Best Functional Mushrooms

Lee Carroll is the Chief Medical Herbalist for Real Mushrooms.

I’m excited to share insights on a topic at the heart of what Real Mushrooms does: quality. While it might seem like a nerdy or complex subject, ensuring you get the best functional mushrooms that will be both effective and safe for you, your family, and your pets is critical.

Why Quality Matters

Quality is everything when it comes to functional mushrooms. It’s not just about making a product that’s easy to sell—it’s about respecting the centuries of traditional use, incorporating clinical insights, and being guided by rigorous scientific research. At Real Mushrooms, we’re committed to creating products that genuinely benefit your health, free from shortcuts or compromises.

The Rich Tradition of Functional Mushrooms

The use of functional mushrooms is far from a modern phenomenon. Take Reishi, for example, one of my personal favorites. This remarkable mushroom boasts a history spanning over 4,000 years, deeply rooted in traditional practices. To honor this heritage, Real Mushrooms combines ancient wisdom with modern science to create products that are not only effective but also authentic.

Best Functional Mushrooms: Essentials of Quality

A worker in a lab coat and mask processes the best functional mushrooms on a tray. Text highlights mushroom quality essentials: raw material, extraction/processing, and verification/testing. — The Real Mushroom organic cordyceps growing facility follows the three essentials of quality in daily operations.

1. The Raw Material

Everything starts with the mushroom itself. It’s crucial to use the correct species, avoid substitutions or adulterations, and harvest the right part of the mushroom. For example:

Mushroom (Fruiting body) vs. mycelium: The fruiting body contains unique compounds that differ from those in the mycelium. Both parts serve different purposes, but for reishi, the fruiting body’s triterpenes and beta-glucans are key to its health benefits.
Organic and Sustainable Practices: Real Mushrooms ensures that all mushrooms are grown in optimal conditions—on natural logs for reishi, for example—to mimic their native habitats and enhance their potency.

2. Extraction and Processing

The way mushrooms are processed plays a significant role in their efficacy. Key factors include:

Solvent choice: Water, ethanol, or a combination of both can be used for extraction, depending on the desired active compounds.
Harvest timing: Mushrooms are picked at their peak for maximum potency.
Drying methods: Proper drying is essential to preserve the beneficial compounds and prevent contamination.

3. Verification and Testing

To ensure quality and consistency, we employ advanced testing methods, including:

Beta-glucan analysis: Using gold-standard tests like the Megazyme method.
NMR and chromatography techniques: These cutting-edge methods allow us to analyze and quantify active compounds, ensuring each product meets the highest standards.
GMP compliance: Our adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices guarantees that every product is consistently safe, effective, and high-quality.

The Example of Reishi

Reishi, often called the “Mushroom of Immortality,” exemplifies our commitment to quality. The best reishi grows in shaded, moist conditions similar to its natural forest environment. At Real Mushrooms, our reishi is cultivated on logs—a process that enhances the development of triterpenes, the compounds responsible for its characteristic bitterness and potent health benefits.

The Role of Bitter Compounds

Interestingly, the bitterness of reishi is a hallmark of its quality. The more bitter the mushroom, the higher its triterpene content, making it more effective as a health supplement.

Note: Reishi is a functional mushroom that is more costly to grow and extract than most. As a result, few reishi supplements on the market meet the highest quality standards, and several products have been found not to contain reishi at all!

Reishi mushroom powder extract with shop reishi text

Tradition Meets Science

Functional mushrooms have long been valued for their ability to support wellness, from boosting immunity to promoting longevity. Today, modern science validates these traditional uses, confirming the benefits of beta-glucans, triterpenes, and other compounds unique to mushrooms.

By honoring tradition and integrating cutting-edge research, Real Mushrooms ensures that every product delivers meaningful health benefits. Whether you’re taking reishi for immune support, lion’s mane for cognitive health, or cordyceps for energy, you can trust that our products are rooted in integrity.

The Real Mushrooms Guarantee

When you choose Real Mushrooms, you’re choosing:

Verified potency: Each product is standardized to contain specific levels of active compounds, such as beta-glucans.
Sustainability: Our mushrooms are grown organically and ethically, using sustainable practices that respect the environment.
Transparency: We provide detailed information about our sourcing, testing, and processing, so you know exactly what you’re getting.

Final Thoughts

Quality is not just a buzzword for us—it’s the foundation of everything we do. From sourcing the finest raw materials to employing rigorous testing and adhering to traditional practices, Real Mushrooms is committed to delivering the best functional mushrooms.

Stay tuned for more insights as we dive deeper into the world of mushrooms in future posts. Together, let’s honor the tradition, embrace the science, and support our health with the best nature has to offer.

Thanks for joining me on this journey. Here’s to your health and wellness!

Best Functional Mushrooms: A Quality Checklist for Safety and Results