Understanding Functional Mushrooms

By Oli Genn-Bash

May 2025

The functional mushroom industry has exploded in recent years, but you’d be forgiven for not understanding the information surrounding their benefits, or even knowing what kinds of questions you should be asking.

Functional mushrooms are non-psychedelic fungi used for their health-supporting properties to help the different systems in our body operate properly, or “function” in an optimal way. While the list of these types of fungi is quite large, there are some key players when it comes to mushroom supplements. Lion’s mane is probably the most popular fungi around, with its active compounds being utilised for cognitive function and focus. Then we have other powerhouses such as cordyceps, which is becoming popular for its energy-boosting properties, and reishi, which is known for providing relaxation and stress relief, along with turkey tail and chaga, which have been used extensively to support immune function. Many of these fungi have been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine. Much of this wisdom still persists to this day.

There’s something of a ‘big five’ going on with the fungi I’ve just listed, and now we’re starting to see other types of fungi, such as tremella, maitake, and shiitake, being touted for things like healthy skin, reducing blood sugar, and boosting the immune system.

The important thing to note about these mushrooms is that, while some of them have a crossover with culinary use (lion’s mane and shiitake, for example), we need to put them through different extraction methods in order to obtain the medicinal benefits. This is partly due to the structure of the mushroom cell wall, which is made of a compound called chitin (also found in insect shells). This needs to be broken down in order for our bodies to access the beneficial compounds that provide therapeutic effects.

Consumers are aware of mushrooms such as lion’s mane or reishi, but don’t necessarily know what makes a good, high-quality product and what makes a bad one. We see numbers (often quite high) on the front and back of packaging, and a lot of the time there’s no continuity between the two, leading to confusion for the consumer. But consumers want to see something, right? Better to have some impressive-looking numbers on your packaging than just saying “mushroom extract,” yes? Well, arguably so. But we need to dig deeper to understand what’s really going on.

Are consumers being misled, especially when it comes to mushroom extracts? We’d like to believe not, but some brands exploit the assumption that bigger numbers mean better quality. Take extract ratios. Claims like “we use 10kg of mushrooms to make 1kg of extract” sound impressive, suggesting high potency. I’ve even seen products marketed as 15:1, 20:1, and recently 40:1. I’ve heard confusion from cultivators wondering if this means “super potent” extracts. It certainly sounds good. You’re supposedly getting a highly concentrated extract because they’ve used a large amount of starting material. But some brands exploit the assumption that bigger numbers mean better quality.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t. In fact, we should be paying attention to something called the DER (drug-to-extract ratio). Lower ratios may actually indicate higher-quality starting material. If the mushrooms are rich in active compounds, less is needed to make a potent extract. That said, focusing solely on ratios can still be misleading. The real indicator of quality is lab testing for specific beneficial compounds. This approach is more precise, but also costly, which can be a barrier for smaller brands and a source of mistrust for consumers.

This kind of information feels a bit like an “unknown unknown”, and possibly within the realm of advanced knowledge. But the more companies I see producing high-quality products, the more I begin to have this specific conversation, especially as there can often be a lot of confusion surrounding this topic.

But why even bother having these kinds of conversations, you might ask? Can’t consumers simply buy different mushroom products and see which one works best for them? I guess it depends how far your resources extend. But as these supplements don’t come cheap, my hope is that providing individuals with the right kind of information will allow for a more targeted approach, where different mushrooms can be utilised to suit their needs in the long term.

We can also utilise these types of mushrooms in combination with fungi that provide support on the mental, emotional, and spiritual levels. Certain microdosing protocols may benefit from the inclusion of something like lion’s mane to assist with neurogenesis, reishi to provide calm, or cordyceps to offer extra support for managing depression. This kind of ‘stacking’ is certainly becoming popular, and the synergy between different mushrooms creates an exciting prospect for developing a personal protocol that’s more supportive on both the physical and mental levels.

Microdosing psilocybin-containing mushrooms is certainly not a one-size-fits-all. The different therapeutic compounds in functional mushrooms allow for the experience to be potentially tweaked to support individual needs. This fungal synergy can help us better understand the relationship between ourselves and the mushrooms. We can enter this kingdom of seemingly endless benefits and know that the fungi might be offering the most in-tune way to find healing, balance, and peace.

Interested in working with Oli? Connect with him at The Fungi Consultant  and on LinkedIn.

References

  • Dai, X., Stanilka, J. M., Rowe, C. A., Esteves, E. A., Nieves, C., Spaiser, S. J., Christman, M. C., Langkamp-Henken, B., & Percival, S. S. (2015). Consuming Lentinula edodes (shiitake) mushrooms daily improves human immunity: A randomized dietary intervention in healthy young adults. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 34(6), 478–487. https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2014.950391
  • Docherty, S., Doughty, F. L., & Smith, E. F. (2023). The acute and chronic effects of lion’s mane mushroom supplementation on cognitive function, stress and mood in young adults: A double-blind, parallel groups, pilot study. Nutrients, 15(22), 4842. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15224842
  • Hirsch, K. R., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Roelofs, E. J., Trexler, E. T., & Mock, M. G. (2017). Cordyceps militaris improves tolerance to high-intensity exercise after acute and chronic supplementation. Journal of Dietary Supplements, 14(1), 42–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/19390211.2016.1203386
  • Lai, P.-L., Naidu, M., Sabaratnam, V., Wong, K.-H., David, R. P., Kuppusamy, U. R., Abdullah, N., & Malek, S. N. A. (2013). Neurotrophic properties of the lion’s mane medicinal mushroom, Hericium erinaceus (Higher Basidiomycetes) from Malaysia. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, 15(6), 539–554. https://doi.org/10.1615/intjmedmushr.v15.i6.30
  • Lee, K. H., Morris-Natschke, S. L., Yang, X., Huang, R., Zhou, T., Wu, S. F., Wu, T. S., Li, J., & Zhu, G. (2012). Recent progress of research on medicinal mushrooms, foods, and other herbal products used in traditional Chinese medicine. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, 2(2), 84–95. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3942920/
  • Manohar, V., Talpur, N. A., Echard, B. W., Lieberman, S., & Preuss, H. G. (2002). Effects of a water-soluble extract of maitake mushroom on circulating glucose/insulin concentrations in KK mice. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 4(1), 43–48. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1463-1326.2002.00180.x
  • Mineroff, J., & Jagdeo, J. (2023). The potential cutaneous benefits of Tremella fuciformis. Archives of Dermatological Research, 315(7), 1883–1886. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-023-02550-4
  • Nawrot, J., Gornowicz, P. J., Budzianowski, J., Nowak, G., Schroeder, G., & Kurczewska, J. (2022). Understanding plant to extract ratios in botanical extracts. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 13, 981978. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.981978
  • Yao, C., Wang, Z., Jiang, H., Yan, R., Huang, Q., Wang, Y., Xie, H., Zou, Y., Yu, Y., & Lv, L. (2021). Ganoderma lucidum promotes sleep through a gut microbiota-dependent and serotonin-involved pathway in mice. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 13660. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92913-6
  • Zhang, X., Wang, M., Qiao, Y., Shan, Z., Yang, M., Li, G., Xiao, Y., Wei, L., Bi, H., & Gao, T. (2022). Exploring the mechanisms of action of Cordyceps sinensis for the treatment of depression using network pharmacology and molecular docking. Annals of Translational Medicine, 10(6), 282. https://doi.org/10.21037/atm-22-762

Scroll to Top