Mushroom coffee, powders, or tinctures? Which one is best?

Josh and I started growing mushrooms ten years ago while living in Hawaii. We love them! The health benefits are incredible! The fact that so many people are learning about them, wanting to know more, and wanting to use them is absolutely wonderful! With that desire comes a lot of questions, so I'm going to try to help you on that journey of knowledge right here. Let’s start with Mushroom Coffee:  First off there isn’t any consistency. Some brands just grind up some mushrooms and throw them into the coffee. Stating or implying that the water from the coffee will pull all the “goodness” out. It doesn’t work. Mushrooms have water soluble compounds and alcohol compounds. Both have to be extracted to get the full benefit of the mushroom. Also, the compounds that are water soluble require 175 degree water for two to four hours to be extracted. That’s not happening in anyone’s coffee pot. Other coffees say they use dual extracted tinctures that are then dehydrated. (Dual extraction being the water first, then the alcohol extraction. The alcohol extraction takes about 2 months.) I admit this flummoxes me somewhat, but regardless, the study released by NIH, trying different types of drying processes on Oyster mushrooms found that they lost important pieces of their effectiveness; such as lowering their antioxidant properties considerably. Some drying methods work better, but again, who the heck knows what process was used, and they all create loss in effectiveness. It’s presumed that if Oyster’s lose benefits, they all do. The other problem is that there isn’t any way to know how much of any mushroom is actually in a serving. Studies on effectiveness, uses in Chinese, Indian, or Japanese medicine, all are based on using specific prescribed amounts.

Powders: These again come with coffee, or in a capsule form. A lot of these will contain part of the mycelium mat with it. I’ve seen several websites promoting mycelium, this is a marketing gimmick. The Mycelium Mat is what the mushroom has grown on, in other words: wood, wood shavings, or pellets. It’s also frequently labeled as “cellulose.” If you have watched Clarkson’s Farm, Lisa tried to get her Lion’s Mane approved for them to produce a coffee with it. It doesn’t pass because of this very reason, mycelium mat was mixed in.

All of the health benefits of a mushroom comes from its fruiting body, the mushroom itself. The exception to this is a study pertaining to Parkinson's. In that study they found the hair fibers shooting off of the Mycelium, to be helpful. Please note though, that's the Mycelium, itself (basically the root of the mushroom), not the whole mat. The powders also require “binding agents” in order for the powder not to stick together, and those vary both by what they are, and how much is in a capsule. A capsule can be, and in tests, frequently is, mostly binding agents, fillers, and additives.

The second problem is digestion. Powders hit your gut first. Mushroom powders contain the chitin of the mushroom, this is a hard fiber that is difficult, if not impossible, to digest. In a recent study by the NIH they discovered that Reishi mushrooms taken in a powder form should only be taken for 6 weeks due to harming the liver, but a tincture can be taken for at least a year. Why? Processing and absorption are much harder with the powders, and the liver helps with that.

Tinctures Dual extracted. It is a process. Water takes a few hours, but the alcohol portion takes two months. (It makes sense why mass marketers would be trying to cut corners because that is not a fast turnaround) easy digestion, and straight into the blood stream, particularly if you take them under the tongue. They are the most concentrated form of the mushroom. The process of extraction breaks down the Chitin, so all of the beta-glucans come out, but the trouble of digestion is no longer there. Josh and I chose to do tinctures because of this. Problems: Checking out what companies say is still warranted to make sure that it is just the fruiting body. Mixes A lot of companies are selling mixes, “5 in ! Blend!” This goes back to the amount matters! If the basic amount to be used is 1 ml. and 5 different mushrooms are packed into that 1 ml, then that means there’s, at best, a fifth of what is needed to actually have any effect.

WHAT TO DO:  Figure out what is important to you. Are you looking for stress relief? Better digestion? Immune Support? Get a good tincture that will help with that, or get two. If you need four get four, but be getting an amount that will actually be effective.

Doubtful: I get it. Here’s how I look at it; The Chinese have been doing their medicine this was for 3000 years. Personally, I feel that if it didn’t work, they would have figured that out by now. If you've ever met us at a festival then you've heard us say, "We don't care if you buy from us. We do care that you're getting the benefits you're paying for." Helping people to accomplish that, and to get the right mushroom for the job, is our passion! If you have any questions feel free to reach out. You can email us at HansensHarvesyKy@gmail.com or call or text 606-402-7155

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