The food supplement market is much less regulated than most people realise. Many people believe that products undergo checks and tests – similar to medicines – before they are sold to the end consumer.

Unfortunately, this is often not the case.

According to EU General Food Law, food supplements are foods intended to supplement the general diet. [They are a concentrate of nutrients or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect […] and are marketed in a dosed form […].

By nutrients we mean vitamins and minerals, while other substances include, for example, amino acids, fatty acids and dietary fibre.

By law, they are foodstuffs and therefore have to comply with the same rules as other foodstuffs. Therefore, they do not have to undergo the same approvals as medicines, nor do they have to prove that they are safe and effective.

After all, food supplements have to be officially notified before they can be marketed. This is done for product control purposes. However, the responsibility for product safety lies with the manufacturers.

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Important: Depending on the mushroom product and the area of application, it naturally takes different amounts of time for an effect to become noticeable.
It can take from a few hours (energy booster) to several months (anti-aging). So how long do I have to take a mushroom extract to notice a noticeable effect? Here is a good overview of what happens in the body when Reishi, Cordyceps and Lion’s Mane are taken over a long period of time in PDF format.

Especially herbal and mushroom preparations (“botanicals”) are often on the borderline between foodstuffs and medicines in terms of content and advertising. Many manufacturers advertise with unacceptable claims. This is a major problem, especially in the food supplement market. Manufacturers must comply with EU health claims if they want to sell products in the EU. General health claims on food supplements are dubious. It should be indicated to which ingredient the claim refers. Currently there are no health claims for mushrooms, so health claims by manufacturers are not allowed.

The best known and best studied ingredients in mushrooms are polysaccharides (glucans). These multiple sugars are responsible for many of the health properties of mushrooms. Polysaccharides are a general group of substances used in nature for cell walls and other scaffolding structures. Polysaccharides are therefore also found in cereals or algae. However, the structure of these branched sugar chains differs according to their origin. Mushrooms, for example, have β-(1-3) (1-6)-glucans. Polysaccharides are selected by many vital mushroom producers as a quality criterion and are listed as the main substance in the standardisation of extracts. Polysaccharides are mainly glucose molecules linked together in different arrangements. However, depending on the origin, the structure can vary. In order for the consumer to be able to check whether only mushrooms have actually been processed, precise information on which polysaccharides have been detected must always be provided. In the case of mushrooms as raw material, the analysis of β-(1-3) (1-6) D-glucans is useful and necessary. Especially when cereals are used as culture substrate, an (unintended) increase of the polysaccharide content can occur if the fruiting bodies are not sufficiently separated from the rest of the culture medium and the mycelium. Rice and wheat are particularly relevant sources. To avoid this, it is usually advisable to grow only on wood. In addition, contamination with gluten is then very unlikely.

The more precise and thorough the ingredient analyses are, the more constant the content of substances in the extract will be, and the customer will always receive the same product. However, apart from polysaccharides, special, independent substances such as triterpene or ergosterol can also be found. These substances are also examined for their effects and contribute significantly to the individual application profile of each mushroom species.

Ingredients 1

The polysaccharide content per daily dose is around 30% for most manufacturers. Vitalworld, Kiki-Health, Dynveo and Nutrixeal indicate significantly higher proportions. Dynveo, however, adds acacia fibre, which is itself a polysaccharide, and due to the lack of differentiation of the polysaccharide structure, it is unclear from which source the high polysaccharide content originates. In this case, the manufacturer’s information is not clear. Very few manufacturers give information on the content other than the general polysaccharide content (which does not make it clear whether it is really mushroom glucans). The amount of β-(1-3): (1-6) – D-glucans is only partially indicated, triterpenes are only listed by 3 manufacturers and really precise information on this can only be found in Hyphae da Terra. Hyphae da Terra also breaks down the triterpenes (the ganoderic acids typical of Reishi were quantified) and also indicates the amounts of ergosterol and α-linolenic acid. This gives the consumer a very clear idea of what is being taken, and if other food supplements or medicines are taken, consumer safety is greatly increased as a result.

Ingredients 2

Most manufacturers use acerola as a natural source of vitamin C. This protects the mushroom powder from the fungus. This protects the mushroom powder from oxidation, which increases stability. Ortho Therapia uses a vitamin C ester (L-ascorbate/calcium threonate). No company exceeds the maximum recommended amount of vitamin C per capsule. Liquid extracts do not have added vitamin C. With Dynveo, acacia fibre is added. This increases the amount of dietary fibre in the product, but not the amount provided by the mushrooms.

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Importante: Dependiendo del producto de hongos y del área de aplicación, naturalmente se necesitan diferentes cantidades de tiempo para que un efecto sea perceptible.

