The Truth About Mushroom Supplements: What Most Companies Won’t Tell You

Mushrooms are everywhere these days.
Coffee replacements, capsules, powders, energy bars — it seems like every wellness company has jumped onto the mushroom trend.

But not all mushroom products are created equal.
And for people who are serious about getting real benefits from mushrooms, the difference matters.

The Two Main Types of Mushroom Products

Most mushroom supplements fall into one of two categories:
(1) products made from the fruiting body of the mushroom, or
(2) products made from mycelium grown on grain.

- The fruiting body is the part of the mushroom you recognize — the stem, cap, and structures it forms to reproduce.
- Mycelium, on the other hand, is the root-like network the mushroom uses to grow underground or through its food source.

Both are technically “mushroom material,” but they’re not equal when it comes to medicinal benefits.

Fruiting bodies are where you’ll find the richest concentration of the active compounds mushrooms are famous for — things like beta-glucans (immune support) and, in the case of Lion’s Mane, hericenones and erinacines (nerve growth support).

Mycelium on grain often contains far fewer active compounds — and a lot more filler.
Because it’s grown quickly on cheap substrates like rice or oats, it ends up being part mushroom, part grain — and in many cases, the final product contains more starch than mushroom.

Why This Matters

If you’re taking a mushroom supplement, chances are you’re hoping for real support — better focus, more resilience, stronger immune health.

But if the product you’re using is mostly myceliated grain, you're not getting the full benefit.
You’re getting something diluted. Something less than what the mushroom can truly offer.

And the truth is, most mass-market mushroom products are made with mycelium on grain — because it’s faster, cheaper, and easier to mass-produce.

The labeling doesn’t always make it clear.
Sometimes it says “full spectrum” or “mycelium biomass” without explaining what that really means.
Other times it simply says “mushroom” — even if there’s barely any actual fruiting body inside.

Extraction Matters Too

Beyond what part of the mushroom is used, how it’s prepared makes a major difference.

- Some beneficial compounds in mushrooms are water soluble (like beta-glucans).
- Others are alcohol soluble (like triterpenes, found in Reishi).
- Some mushrooms need both water and alcohol extraction to unlock their full potential — a process called dual extraction.

Simply grinding up mushrooms into powder — or boiling them quickly — often doesn’t pull out these compounds properly.

That’s why traditional tinctures, when done right, can deliver a broader range of benefits:
They respect the complexity of the mushroom, and extract more of what’s actually useful.

Why It’s Hard to Find Honest Information

Most companies don’t spend much time educating people about this.
It’s easier to market trendy mushroom products than it is to explain the real science behind them.

And because many people have never experienced what a truly potent mushroom extract feels like, they don’t realize there’s a difference.

The result?
A lot of people try mushroom supplements, don’t feel much, and assume mushrooms just aren’t that powerful.

But when you experience a real, well-made extract, you know.
The difference is subtle, but unmistakable.

Closing Thought

At Bed Stuy Fungi, we believe that mushrooms deserve better — and so do you.

We’re committed to sharing not just high-quality extracts, but also real information.
Because the more you understand, the more you can actually experience what mushrooms are capable of.

Not hype.
Not trends.
Just real mushroom medicine, made the way it should be.