5 Defenders^® Organic Mushroom Blend Capsules

All our mushroom extracts are from the leading supplier of organic mushroom extracts: Nammex. They have over 40 years of mushroom growing experience and were one of the first companies to bring organic functional mushroom extracts to North America.

Their ingredients go through rigorous quality control and are tested twice for heavy metals, agricultural chemicals and microbial contamination to ensure they meet all standards for dietary supplements of this nature. All of their extracts are made from certified organic mushrooms (fruiting bodies), organically grown or wildcrafted from deep within mountain regions of China.

Mushrooms used for dietary supplements are seldom grown in North America since they are too expensive. China is the leading supplier of mushrooms worldwide and supplies over 90% of the world’s mushrooms. 

It has a rich history of mushroom use as both food and medicine and is the birthplace of mushroom cultivation, with shiitake being farmed in the early 1200s. China is one of the only places in the world where you can get 100% organic mushroom (fruiting body) extracts that can be sold at an affordable price.

The products are identical. The only difference is how you want to consume them.

2 capsules is equivalent to roughly a 1/2 tsp of the mushroom powders.

In terms of potency and efficacy, both the capsules and powders are equally effective at delivering.

The capsules are great for travel, whereas the powder can be added to recipes or mixed in coffee, tea or bone broth.

It is extremely important to distinguish the difference between mushrooms and mycelium.

Mushrooms are the "fruit" and reproductive stage of these organisms, while the mycelium is the root system or "body" of the fungus.

Mushrooms contain much higher levels of active compounds like beta-glucans, and there is a large body of research on them. They have also been consumed for thousands of years as food, and many health benefits have been shown from just mushroom consumption.

Mycelium is commonly grown on a grain substrate, and this grain cannot be separated from the mycelium, so much of the final product is actually grain with no mushrooms present. This shows up in high amounts of starch and low amounts of active compounds like beta-glucans. 

For these reasons, Real Mushrooms only utilizes mushrooms in all of its products, with verified levels of important active compounds like beta-glucans, and is always guarded against starchy fillers like grain.

5 Defenders™ is a blend of organic mushroom extracts designed to help support overall well-being, resilience, and immune system health.

5 Defenders is where most customers begin with Real Mushrooms.

While single-mushroom supplements can be helpful for targeted needs, they often address just one slice of the wellness picture. Real Mushrooms' 5 Defenders blend, however, supports:

• Innate and adaptive immune function
• Oxidative stress resilience
• Calm, balanced energy
• Gut and microbiome health (through Turkey Tail's prebiotic-like effects)

The blend is derived from 100% organic mushrooms, not myceliated grain, so you get potency without compromise: no starch, no fillers, just the active compounds your body can actually use.

5 Defenders is a blend of extract powders consisting of:

• 30% Turkey Tail Mushroom
• 20% Reishi Mushroom
• 20% Reishi Mushroom
• 20% Shiitake Mushroom
• 20% Maitake Mushroom

10% Chaga

Natural ingredients don’t always flow smoothly through processing equipment, and capsule manufacturers need to utilize other ingredients to fill capsules. It is common practice for encapsulation facilities to require the use of other ingredients.

We have worked closely with our encapsulation partners to ensure that only what is added is necessary to create the mushroom capsules.