Powder or Extract?

There are different views about the respective pros and cons of medicinal mushroom powders and mushroom extracts. In our view, both forms have their merits and may even be combined with each other. The following factors should be considered:

• All of the ingredients and the fibre remain unchanged, provided that the drying is carried out at moderate temperatures below 50 °C.
  
• Its traditional use as a food takes into account the whole mushroom
  
• As it contains both vitamins and organic vitalcompounds, powder can serve as a prophylactic and as a dietary supplement.
  

• In the preparation of extracts a hot water extract, a kind of concentrated tea, is produced. The dissolved substances then are obtained by using a centrifuge. No chemicals are added, the result is 100 %  natural.
• Certain ingredients are lost during processing. on the other hand, other compounds, such as polysaccharides and triterpenes, become highly concentrated, and it is precisely these substances which display the strongest effects. The effect of extracts is stronger and faster. The combination of powder and extracts can also be worthwhile.
• The valuable ingredients (including the beta-glucans and triterpenes) become, depending on the species, 4-15 times more concentrated (see table below for individual species).
• During the cooking process, the ingredients are separated from the cell matrix and thus become better digestible.
• Extracts can be consumed in lower doses than powders.
• Most of the related clinical studies have been carried out with fungal extracts, and have thus proved their benefits.
• Pesticide contamination is greatly reduced.
• Many medicinal plants, such as valerian or artichoke, are successfully used as an extract.
• traditional  use of mushrooms as a tea in Asia is also a form of extract.
• for specific complaints the use of extracts should be considered.