Have you noticed how medicinal mushroom products seem to be everywhere these days and are now wondering if you/your company should also launch such a product of your own?

But how do you get started? Which mushrooms are the best to start with? And which products? What else there is to consider?

If these questions are on your mind, then you’ve come to the right place. Or, well, article.

What’s the difference between medicinal mushrooms, functional mushrooms and adaptogenic mushrooms?

Let’s start with going through some popular terms first.

Medicinal mushrooms are mushrooms that have been used for centuries for their potential health benefits. These include alleviating allergies and hair loss, boosting the immune system and helping to calm our racing minds.

This potential lies primarily in the polysaccharides and beta-glucans that are found in the mushrooms.

You may also have come across the term “functional mushrooms”. They are basically an upper category that includes medicinal mushrooms. Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably, but there is a slight difference between them.

Functional mushrooms is a general term for mushrooms that have potential health benefits beyond their nutritional value. So, in addition to providing many vitamins and minerals that are vital to our bodies, these mushrooms can also help us fight the health issues mentioned above and even keep us energized and more focused.

Another term associated with these mushrooms is “adaptogenic mushrooms”. These are mushrooms that can potentially help reduce stress and its effects on the body. Examples of such mushrooms are reishi, chaga, and lion’s mane. Also adaptogenic mushrooms are a subset of functional mushrooms.

For the sake of simplicity, we will use the term “medicinal mushrooms” in this article. However, in this category we include all mushrooms that have functional, medicinal, and/or adaptogenic properties.

Can the medicinal mushrooms trend last?

Medicinal mushrooms were a niche product for decades. However, in the past couple of years they have become a rather hot topic. But it’s reasonable to wonder, whether or not the popularity will last, or will it just be another fad?

Right now the mushroom’s popularity is further feeding to their popularity. Consumers are seeing these products more and more. Media is writing about them as this is what interests their readers. The products are also been seen on social media, which further spikes the interest.

This interest also leads to many more studies being done on the mushrooms. Sure, such research has been going on for decades. But we’re sure that the growing interest also results in more money being put into researching the benefits of mushrooms.

Third, the potential health benefits of mushrooms fit in well with what we are experiencing living in the hectic, social media driven western world. Reducing stress, boosting the immune system, increasing energy levels and helping us to focus better are basically the holy grail of today. People are always interested in their health and well-being, so we don’t think this trend is going to fade soon.

The question is rather if companies can take the time to bring medicinal mushroom products to the market that are safe and as effective as possible. Only that way can the trend sustain itself.

But more about that later. Let’s first take a look at some of the potential benefits of medicinal mushrooms.

Different medicinal mushrooms and their potential benefits

There are quite a few known medicinal mushrooms, although the vast majority of people only know the most popular ones.

Even if someone doesn’t know much about medicinal mushrooms, they might know about reishi or chaga. Maitake, enoki, and shiitake are also usually well-known because they are also popular edible mushrooms. What many people don’t know is that they are also medicinal mushrooms. The same goes for the humble white button mushroom.

Lesser known, but now seemingly everywhere and in every product, are lion’s mane and cordyceps. Turkey tail or Coriolus versicolor is also growing in popularity.

Potential benefits of some of the most popular medicinal mushrooms

Each of these mushrooms has its own unique potential health benefits, but many share the same benefits. Many medicinal mushrooms can therefore be combined with each other very well.

As an introduction to the topic, let’s take a quick look at the most interesting health benefits of the most popular medicinal mushrooms from which to start your medicinal mushroom journey: reishi, lion’s mane, cordyceps, chaga, shiitake, and turkey tail.

• Reishi: Strengthens the immune system, protects against fatigue, anti-aging
• Lion’s Mane: Regulates gastrointestinal problems, helps with anxiety, restlessness and sleep problems, increases cognitive abilities, modulates immune system
• Cordyceps: Increases athletic performance and endurance, regulates fertility, improves overall mood
• Chaga: Anti-inflammatory, especially for gastrointestinal problems, supports normal skin function, e.g. by healing wounds or alleviating acne
• Shiitake: Strengthens the immune system, supports bacterial and viral infections, regulates fat metabolism
• Turkey Tail: Support for viral infections and liver diseases such as hepatitis, helps to better tolerate chemotherapy

If you want to have a overview of the potential use cases of these and other medicinal mushrooms, take a look at this table.

Disclaimer: Please note that we emphasize the word “potential” when we talk about the benefits of medicinal mushrooms.