Important: Depending on the mushroom product and the area of application, it naturally takes different amounts of time for an effect to become noticeable.
It can take from a few hours (energy booster) to several months (anti-aging). So how long do I have to take a mushroom extract to notice a noticeable effect? Here is a good overview of what happens in the body when Reishi, Cordyceps and Lion’s Mane are taken over a long period of time in PDF format.

Extraction is the oldest form of medicinal plant preparation known to mankind. The use of medicinal plants in the form of oily or aqueous extracts (also known as drug extracts) has been documented for thousands of years.

Vital mushroom products are also available in the form of extracts (mostly as dry powdered extract, sometimes also as liquid extract). Many manufacturers also sell mushroom powder, i.e. simply dried and ground mushrooms that have not undergone any further processing. Advantage of an extract: the extract dissolves the ingredients in the mushroom cells and concentrates them, so that less product (compared to powder) has to be taken to achieve a high effect and the body can absorb the substances more easily.

Why are extracts useful?

In extracts, the ingredients of the original product are concentrated and their concentration can be precisely adjusted. This makes sense in order to be able to carry out an effective and consistent therapy. Plants and fungi are natural organisms that are exposed to different external conditions during their growth. For example, changing weather conditions or a different soil can cause the fungus to increase or decrease its production of certain substances. By testing and then adjusting an extract, these natural fluctuations can be balanced and controlled.

How are mushroom extracts produced?

In the production process, the dried mushrooms are first crushed and placed in a liquid. Depending on the process, this can be either hot water (see tea) or a mixture of water and ethanol. If both water and ethanol are used, substances are obtained from both fractions and therefore the highest yield can be achieved (dual extraction). The extract is thus more varied than the pure hot water extract. In addition, dual extraction can be carried out at lower temperatures and is therefore gentler. Mushrooms contain thermolabile substances that can be destroyed during hot water extraction

Tentative conclusion: Dual extracts usually offer more ingredients!

When the extract is ready, the dissolving medium has to be removed. This is best done at low temperature. The dry residue is then the so-called dry extract. This can be packaged in capsules or dissolved in other liquids such as water, syrup or glycerine and sold as a so-called “liquid extract”. Here it is important to pay attention to the ingredients. The actual liquid extract, also called tincture, is the extract before the drying process and may still contain alcohol. Freshly dissolved preparations are a liquefied dry extract.

Dry vs. liquid: Many ingredients are sensitive to light, moisture and heat. In dry form, extracts are more stable against external influences and have also proven to be easier to use and have better storage properties.

Comparison of extracts 1

Medicinal mushroom preparations are natural products. The image of a sustainable organic product is of great importance in this industry. Not all manufacturers produce in compliance with organic quality. However, this offers a certain level of product safety and raw material quality from the outset. Which manufacturers also use sustainable packaging materials and invest in research and innovation, and what other aspects of sustainability are promoted within the company?
Packaging materials, product protection + research and innovation:

Sustainability 1

The packaging of a product serves primarily to protect it. Quality must be maintained during transport and storage. Other aspects of sustainability are desirable and should also be taken into account. Vegan dry extracts are encapsulated in hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC). This is chemically modified cellulose, which is water-soluble and can be processed as a coating for capsules and tablets. However, the oxygen permeability of HPMC capsules is significantly higher than that of the classical gelatine capsule, leading to a risk of oxidation of the product. The addition of antioxidants (e.g. vitamin C) is therefore recommended, but again at higher costs. Enteric shellac coatings, such as those used by Neovital Health, are indeed made from natural sources (shellac lice) and not from plastics, but this means that the product is no longer vegan!
The fewer individual pieces a pack has, the easier it is to dispose of and recycle. Blister packaging, as a composite material, is not recyclable. Glass is more expensive to produce and transport than plastic, but offers advantages in terms of reusability and environmental protection.
Research plays an important role in mycotherapy. In the Asian market, mushrooms are a normal part of medicine and are recognised and researched. In the Western world, mushrooms are still a niche product. In order to make the value and potential of mushrooms available to more people, research into new production techniques and, above all, into their use as a therapeutic agent is essential. Investing in the future is therefore very important.
Other aspects on the topic of sustainability:

Sustainability 2

Some of the manufacturers promote sustainable projects and manage their companies and their production in a way that saves resources and respects the environment. Supporting local initiatives and recycling production waste are very important to make a modern production process more sustainable. The study and conservation of fungi for the utilisation and stabilisation of ecosystems (agriculture, reforestation with mycorrhizae) is socially relevant in the context of climate change, but is only promoted for the least.
Interested in our product comparison?
Click here to go directly to the final result of this product comparison.

You can find more information about our quality standards here.

Important: Depending on the mushroom product and the area of application, it naturally takes different amounts of time before an effect is noticeable.
It can take from a few hours (energy booster) to several months (anti-aging). So how long do I have to take a mushroom extract before I notice a noticeable effect? A good overview of what happens in the body when you take Reishi, Cordyceps and Lion’s Mane over an extended period of time can be found here in PDF format.