You’ve just learned about the amazing health benefits of mushrooms, and you can’t wait to try them as supplements. However, the only problem is that you can’t decide whether to take them in pill or powder form. Are there any advantages of taking one type over the other?
The answer to whether you should take pre-dosed capsules or loose powders is not cut and dry unless you have difficulty swallowing pills. After that, it’s as easy as choosing the powdered versions of these supplements.
To help you choose which mushroom supplement form to take, you’ll learn:
Mushroom supplements in capsule form offer a no-mess, no-prep, and no-fuss way of experiencing the power of functional mushrooms in a pre-dosed format.
Unlike the methods of Traditional Chinese medicine that utilize mushroom extracts foraged from raw mushrooms, you get a measured dose of mushroom supplements with every capsule.
Mushrooms such as reishi have a distinct bitter taste. This is why mushroom capsules make it easy to enjoy the benefits without tasting the bitterness. Simply pop a capsule or two in your mouth and wash it down with water or your favorite drink.
Washing down the capsules with a drink is a quick and easy way to incorporate the functional benefits of reishi mushroom supplements, such as immune support and mood elevation, into your day.
Pets are not left out, either. Reishi mushrooms are featured in both an immune-supporting blend and a calming blend for pets. If your fur baby is a picky eater, these options come as an enticing flavored extract chew that masks the bitter taste of reishi better as mushroom dietary supplements.
One scoop or two? Heaped or level? Do these questions often plague you? Luckily, you don’t have to worry about that with mushroom supplements in capsule form. Capsules are pre-measured to an exact concentration with simple, clear instructions. All you need to do is swallow them; no complications.
Also, mushroom capsules come in different-sized bottles with pills ranging from 60 to 120 per bottle. If you don’t want to carry the whole bottle of supplements, you can easily scoop out a handful and store them in your pill organizer or a smaller, more compact container.
Mushroom powders are the result of meticulously and precisely extracted mushrooms. These powders come in single and blend varieties.
A study of 152 participants showed that 32% experienced difficulty swallowing pills [1]. Of that number, some stated that their inability to swallow pills resulted from memories of choking on medication. Others also had significantly smaller oral cavities than those who easily swallowed the pills.
Does this sound like you? Luckily, you have the option of choosing powders instead of capsules. Here are a couple of tips to help you choose the former over the latter.
Which is better, mushroom extract vs powder or capsule form?
Powders give you the versatility that mushroom pills do not. You can get creative with how you take your powders with various recipes. Keep it simple by tossing a few teaspoons into your favorite tea, soup, or smoothie.
Alternatively, you could get a little fancy. For example, if you work out a lot or need a little energy boost in the middle of the day, you could make a delicious smoothie using mushroom powder. There’s no end to the snacks, meals, and drink recipes that you can add mushroom powder to that will enhance the healthfulness of your diet.
If you’re a chocoholic, can you think of a better supplement than one containing a hot chocolate mix? You get to enjoy your favorite flavor with the added functional benefits of five organic functional mushrooms.
Even though the average American drinks more than two cups of coffee a day, excessive caffeine can cause [2]:
Instead, replace your daily dose of coffee with cordyceps or lion’s mane mushroom supplement powder known to give energy, clarity, and focus. These two powders mimic the benefits of coffee without the negative side effects.
Replacing your morning coffee with a functional mushroom beverage may be out of the question for you. If so, consider joining the leagues of people adding mushroom powders to their coffee routine. We concur that mushrooms + coffee are a match made in heaven. The earthy taste of mushroom extracts brings the flavor of coffee to the next level, plus the functional health benefits can’t be beaten.
Using a mushroom powder in your coffee is preferable over pre-mixed instant mushroom coffees sold on the market if you want to a) guarantee the quality and potency of your supplement and b) control the amount and flavor profile.
Learn more about the benefits of mushroom coffee and some recipes here.
If you have a child who’s a picky eater, the flexibility that powder gives you allows you to mix it into your child’s food. And because most mushroom powders are virtually tasteless, your child won’t be able to detect them in their food.
The same can be said of your pets. Sometimes, you just can’t get them to take their chews or pills. The best way to ensure that they still reap the benefits of mushrooms is to simply sprinkle the powder onto your furry friends’ food or treats.