Yes, many studies conducted on medicinal mushrooms have found evidence that the health benefits may exist. Medicinal mushrooms have also been used as part of traditional medicine in Asia, South America, and Eastern Europe for hundreds if not thousands of years. Not to mention the feedback from tens of thousands of people around the world who have found help from medicinal mushrooms.

But let’s be honest here: there is still no scientific proof that every single person who uses medicinal mushrooms will experience the health benefits mentioned.

Medicinal mushrooms are natural, complex entities. They’re not like drugs that help a particular health condition in a particular way. That’s why different people respond differently to the mushrooms.

We will return to this topic later when we discuss regulatory considerations for and marketing medicinal mushroom products.

Types of medicinal mushroom products and how to best use them

Medicinal mushrooms can roughly be used in the following forms: extract (powder or liquid), powder and capsules.

Mushroom powder is for preventing health issues

Powder is the end result of grinding coarse mushroom pieces to a very fine powder. It is preferably made from only the fruiting body or visible part of the mushroom.

Powder has all the vitamins, minerals and fiber of the mushroom intact. It also has a relatively high protein content, from 9% to over 40%, depending on the mushroom type.

However, powder has only about 1-3% of the polysaccharides. Therefore, it’s not very potent when it comes to potential health benefits.

Mushroom powder is most commonly used as a preventive dietary supplement. It can be added to various other foods to improve their nutritional profile. However, it is not completely soluble in water, so it’s usually not the best choice when mixed with liquids.

Mushroom extract is the most potent form of a mushroom

Mushroom extract is the most potent form of a mushroom as it typically contains 20-30% polysaccharides, depending on the manufacturer. The reason for this 10 times higher concentration compared to the powder is the extraction process the extract goes through.

Polysaccharides are found inside the cells of the mushroom. The cell walls consist of chitin, which the human body can’t break down. That’s why our bodies can’t use the polysaccharides just by eating shiitake or maitake. Grinding the mushroom into a fine powder doesn’t help either. We need an extraction process.

The mushroom extraction process involves soaking the coarse mushroom powder in a liquid, usually hot water, which breaks the chitin cell. The polysaccharides are released into the liquid, which eventually thickens and is either left as it is or dried as a powder.

Due to the high amount of polysaccharides, mushroom extract is mainly used to support an ongoing medical condition or simply to get the most out of what the mushroom has to offer.

Extract is therefore the best option to use if you are interested in making drinks, powders or other foods that contain medicinal mushrooms. It allows you to provide your customers with the most of the mushroom’s potential. Extract is also completely soluble in water, so it can be mixed into a drink, or an extract incorporated into a powder can be mixed with liquids.

Extract can also be offered in liquid form to be consumed on its own as a highly potent dietary supplement. This is however usually not something you’d want to offer your clients as their first introduction to medicinal mushrooms, as the taste can be quite strong on its own. It’s more for people who have some experience with medicinal mushrooms and know how they react to them.

Capsules are the easy way to dosage medicinal mushrooms

Medicinal mushrooms are often offered as dietary supplements in a capsule form. You can pack in a capsule mushroom extract, powder, or both, for easy dosing.

It’s especially beneficial to offer a capsule with both the extract and the powder, as in that way you offer your customers all of what the mushroom has to offer: its vitamins, minerals and polysaccharides.

Capsules can be made from various materials, but in today’s world we recommend utilizing a vegan capsule made from a vegan material. Cellulose is one great example.

How to get started with medicinal mushrooms: Do your research

Finally, we have made it to the actual section of this article where we answer the question: How do you get started with medicinal mushrooms?

First, you need to do some market and consumer/customer research of your own, if you haven’t already.

Is there a demand for medicinal mushrooms in your country? Do people know about them? Or do you need to spend a lot of time (and money) educating the market? What is your competition doing; have they already launched a lot of different medicinal mushroom products? Know the situation you are getting into.

Of course, it’s also good to think about whether your current brand and customer base fits with what medicinal mushrooms represent. Would your customers be interested in trying them? Or would it be odd if you would suddenly try to reach a new customer segment with mushroom products?

It’s also crucial to look into your country’s legislation when it comes to selling and marketing medicinal mushroom products and supplements in general. What can you say, what can’t (or shouldn’t) you say? What do you have to put on the packaging? For example, in the EU medicinal mushroom products made from pure fruiting body can be sold and marketed to consumers, but no health claims can be made about them.

It’s also very important to buy only the highest quality medicinal mushroom raw materials to ensure that your final products are as potent as possible. And quality, especially certified and tested quality, does not come cheap.

