Our 100% Australian Grown adaptogenic mushrooms have gone kind of viral all over the internet. I have had a number of people ask why the mycelium/growing substrate is included.
There WAS a lot of debate around whether mushrooms should be 100% fruiting body or whether they should also contain the mycelium (“the roots of the mushroom”)… but that debate is now over.
You see, sellers of 100% fruiting body products used to say that mycelium was just a “filler”.
A filler is something cheap added to a product to “bulk” it up. However add the mycelium is more labour intensive and thus more expensive than just selling the fruiting body.
Secondly, science has now PROVEN that the mycelium contains important active compounds not found in the fruiting body.
Take Lions Mane for example. The important active compounds are hericenones and erinacines (not the very common beta-glucans that are found in many foods).
The erinacines are not found in the fruiting body but the mycelium contain many more biologically active erinacines (15 identified thus far, A-K, P-S) – read the study
So for all these reasons we include the mycelium in our mushroom products so you get the full spectrum of benefits
But at the end of the day the proof for me is in the “proverbial pudding”. You only need to read a few of our customer reviews to see why I’m convinced that our way of growing and producing medicinal mushrooms is the superior method.
What is it?
“Mycelium” is the root structure of the mushroom.
“Fruiting body” is the part of the mushroom that grows above the surface
“Growth substrate” is the medium used to grow the mushrooms. We use organic brown rice for this.
What about the brown rice?
Interestingly, they found the brown rice substrate was also immunologically active in a different way to the mycelium.
“In my scientific opinion, mushroom products not incorporating mycelium are at a decided disadvantage, given the results of recent research.” – Paul Stamets
My final thoughts
At the end of the day we have to listen to people we consider to be experts on specific topics.
Paul Stamets may be the most well renowned mycologist in the world. He has dedicated his whole life to mushrooms.
For me, if he says the mycelium is imperative for maximum benefit – then that is good enough for me.
What about the high arsenic content of brown rice?
Hey Nathan, the brown rice inclusion is incidental, is there because it’s attached to the mycelium as a growing medium. In a whole bag (which would last people 1-2 months), contains only a couple of grams of rice. It has also been cooked off-reducing any arsenic. Thanks Angela
Hi, I read your newsletter. If the brown rice growing medium is so good for you, then why try to seperate the MYCELIUM from the growing medium?
Also, has anyone eaten raw fresh LM of yours?
Raw is always better, so was wondering if this might be true of your LM? Thanks
Hi Kevin, because the brown rice is incidental- the main superfood we want everyone to consume is the lions mane and the mycelium. yes we have consumed raw lions mane- they are delicious. From a medicinal viewpoint its preferable to have the lions mane cooked because it makes it more absorbable. Thanks Angela
How is growing mycelium more labor intensive then letting the blocks go through to the fruiting stage? Aren’t you taking a step away ?
Nope, the mushrooms still go through to the fruiting stage but trying to separate the mycelium from the growing medium is time consuming and difficult.