Fruiting Body vs. Mycelium - Which Mushroom Extract Is Right for You

The truth is, many leading brands, keen to cut corner, sneakily add fillers and inferior ingredients to their products. To illustrate the point, a recent study found that that 75% of Reishi mushroom supplements didn’t contain any authentic Reishi mushroom!

When it comes to product quality, one of the most hotly debated topics is whether fruiting body extracts are better than mycelium extracts in terms of their medicinal benefits. Some people claim either or both is best, with even prominent mycologists like Paul Stamets and Jeff Chilton making contradictory claims. As a consumer, who do you trust with the right information?

Well fear not, this comprehensive guide will help you uncover the differences between fruiting body and mycelium and the truth behind mushroom supplements. Understanding them is key to making informed choices about what’s best for your health and wellness.

Historical Use of Mushrooms

For centuries, mushrooms have played a significant role in traditional healing practices across different cultures and periods.

Historically, people didn't know about the hidden part of the mushroom, called mycelium, which lives underground. So, they focused on the parts they could see and reach—the fruiting bodies of mushrooms, the parts we still eat today.

The fruiting bodies of mushrooms held a special place in ancient healing practices for several reasons. Firstly, they contain valuable compounds such as beta-glucans that enhance the immune system, and in higher concentrations than found in mycelium. Plus, they were easy to collect because they grew above the ground, with clear shapes, colours, and textures that made them easy to spot amongst the foliage.

In China, the fruiting bodies of Reishi and Shiitake mushrooms were consumed for their immune boosting and longevity enhancing benefits. Indigenous peoples in North America used puffball mushrooms for wound treatment, while the ancient Egyptians considered mushroom fruiting bodies as food for royalty, attributing to them divine and health promoting powers. In European folk medicine, the fruiting bodies of Chaga and Turkey Tail were used to treat infections and digestive issues.

In short, every culture that has used mushrooms for their medicinal properties has exclusively turned to the fruiting body. In fact, no historical data points to the extensive use of mycelium. While our understanding of mycelium has advanced, as we shall later, modern scientific research overwhelmingly supports the historical use of mushroom fruiting bodies over mycelium.

Understanding Fruiting Body and Mycelium Extracts

Fruiting Bodies

The fruiting body represents the part of a fungus that we commonly recognise and consume. It serves as the visible, above ground structure that emerges from the ground or decaying organic matter. This component is what we typically identify as the "mushroom" itself.

Mycelium

Mycelium is the hidden underground network of thread-like structures and operates as the equivalent of a root system. Comprising of tiny threads known as hyphae, mycelium extends its reach through soil or organic material, relentlessly seeking nutrients and moisture.

If spores land in a suitable environment, where it's warm and moist, they will germinate, and mycelium will begin to spread, a process known as colonisation. Once the mycelium has established itself and is exposed to optimal conditions for fruiting, it will produce small mushrooms called “pins” that will eventually develop into mature mushrooms.

Differences in Production 

Fruiting Body

Mushroom extracts can be derived from either fruiting bodies, mycelium, or both. Depending on the part used, they undergo different manufacturing processes, which impacts the quality of the end product.

Fruiting body extracts are derived from the mature, above-ground part of the mushroom that we described previously. The process of obtaining fruiting body extracts takes longer and is more expensive, because the mushroom must be fully grown, harvested, and then processed using dual extraction. This involves both alcohol and water, to concentrate the medicinal compounds inside the finished product. This results in a very pure and potent extract containing no grains or filler.

Mycelium on Grain

On the other hand, mycelium extracts are made from the root-like structure of the mushroom that grows underground or within a substrate. To produce mycelium extracts, the mycelium is often grown on a grain substrate, and then the entire mass, including the grain, is harvested and processed, resulting in a less concentrated product compared to fruiting body extracts.

Most commercial cultivators typically cultivate mycelium on grains such as rice, oats, or sorghum. As a result, these grains become an integral and inseparable part of the mycelium, remaining in the end product and resulting in a significant starch content.

