Reishi mushroom powder is a powerful, natural supplement that has been used for thousands of years for a variety of functional applications.
In this article, we outline what reishi powder is, whether powder or extract is better to take, what the dosage & side effects are, and some of the best products out there.
Let’s dive in:
Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) mushrooms have been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine. Due to its purported health benefits, including, but not limited to:
Reishi mushrooms have become increasingly popular over the past year(s) in western culture, and many reishi mushroom powders are hitting the shelves to offer consumers a product to assist with their health needs.
Check out this article on reishi health benefits for more.
In this article, we've compiled the top reishi powder extract brands. And we've also put together a comprehensive overview of what reishi powder is, and what to look for when shopping for a supplement. Let's dive in:
Want to skip the education and get right to the product reviews? Click here to jump down.
Now, the first thing to know about is that there are two kinds of “powders” on the market for different mushroom species.
You’ll see reishi mushroom powder and reishi mushroom powder extract. But what’s the difference?
Here’s what you should know:
Reishi mushroom powder is different from extract in a few key ways. Reishi powder is simply dehydrated fruiting body of the reishi mushroom. Whereas reishi extract has been treated with an extraction process - usually with hot water or alcohol - to make its benefits more bioavailable to the human body.
Let’s explore the key differences of both:
Reishi mushroom powders are made by taking the mushroom fruiting body, in this case reishi, and dehydrating it. Then, once it’s completely dehydrated, it gets ground into a fine powder. That fine powder is essentially ground up mushrooms. Instead of eating reishi mushrooms (which are very bitter and not too often eaten raw), you’d just take the powder, likely in a drink or possibly in a capsule.
If you’re just looking to add more mushrooms into your diet, this may be an option.
Reishi mushroom powder extract is entirely different. When reishi mushroom powder is extracted, typically two processes have taken place. In order to extract the most beneficial properties from mushrooms, a hot water extract and an alcohol extraction should be done. This double extraction makes the polysaccharides, beta-glucans, alpha-glucans, and triterpenoids bioavailable. Bioavailability is the ability of a drug or other substance to be absorbed and used by the body. Without this extraction process, you don’t receive the full benefits of the reishi mushroom.
Double extraction means that the mushroom powder has gone through hot water and alcohol extraction in order to obtain the most beneficial nutrients and make them bioavailable to the human body.
Once the water and alcohol extraction is done, you now have a liquid extract. Reishi mushroom powder extract is then made by drying this liquid extract, typically in a vacuum. (No, not your home vacuum! Ha!)
It may sound confusing, but remember:
|
Reishi Mushroom Powder |
Reishi Powder Extract |
|
Ground up, dehydrated reishi mushrooms |
A process by which to extract the beneficial properties of the Reishi mushroom through a hot water and alcohol extraction and then drying that extract into a powdered form |
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This version is ideal if you want to add more raw mushroom to your diet |
This is ideal if you want medicinal and functional benefits from reishi mushrooms. |
For the purpose of this article, we will discuss Reishi mushroom powder extract, as it has the most potential benefits and limited scientific research.
Reishi tea is a popular way to take this powerful mushroom. Learn more about it here.
As discussed above, reishi mushroom powder extract has many potential benefits. It has most notably been studied for its use on the immune system and its ability to affect genes in white blood cells, which is shown that it can alter inflammation, along with boosting the immune system and helping to regulate immune response.
The research behind reishi is promising with studies linking it to its effect on anxiety, depression, a sleep aid, and more.
However, even with certain studies being conductive, like any health supplement, more research needs to be done to explore why and how reishi works and the beneficial properties of it.
Explore more potential health benefits of reishi here.
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The three primary ways to take reishi mushrooms. These are by powder, capsule, or in a tea. Reishi powder is most commonly taken by adding it to a drink of your choosing. Or you may choose to take it by mouth via a capsule.
We recommend that you speak with your doctor about possible side effects and interactions for your specific body before using a reishi supplement.
Remember to review your product details to see what is recommended for dosing.
Typically for everyday health and wellness, the common reishi powder extract dose will be between 1000-1500mg per day.
If you’re adding it to a drink, check the nutritional information on your product. It will likely be around 1-1.5 teaspoons of powder.
As a capsule, most products out there contain around 500mg per capsule, and the serving size is typically 2-3 capsules per day.
As with any new supplement, we recommend you start slowly in order to evaluate your individual reaction. Many sources agree that reishi’s benefits are best seen when taken regularly over time, usually 30 - 90 days.