Quality is such an important topic, so let’s look at the quality factors of medicinal mushrooms before we get into the selection of mushrooms and products.

Medicinal mushroom quality considerations

There are many medicinal mushrooms of varying quality on the market. And you should want to offer only the best to your customers. This is the only way you can be sure that the products you sell are safe and as potent as possible.

Here is a short checklist you can use to evaluate potential suppliers:

• Make sure the supplier’s raw materials are certified and that you can sell and market them in your in the country. For example, if you want to offer organic products in the EU, the mushrooms must have an organic certificate that is accepted in the EU
• Make sure the supplier can tell you how and where they get their mushrooms
• There’s nothing wrong with growing mushrooms in China if it’s done in a clean environment and by experienced farmers
• Make sure the supplier only uses the fruiting body in their products. At least in the EU you can’t sell mushroom products that contain mycelium. But, using only the fruiting body will also ensure that you’re getting the most potent and pure product
• Make sure the supplier is GMP compliant
• Make sure the supplier performs third-party testing on their raw materials to ensure consistent levels of key ingredients and the absence of contaminants
• Ask your supplier questions about the above. If they won’t send you anything, even by email, or if they are secretive, there is usually something wrong

We’ve written a whole article on how to make sure you’re buying the best medicinal mushrooms possible. So check it out if you want to dig even deeper.

The top three mushrooms to start with: Reishi, lion’s mane and cordyceps

The three obvious choices for getting started with medicinal mushrooms are reishi, lion’s mane, and cordyceps.

Not only are they popular enough that people have probably read about them, but their potential health benefits are also very relevant to today’s world.

Reishi is such a jack-of-all-trades with a long list of potential health benefits. It might alleviate allergies and stress and help with digestive issues, to name just a few potential benefits. So, if you’re only going to offer one mushroom, it’s a good place to start.

Lion’s mane and cordyceps are also very popular right now, thanks to their potential to help us feel more energetic and focused.

The best part is that you can also combine them together.

Types of medicinal mushrooms products you could create

If you are in the dietary supplement business and your customers are familiar with capsules and tablets, you can start by offering these three mushrooms as extract capsules and powder capsules.

This way your customers can try for themselves which dosage works best for them. For some the extract may be too strong, for others the powder may be too weak. It’s okay to try different dosage forms in the beginning to find the one that works best.

If you are already making capsules in your facility, it might be relatively easy to add another line for the mushroom capsules. Or you can simply purchase the ready-made capsules. Some suppliers will even offer white-label products, adding the packaging and design of your choice.

If you are more interested in creating a lifestyle product and want to appeal to a wider audience, starting with either a mushroom coffee or cacao mix or drink might be a better option. However, because powdered blends are so popular, you really need to think about how to stand out from the crowd.

Mushroom powder is also relative protein rich. You could mix it with another protein source like whey or soy protein to increase the protein amount to create a new type of a protein powder. To create a really potent mushroom protein powder, you can also add some mushroom extract to the mix. Now that would be something new on the market!

Choosing the correct mushroom depending on the product

With these three mushrooms, reishi, lion’s mane, and cordyceps, you can basically make products that are focus-bringing, energizing and/or relaxing and calming. This kind of a product can work well as a capsule. To make a mushroom coffee/cocoa blend or drink, you may want to leave out the reishi, as its bitter taste is hard to suppress.

Lion’s mane can very relaxing and soothing effect and it might also help with sleeping problems. So, it could be mixed into a good-night’s-sleep drink.

Since cordyceps has the potential to enhance athletic performance in endurance sports, you could use it in a sports drink or pre-workout powder.

We’ll bet there aren’t many energy/sport or good-night drinks with medicinal mushrooms on the market yet!

Partner with a reliable supplier

Okay, this article turned out to be a lot longer than we originally thought. But there are a lot of things to consider when getting started with medicinal mushrooms.

If you feel a bit overwhelmed, we recommend that you find a reliable supplier of medicinal mushroom raw materials who can also advise you a bit on the right mushrooms and dosage forms for your needs. And show you success stories and case studies of how their customers are using their products.

They should also be able to send you a product sample or allow you to order a small batch to test the waters.

Hint: That’s us! So if you think you’d like to get into medicinal mushrooms but still have some questions, don’t hesitate to contact our team.

You can also continue to learn more about medicinal mushrooms. We have articles on topics such as their main ingredients, the different extraction methods and the difference between fruiting body and mycelium.

If you’d like to know more about how we produce our medicinal mushrooms, just take a look at our cultivation methods and read more about our quality principles.