Where capsules are tasteless, some powders offer a bit more flavor. For example, You may struggle to take a capsule because you don’t look forward to it. But chocolate-flavored powder supplements? Yum! If your favorite mushroom supplement has a delicious chocolate flavor, you’re more likely to remember to take it than swallowing a tasteless capsule.
Additionally, you should consider flexibility regarding where and how you use mushroom powder.
These supplements come in different sizes, like 45 g and 60 g resealable pouches. They’re small enough which makes it easy for you to toss them into your gym bag, work tote, or travel toiletry bag.
Now that you have an idea of what form of mushroom supplements you prefer, it’s important to know what to look for. Factors to always consider before purchasing any kind of mushroom supplements include:
This is an essential aspect of mushroom supplements. What is sold as mushroom supplements are sometimes nothing more than mycelium (root system) and filler products such as starch and grains.
High-quality mushroom supplements, including those sold at Real Mushrooms, contain nutrients from the mushroom, not the mycelium. The mushrooms contain high levels of beta-glucans compared to the products commonly sold in North America, which are made from mycelium grown on grain [3].
Beta-glucans are beneficial in the following ways:
The extraction process is a necessary process that helps give the body easier access to the important compounds found in mushrooms. There are two extraction methods: hot water extraction and dual extraction.
Think of the hot water extraction method as making tea. You drink the tea as the solvent, which remains after extracting the compounds. This method will extract only water-soluble compounds from the mushrooms. The solvent is then dried and becomes an extract powder.
Beta-glucans are the most active ingredient found in turkey tail, lion’s mane, cordyceps, maitake, and shiitake products. Because they’re water-soluble, beta-glucans are best extracted using the hot water extraction method.
The dual extraction method extracts non-water soluble compounds from the mushrooms. For this, alcohol is used. The leftover solids from the first extraction are now steeped in a water and alcohol solution. Afterward, the solids are removed, and the liquid is dried to form a powder.
This extraction method is best suited to chaga and reishi mushrooms that contain water-soluble beta-glucans and terpenoids, which are alcohol-soluble. Terpenoids are known to:
The only reason mushrooms are important is because of the compounds inside, the most important being beta-glucans. High-quality supplements will contain the highest concentration of beta-glucans.
They will also list the concentration of beta-glucans directly on the label. If your mushroom supplement lists a percentage of more than 20% beta-glucans, you can be almost certain the product contains mushrooms and not mycelium. It will, therefore, provide you with the potential health benefits that mushroom extracts can provide.
Combined, all three factors above determine whether a mushroom supplement is high-quality or a filler product with little to no health benefits.
Whether you’ve ultimately chosen to purchase supplements in powder or capsule form, there’s no denying that Real Mushrooms is the best source of high-quality mushroom supplements. We have products in both pill and loose powder formats, and different sizes of packages, giving you options to choose what suits you best.
At Real Mushrooms, we have been growing mushrooms for over 40 years. With our deep experience, we offer products that contain real mushrooms (fruiting bodies) and not just mycelium (roots) and other filler products.
Our supplements are not only safe for you, but they’re also safe for pets. Additionally, our products are vegan-friendly, gluten-free, and non-GMO.
1. Radhakrishnan, C., Sefidani Forough, A., Cichero, J. A. Y., Smyth, H. E., Raidhan, A., Nissen, L. M., & Steadman, K. J. (2021). A difficult pill to swallow: An investigation of the factors associated with medication swallowing difficulties. Patient Preference and Adherence, Volume 15, 29–40. https://doi.org/10.2147/ppa.s277238
2. Buchholz, K., & Richter, F. (2023, January 17). Infographic: How many cups of coffee do Americans drink each day? Statista Infographics. Retrieved January 26, 2023, from https://www.statista.com/chart/19524/cups-of-coffee-drunk-by-americans-per-day/
3. Bak, W. C., Park, J. H., Park, Y. A., & Ka, K. H. (2014). Determination of glucan contents in the fruiting bodies and mycelia of Lentinula Edodes cultivars. Mycobiology, 42(3), 301–304. https://doi.org/10.5941/myco.2014.42.3.301
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