Here's a quick guide to reishi dosage if you want to learn more.
We can’t stress the importance of discussing any supplement additions to your diet, including reishi mushrooms, with a licensed physician/doctor. It’s important to do so, especially if you’re taking other medications. They will know which ones may react with your natural supplements.
The same goes if you are pregnant and/or breastfeeding or planning to have surgery.
While there hasn’t been much in the form of adverse side effects of reishi mushrooms, there have been some reports of (including, but not limited to):
For more in-depth information about reishi mushrooms side effects, see here.
If you decide to take reishi mushroom powder, be cognizant of any side effects that may present themselves.
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Earlier in this article, we discussed that mushroom powder is different from powdered extract.
In order to receive all the beneficial properties of reishi mushrooms, you’ll want the powdered extract, unless you’re just trying to eat more mushrooms.
We do a full breakdown between mushroom powder vs mushroom powder extract here.
This comes by doing a double extraction of reishi mushrooms.
Polysaccharides, primarily Beta Glucans, are one of the key components you’ll want to look for in your reishi mushroom powder. Beta Glucans, especially those in fungi, have been one of the most heavily researched properties of mushrooms and their involvement and effect on the immune system, as well as its anti-inflammatory properties.
Your product should list a percentage. When it comes to reishi products, you’ll likely see products in a 15-30% beta-glucan percentage, which means that for every 1000mg of reishi powder you’re taking, you’re getting 150-300mg’s of beta-glucans.
You can read more about beta-glucans here.
Now, the alcohol extraction for triterpenoids is important as well. Terpenes help to offer a therapeutic effect. Think about cannabis/hemp or even lavender and the aroma it gives off. That aroma is a terpene. Both have been linked to therapeutic benefits, as do the triterpenoids in reishi.
You won’t see the percentage as high as beta-glucan content, but your reishi mushroom powder extract should have it listed, and you’ll likely see around a 3-5% triterpenoid content.
But it doesn’t stop there…
One of the biggest questions you’ll see people asking is:
Should my reishi mushroom powder be “fruiting body” or “mycelium”?
And it all comes down to cultivation.
Fruiting Body is the top/cap of the mushroom. It’s what you picture when you think about a mushroom. It’s what you see.
Mycelium is the root system underneath. The mycelium grows, breaks down, absorbs the nutrients in the soil, and then continues to grow, eventually giving way to what you see on the surface, the fruiting body.
Fruiting Body products are often revered as the best, because it assures that the reishi mushroom has been grown to maturity and all beneficial properties are present before extraction.
However, it doesn’t mean that all mycelium products are bad.
If you see a product that is mycelium and fruiting body, you shouldn’t run from that.
A full-spectrum mushroom product uses both fruiting body and mycelium.
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Mycelium has amazing benefits in itself. You’ll just want to be assured by the company you’re buying from (on its website or by talking with a customer representative) allows the mushroom to grow to maturity. Many reputable full-spectrum companies - which are using fruiting body and mycelium - have great lab analysis results.
It’s the 100% mycelium-based companies that you want to be wary of.
What often happens is that these companies grow the mycelium on grain or rice and then harvest it before it has a chance to mature. It hasn’t had the opportunity to take in all the nutrients and fully develop beneficial properties.
So, essentially, you could just be getting the starch from the compound it’s grown on, whether it be grain or rice. It isn’t, in fact, true mushroom mycelium. They’ll likely use words like “fillers” which you would want to stay away from.
A lot of these product questions can be answered by a Certificate of Analysis (COA) by a third party lab test.
Here, you’ll see the active compounds, the beta- and alpha-glucans, the triterpenoids, and any health-safety tests like heavy metals.
If the company is reputable, they should be offering their lab tests in FULL.
If they cannot, it’s better to assume they aren’t doing it, because they can’t prove their claims. We recommend you find a reputable company that can show you their lab results.
Learn more about mycelium vs fruiting body and join in on the debate here.
Also, as a final note on this, don’t steer away from companies that say its mushrooms are sourced from China. Many people are worried about heavy metals in mushrooms sourced from China.
China produces nearly 85% of the world’s mushrooms and has been doing this for thousands of years.
Through research and development, China is the most-experienced at producing mushrooms safely, efficiently, and at scale. While many mushroom growing companies are popping up in the United States and cultivating domestically, there is no need to fear mushroom supplements from China, so long as appropriate testing is done, just like it should be for US-based mushroom growers.
