Our Extraction Process

Mushroom extraction is a process that breaks down the cell walls of the mushroom using either hot water, alcohol, or both depending on the type of mushroom. Doing this extra step releases the beneficial compounds that makes them bioavailable. Fungi have a cellular wall called chitin, the same compound that makes the shells of shellfish, and this needs to be broken down to a form your body can use. We use the highest standards of extraction for our medicinal mushroom powder extracts.

Dual Extraction: Reishi, Chaga, and Turkey Tail

For mushrooms that require dual extractions like Reishi, Chaga, and Turkey Tail, we follow a two-step process:

The First Extraction (Hot Water):
The whole dried fruit bodies are dried and macerated to crack the cell wall and pass a 20-micron filter. Since the cell wall is made of indigestible chitin, we must break it open. We then boil the material in water ten different times to pass the mushroom through a 200-micron filter. This hot water extraction process helps release the Beta-glucans and various other polysaccharides.

The Second Extraction (Alcohol):
We soak the material in food-grade organic ethanol four times for 30 minutes each. This alcohol extraction releases non-water-soluble active compounds, such as triterpenes (in Reishi) and sterols like inotodiol, trametenolic acid, and betulinic acid (in Chaga).

The material is then heated to evaporate the ethanol and sterilized. The resulting double-extracted liquid is spray-dried with no additives (no maltodextrin used), settling into the fine powder we use in our products.

Quality Testing & Purity

Every batch is third-party laboratory tested and contains at least 20–48% beta-glucans. We also test before and after production for heavy metals, microbes (bacteria, etc.), and consistency.

Polysaccharides vs. Beta-Glucans:
Other leading brands often measure only total polysaccharides, which include alpha-glucans—an inert polysaccharide found in myceliated grain extracts (starch). When you see a high polysaccharide content (40%–60%), much of that can be starch. We believe consumers need to know the specific beta-glucan content to judge the quality of a medicinal mushroom supplement.

Concentration & Bioavailability

The ratio of functional compounds in our organic mushroom extracts versus the whole dried fruit bodies is between 6:1 and 10:1, depending on the species. Many non-extracted mushroom powders are indigestible, leaving the functional compounds locked inside the chitin shell. Our concentrated powder blends are water-soluble, highly bioavailable, and easy to mix into any warm beverage. Many even say tasty!