For the best effects, medicinal mushroom products need to be processed effectively; ‘hot water extract’ and/or ‘heat extraction’ are some of the terms to look for.  Superior quality extractions will cost more than basic ground-up mushrooms, marketed as extracts.  Quality extracts using heat processes are approximately 90% more effective than basic mushroom ‘powder’.

Mushrush® Red Reishi 500mg/ml extractions is a ‘full spectrum extraction’, in that it has been extracted in two separate processes: repeated hot alcohol extractions and repeated hot water extractions.

The use of heat in the alcohol and water extraction process is essential. Otherwise, neither the alcohol soluble compounds (triterpenoids) nor the water soluble compounds (polysaccharides) will be bio-available.

Chitin – the biopolymer creating the hard exoskeleton in insects and crustaceans – is a main part of the fungal cell wall and is “melted” during heat extraction.  Chitin effectively blocks the bio-availability of the medicinal compounds in the mushroom unless broken down. Chitin cannot be broken down by the human digestive system.Chitin prevents access to the medicinal compounds such as, beta glucans and mannoproteins.

These misleading terms are used to promote an inferior product; ‘mycelium powder’ which is simply the mushroom mycelia dried and then ground and; ‘mushroom powder’–merely ground-up dried mushrooms.