Curious to learn more? We wrote a guide to Chinese mushrooms here.
We’ve gone through and ranked the top 4 reishi mushroom powders.
We base our unbiased reviews on source type (mycelium/fruiting body), beta-glucans, extraction process, COA/3rd-party lab tests, and customer reviews.
Also available in capsules here.
Source Type: 100% Fruiting Body
Beta Glucans: >15%
Extraction Process: Dual Extract (Hot Water + Alcohol)
COA/Analysis: No Listing Directly on their Site, though their parent company, Nammex, provided analysis on their Reishi Powder.
Customer Reviews:
Reviews on their site were strong. We went to Amazon to confirm.
Most negative reviews we saw were based on price. Some didn’t like the taste, but the company also offers it in capsules for that reason.
Final Thoughts:
Pros: Real Mushrooms offers a great Reishi Mushroom Powder Extract. It comes highly reviewed. The parent company, Nammex, is very well known and Jeff (owner) has over 40 years of experience, working directly with mushroom cultivators in China. They have a high beta-glucan content, use no fillers, are certified organic, and go through extensive testing. They also have a nice knowledge bank on their site and welcome consumers to ask them questions.
Cons: We wished they posted their COA’s/3rd Party Tests directly on product pages. Nevertheless, we were able to get it, but consumers may not spend the time to find that. Maybe they will do this in the future. It’s also not done by product, but by their bulk extract powder (which is used for products, but still).
Also available in capsules here.
Source Type: 100% Fruiting Body
Beta Glucans: >27%
Extraction Process: Dual Extract (Hot Water + Alcohol)
COA/Analysis: Listed directly on site.
Customer Reviews: Great reviews on their site. We also confirmed their reviews on Amazon.
There actually aren’t any 1 star reviews. These have been taken down and were likely resolved issues that didn’t have anything to do with product quality. Either way, a nice 4.6 out of 5 stars.
Final Thoughts:
Pros: FreshCap is new compared to Real Mushrooms, but we believe they will begin to become a household name in the mushroom industry. Why? They offer a fantastic product, use 100% fruiting body, have a double extraction method, organic, and provide COA’s directly on the site. Plus, the company has a message help center and got back to us within minutes with any questions we had. Their products are also slightly cheaper than Real Mushrooms. Also a great youtube channel.
Cons: Overall, there isn’t anything glaring. It’s one of the few companies that check off all the boxes and are competitively priced. Coming it at the #2 spot ONLY because they are relatively newer to the market (5-6 years).
Also available in capsules here.
Source Type: 100% Fruiting Body
Beta Glucans: >20%
Extraction Process: Dual Extract (Hot Water + Alcohol)
COA/Analysis: Listed on site and batch-requests can be made on your order.
Customer Reviews: Strong reviews on their site, but little on Amazon. However, the company offers products across multiple verticals and has received high praise.
Final Thoughts:
Pros: The company offers a fruiting body 8:1 extract. They mix their 1:1 extract and 16:1 extract for this product which allows for higher potency in triterpenoids. They also test high for beta glucan content. It’s a dual extraction (hot water and alcohol). They also provide lab tests directly on site and do batch testing that you can inquire about for your specific order.
Cons: The company isn’t just focused on mushroom extracts, but many other markets. This doesn’t speak poorly of their quality, but at the moment, they don’t have a substantial amount of reviews of their mushroom products, compared to Real Mushrooms and FreshCap. Still, the product is well tested and deserves to round out our top 3 products!
Source Type: 100% Fruiting Body
Beta Glucans: >27.8%
Extraction Process: Dual Extract (Hot Water + Alcohol)
COA/Analysis: Listed directly on site.
Customer Reviews: Not many for this product on site and they don’t have a strong Amazon presence, however, their other products have a solid amount of reviews.
Pros: The company checks off all the necessary boxes in terms of product quality, lab testing, and transparency. They also offer a great educational podcast and you can tell that they are knowledgeable about the industry and are looking to teach people more. For that, we applaud them!
Cons: The company lacks a substantial amount of reviews across all products, but they are relatively new (Founded in 2018). They also have little presence on Amazon, which isn’t a bad thing, but we always enjoy an unbiased, centralized market, where reviews and customer questions can be seen publicly.
If you're ready to keep learning, check out our educational reishi hub here.