Nature abounds with myriad different types of mushrooms which we saw in our previous post but the question remains: what is the difference between powdered and extracted mushrooms?
Both mushroom powder and mushroom extract have their place, but both the extraction process & the use thereof heavily impacts the benefits.
Powders are best used if you have a primarily plant-based diet since they’ll add nutrients that are more difficult to get from other vegetables and fruits. They offer a cornucopia of Macronutrients such as protein & complex carbohydrates, Micronutrient such as B vitamins and minerals like selenium, copper, iron, and potassium, Antioxidants such a, glutathione, polyphenols, and superoxide and Prebiotic fiber to support the immune system by maintaining a healthy gut flora.
But let us journey deeper, into what makes a medicinal mushroom, well, medicinal: its active compounds such as beta-d-glucans, triterpenes, polyphenols, phytosterols, sterols and proteins. However, these bio active compounds are “locked up” inside the rugged cellular walls of the mushroom fruiting body called chitin, the very cellular wall layers that make up the mushroom tissue. Chitin is an extremely hard, all-natural insoluble fiber (found in lobster and insect shells.) that cannot be broken down by the human digestive system.
In other words, if you were to just eat the mushrooms whole, the ‘shroomy goodness would pass right through! And this is where the power of extraction comes into play.
Extraction is a process that breaks down the cell walls & chitin barrier of the mushroom using either hot water, alcohol, or both, making the active compounds accessible to the human body. By extracting mushrooms, we’re able to dissolve some of the active ingredients, release their powers, and even increase their bioavailability (which means it’s easier for our bodies to absorb from 4% through powder, to up to 60% through extracts).
The optimal way to dissolve these active ingredients is through a dual extraction which uses both alcohol and hot water in 2 separate steps to draw out all the fat and water-soluble compounds in the mushrooms
We then proceed to combine both hot water and alcohol extractions to create the final product that contains a full spectrum of all the compounds & active ingredients.
In a nutshell, if you seek nutritional value, fibers & vitamins – go for a full dried body.
If you seek bio active compounds beta glucans, terpenes, polysaccharides – go for extract