This grain starch acts as a filler and dilutes the product. Worse still, it doesn’t contain any active compounds! The presence of grain in mycelium extracts can also dilute the potency and concentration of the desired beneficial compounds, particularly beta glucans, which are only found in very low concentrations in the mycelium. Scientific research shows that mycelium extracts are nearly 60-70% alpha glucan starches, with very little in the way of bioactive compounds.

When people purchase mycelium extract products, what they’re really buying is a grain starch supplement composed mostly of filler. Not real mushrooms!

Liquid Fermentation

Liquid mycelium cultivation is a more recent but less commonly used method of production.

Instead of growing mycelium on solid grain substrates, liquid mycelium cultivation involves growing mycelium in a nutrient-rich liquid solution instead of a solid substrate, allowing it to proliferate freely. Once the mycelium matures, it's separated from the liquid medium, leaving just the pure mycelium. This is known as liquid fermentation.

Extracts derived from liquid mycelium often claim to have a more concentrated profile of beneficial compounds, as there's no grain to dilute the product. However, the efficacy of liquid mycelium extracts in comparison to fruiting body extracts is still a topic of debate among experts.

Fermented liquid mycelium is expensive to produce and so not commonly sold. Most producers of mycelium-based products prefer to grow the mycelium on a grain substrate due to the speed and low cost of production.

Bioactive Compounds and Their Benefits

Fruiting body extracts have been utilised for centuries in traditional medicine for their remarkable health benefits. These extracts are rich in bioactive compounds, including polysaccharides, terpenoids, and antioxidants, which contribute to their therapeutic properties. 

Fruiting Body

From the evidence presented so far, it should be very clear that mushroom fruiting body extracts are superior to mycelium extracts.

If we take a deeper look at the scientific evidence, it becomes even more obvious that fruiting bodies have a higher nutritional and medicinal potency than mycelium. Notably, the fruiting body generates a concentrated and diverse profile of nutrients and bioactive compounds that are absent in the mycelium. These compounds are the very essence of the mushroom's therapeutic and health benefits.

Almost all published studies, encompassing cell culture, mice, and human trials, focus on fruiting body extracts and powders, not mycelium. There is comparatively very little research conducted on mycelium-based products.

For example, if we look at the clinical research data on Lion's Mane, almost all of this research has used whole fruiting body mushroom powder in the 2-3g per day range, showing it to be effective in a number of different measures:

• Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial
• Reduction of depression and anxiety by 4 weeks Hericium erinaceus intake
• Improvement of cognitive functions by oral intake of Hericium erinaceus

One of the most important compounds in mushrooms is beta glucan, which is present in high concentrations in the cell wall of the mushroom fruiting body. A study was conducted to determine the beta-glucan content in mycelia and fruiting bodies and showed categorically that fruiting bodies have higher amounts of β-1,3-1,6-glucan. Beta glucan is the most studied compound found in mushrooms and has been shown boost the immune system, support heart health, and keep our gut microbiome balanced.

Besides beta-glucans, there are other important compounds that can be good for our health. Triterpenoids, found in mushrooms like Reishi and Shiitake, help fight inflammation and might even help prevent cancer. Polyphenols, in mushrooms like Reishi and Shiitake too, act like shields for our cells, protecting them from damage caused by harmful free radicals. Ergosterol, which you can find in various mushrooms, helps our bones, and supports our immune system by metabolising or converting into vitamin D. Some mushrooms, like oyster varieties, contain compounds that work similar to cholesterol-lowering medicines called statins.

If we take a look at Lion’s Mane, of the most popular functional mushrooms, we find the fruiting body is packed with compounds with neuroprotective and cognitive-enhancing properties. Compounds like Hericeone stimulate the production of nerve growth factor (NGF), which is crucial for the growth, maintenance, and survival of neurons, potentially aiding in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. 

Other studies have looked at the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of methanol extracts from the fruiting body and mycelia. Antimicrobial activity was found significantly higher in the extract from fruiting bodies than from mycelia.

