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.
| Manufacturer |
Product | Amount of extract per 5 ml capsule or liquid |
Of which polysaccharides |
Of which β-glucans |
IMMA Evaluation |
| Hifas da Terra (ES/UK/FR/DE/IT) | Mico-Rei Reishi Organic Extract | 495 mg | 29,14 % (288,5 mg) | 26,97 % (133,5 mg) β-Glucane | 5 |
| Neovital Health (ES) | REISHI NEO | 300 mg | 30 % (90 mg) | 20 % (60 mg) | 4 |
| Nutrixeal (FR) | Reishi Bio | 500 mg | 60 % (300 mg) | 20 % (100 mg) | 4 |
| Ortho Therapie (AUT) | Reishi Extrakt | 300 mg | 30 % (90 mg) | 20 % (60 mg) | 4 |
| Vitall+ (FR) | REISHI Biologique | 400 mg | 30 % (120 mg) | 10 % (40 mg) | 4 |
| Dynveo (FR) | Reishi Bio | 200 mg | 90 % (180 mg) | 70% (140 mg) | 3 |
| Hawlik (DE) | Bio Reishi Extrakt Kapseln | 300 mg | 30 % (90 mg) | NC | 2 |
| KiKi-Health (UK) | Reishi Extract ORGANIC | 400 mg | 50% (200 mg) | NC | 2 |
| Pilze Wohlrab (DE) | Reishi BIO Extraktkapseln | 350 mg | 30 % (105 mg) | NC | 2 |
| Smaints (DE) | Pure Night Flüssigextrakt mit Reishi und Hericium | 375 mg | 31 % (116,25 mg) | NC | 2 |
| Sunday Natural (DE) | Bio Reishi Extrakt Kapseln | 500 mg | 30 % (150 mg) | NC | 2 |
| Tyroler Glückspilze (AUT) | Reishi (Ling Zhi) Flüssigextrakt BIO | 630 mg | 30 % (190 mg) | NC | 2 |
| Vitaworld (DE) | Roter Reishi Extrakt 500 mg 40 % Polysaccharide | 500 mg | 40 % (200 mg) | NC | 2 |
| Mushroom4Life (UK) | Organic Reishi Mushroom | 400 mg | NC | NC | 1 |
| Bristol Fungarium (UK) | Reishi Tincture | NC | NC | NC | 0 |
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.
| Manufacturer |
Product | Additional substances |
Detection of other biomolecules |
IMMA Evaluation |
| Hifas da Terra (ES/UK/FR/DE/IT) | Mico-Rei Extracto Orgánico de Reishi | 35,3 Organic Acerola of which 6 mg vitamin C | yes | 5 |
| Ortho Therapie (AUT) | Reishi Extrakt | Vitamin C (Ester C) 31,6 mg | yes | 4 |
| Vitall+ (FR) | REISHI Biologique | NC | yes | 4 |
| Neovital Health (ES) | REISHI NEO | Vitamina C de CamuCamu, rellenos y edulcorantes, recubrimiento de goma laca. | yes | 3 |
| Hawlik (DE) | Bio Reishi Extrakt Kapseln | 80 mg de extracto orgánico de acerola | NC | 2 |
| Pilze Wohlrab (DE) | Reishi BIO Extraktkapseln | 4,3 % (20 mg) de acerola ecológica en polvo | NC | 2 |
| Bristol Fungarium (UK) | Reishi Tincture | NC | NC | 1 |
| KiKi-Health (UK) | Reishi Extract ORGANIC | NC | NC | 1 |
| Mushroom4Life (UK) | Organic Reishi Mushroom | NC | NC | 1 |
| Nutrixeal (FR) | Reishi Bio | NC | NC | 1 |
| Smaints (DE) | Pure Night Flüssigextrakt mit Reishi und Hericium | 125 mg de extracto de Hericium | NC | 1 |
| Sunday Natural (DE) | Bio Reishi Extrakt Kapseln | NC | NC | 1 |
| Tyroler Glückspilze (AUT) | Reishi (Ling Zhi) Flüssigextrakt BIO | NC | NC | 1 |
| Vitaworld (DE) | Roter Reishi Extrakt 500 mg 40 % Polysaccharide | NC | NC | 1 |
| Dynveo (FR) | Reishi Bio | Fibra de acacia | NC | 0 |
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.