushrooms must be processed by so-called extraction. During extraction, the chitin bonds are dissolved by hot water. This releases the fungal polysaccharides and allows the full effects of all bioactive substances to develop. The indigestible part of the fibre is strained and removed. This is why mushroom products in the form of extracts are favoured by a large number of physicians and therapists.

Processing options

1, decoctions: make a decoction from the dried mushrooms. This method is based on tradition, but large quantities of mushrooms are needed to achieve therapeutic effects.

2, mushroom powder or biomass: The dried mushrooms are ground into a very fine powder. This partially breaks down the chitin coating and the body is able to extract the active substances from the mushroom. It is suitable for therapy, but its action is more gentle.

3, extracts: by gentle hot water extraction, we can break the chitin barrier and extract the maximum amount of active substances from the mushroom. For some mushroom species, it is necessary to precipitate with ethanol at the end of the extraction process (so-called double extraction), as some active substances are insoluble in water.

Extraction is the most optimal processing of mushrooms for medicinal purposes. This is also why the vast majority of studies are carried out with extracts and not with mushroom powder. The main (but not the only) active substances of vital mushrooms are polysaccharides (especially β-(1, 3)-D-glucans). While the dried powder contains about 0.53% of polysaccharides, our extracts contain 30%. The extracts are therefore about 30 times more concentrated than the mushroom powder.

Most MycoMedica products contain mushroom extracts standardized to 30% polysaccharides. In our opinion, this is the optimal ratio. However, we also offer mushrooms of higher concentrations, for example with 50% polysaccharides. However, by increasing the amount of polysaccharides, you are logically depleting some of the other substances, and this can affect the character of the mushroom.

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Extract or powder?

Processing options

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