Mycelium

As we’ve discussed, mycelium grown on grains consists primarily of starch with significantly lower concentrations of bioactive compounds compared to extracts derived from mushroom fruiting bodies. Research has shown that fruiting bodies can contain up to 10 times more bioactive compounds, such as beta-glucans, triterpenes, and ergosterol, than mycelium grown on grains.

Whereas a typical fruiting body extract may contain anywhere from 20-60% beta-glucan, the main bioactive compound in mushrooms, most mycelium extracts contain less than 5% beta-glucan concentration. To take it a step further, we have confirmed these findings through our own third party lab testing via Eurofins Scientific. For example, before launching our Cordyceps extract, we tested samples from a number of suppliers. Our fruiting body extract contained a high 53.2% beta-glucan content, while a mycelium on grain extract from a different supplier contained only a measly 3.28% beta-glucan. This low concentration was unacceptable in our opinion, and we choose not to sell it. 

The mycelium on grain extracts we tested contained minimal beta-glucan content but had the highest concentration of alpha-glucan, which is simply a polysaccharide from the grain (brown rice) on which the mycelium was grown. Unlike beta-glucan, alpha-glucan has no medicinal benefit.

It is true that mushroom mycelium does contain beneficial compounds. However, the therapeutic benefits are predominantly found in pure mycelium extracts developed through fermented liquid mycelium, as opposed to mycelium grown on grains. 

Certain unique compounds found in specific pure mycelium extracts have been identified for their health benefits. The most notable is Erinaceus, found in Lion's Mane mycelium. Erinacines are small molecular weight compounds that have been shown to promote the synthesis of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), playing a pivotal role in neural health, protection, and regeneration. Similarly, Turkey Tail mycelium contains important bioactive compounds such as Polysaccharide-P (PSP), a high molecular weight polysaccharide. PSP has shown potential in supporting the immune system and has been studied for its antitumor properties.

The key takeaway is that mycelium grown on grain, due to its diluted nature, contains only minimal concentrations of these bioactive compounds, insufficient to offer therapeutic benefits. In contrast, pure mycelium extracts, particularly those obtained from fermented liquid mycelium, retain a richer profile of these beneficial compounds. So if you’re looking to experiment with mycelium extracts, just make sure to go with liquid fermentation products over mycelium on grain. Although be prepared to pay a lot for the privilege, due to the complexity of production they’re not cheap!

Why Do Companies Sell Mycelium on Grain Extracts?

Given the plethora of data and studies, you’re probably wondering why any business chooses to manufacture and sell mycelial products. What’s the deal?

This is where cost and time to market come into the picture. One of the major reasons for using mycelium instead of fruiting body is that production is much cheaper and faster.

Mycelium begins to develop at an early stage in the mushroom growth process. Eventually, it will produce fruiting bodies to help the fungi reproduce, but what if manufacturers didn’t have to wait that long? Imagine if mycelium could be collected within just days or weeks after being introduced to the grain spawn. And what if half the weight of the final product was the grain itself? The answer is easy: lower costs and greater efficiency.

We can use an analogy to make it even more clear. Imagine you are trying to make apple juice, but want to save yourself time and money. So, rather than growing any apples, you just take the stems, roots & branches from the apple tree. You make a drink, selling it as 'apple juice'. However, in reality, its mostly twigs and bits of wood, not really stuff you want to drink!

Put simply, companies can make more profit by cutting down on their manufacturing costs ans saving time. Unfortunately, in the pursuit of profit, a lot of companies will happily sell a subpar product knowing it will not benefit the consumer, only burn a hole in their wallet!

How Do You Know Whether You're Buying a High Quality Extract?

When searching for a high-quality mushroom supplement, it's imperative to scrutinise lab testing results. Many suppliers of mycelium on grain extracts may hesitate to provide third-party lab results because they reveal disappointingly low levels of bioactive compounds. For a mushroom supplement to be truly beneficial, it needs to be rich in bioactive compounds that can deliver therapeutic benefits. Unfortunately, mycelium on grain extracts often falls short of this benchmark.

It is crucial to be thorough in your research. Always check the label, both front and back. A credible product will transparently list all its ingredients and specifically mention that it originates from mushroom fruiting bodies.

Beware of ambiguous terms like "full spectrum" when it comes to mushroom products. While this term sounds impressive, some companies use it to justify the inclusion of mycelium. Full spectrum products usually include a blend of both mycelium and fruiting body extracts. However, the concentration of cheaper mycelium on grain will often constitute the bulk of the product, leading to inferior quality.

In addition, exercise caution when a mushroom supplement prominently advertises 'polysaccharides'. While these are essential compounds, the mere presence of polysaccharides doesn't guarantee a product's efficacy, as not all polysaccharides are bioactive. For example, as we've discussed previously, mycelium on grain supplements contain high levels of non-bioactive grain starch (alpha-glucan polysaccharides), which provides no benefits and artificially inflates the polysaccharide contents. Always prioritise products that specify their content of beneficial compounds like beta-glucans, usually as a percentage, as these are what give mushrooms their therapeutic qualities.

Whilst on the topic of product labelling, the FDA has even clarified that mycelium, while part of a fungus, is not the same as a mushroom (the fruiting body). In addition, products containing mycelium must be labelled as such, and cannot be marketed or sold as "mushroom" products. Labelling must not imply or suggest the presence of mushrooms. New draft guidance further indicates that products using mycelium instead of the fruiting body may be considered adulterated. The FDA also states that mycelium products cannot reference clinical research conducted on whole mushroom fruiting bodies, as these are distinct ingredients. The FDA's stance is clear: mycelium and mushrooms are different, and this distinction must be accurately reflected in product labelling and marketing.

Finally and most importantly, always request 3^rd party lab testing from any mushroom supplement brand you’re considering buying from. A 3^rd party lab testing for beta-glucans will indicate the potency of the extract. To reap the benefits of mushroom supplements, you need an extract with high concentrations of bioactive compounds that offer a therapeutic benefit.

Be wary of in-house lab testing, as this can be biased. Results from renowned laboratories, like Eurofins Scientific, are the gold standard as they provide more credibility and unbiased findings.

A 100% fruiting body extract isn’t enough to guarantee potency and quality. A high-quality mushroom supplement must use optimal extraction methods to get high levels of active compounds like beta-glucans & triterpenes. Additionally, supplements must be tested for heavy metals, pesticides and other contaminants to ensure that they are safe for consumption.

Shroomex supplements contain pure fruiting body extracts and have been verified by Eurofins Scientific to contain high amounts of beta-glucan, up to 64.1%, which is the highest amount ever verified through 3^rd party lab testing! In addition, we also test our supplements for heavy metals and contaminants to ensure that they are safe for our customers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, based on the extensive evidence presented in this blog, it is abundantly clear that fruiting body extracts are the superior choice when it comes to mushroom supplements. The historical use of mushrooms in various cultures, along with modern scientific research, overwhelmingly supports the use of mushroom fruiting bodies over mycelium. Fruiting body extracts contain higher concentrations of essential bioactive compounds, such as beta-glucans, triterpenes, and other beneficial compounds, compared to mycelium extracts.

The manufacturing process of fruiting body extracts, though longer and more expensive, results in a highly pure and potent end product. In contrast, mycelium extracts, particularly those grown on grain substrates, contain substantial starch content and lack the concentration of bioactive compounds found in fruiting bodies. Moreover, the research supporting fruiting body extracts is far more extensive and robust than that for mycelium extracts. While there are some promising findings regarding mycelium, it remains a subject of debate and doubt due to the lack of conclusive, independent, peer-reviewed scientific evidence.

Consumers should exercise caution and scrutinise product labels to ensure they are getting genuine mushroom supplements derived from fruiting bodies. Terms like "full spectrum" and vague claims about polysaccharides should be viewed sceptically, as they can be used to mask the use of mycelium-based products. Third-party lab testing results are a crucial resource for verifying the quality and efficacy of mushroom supplements.

All things considered, it is evident that fruiting body extracts are the best choice for those seeking the full range of health benefits that mushrooms can offer. Making an informed choice based on this evidence will undoubtedly lead to better outcomes for those looking to incorporate mushroom supplements into their wellness routine.