Grain Grown vs Wood Grown Mushrooms.
What’s the difference + Why I Should Know About It?
You may be surprised to read that wood-grown and grain grown mushrooms are completely different and contain different benefits for the body.
Mushrooms can be found naturally growing on wood, trees or roots; however, they only grow from matter that has been collected at its original source (aka. growing from the ground). Top quality functional mushrooms must also come from an organic substrate such as sawdust instead of grain or rice husks which are suboptimal.
The main factor that makes a mushroom functional is where it grows. For thousands of years, medicinal mushrooms have evolved to grow on wood instead of rice or grain substrates like most food plants do; this method goes by the name “Di Dao” meaning ‘from the original source’.
In Ancient Chinese tradition. Di Dao sourcing meant that all tonic herbs were ethically sourced, giving this practice specific cultural legacy.
Why should I look for wood-grown medicinal mushrooms?
As the old saying goes, you are what you eat! By choosing wild or wild-cultivated mushrooms with rich flavours and textures you’re ensuring quality and potency, while securing environmental sustainability. What functional mushrooms feed off matters just as much: this includes both food sources AND how these affect different chemicals within each species body, thereby determining their potency and level of benefit to the body.
The presence of
beta-D glucans in mushrooms is what make them medicinal. These sugars and molecules are drawn up from the wood the mushroom is growing on, which gives wood-grown mushrooms superior benefits supported by the presence of compounds like triterpenes,
antioxidants, proteins, prebiotics, enzymes and polyphenols (antioxidant properties that fight free radicals and are closely linked with antiaging)
We work incredibly closely with our growers who harvest via Di Dao method. We are endlessly committed to the environment and woods our mushies are grown in, and we semi-wild or wild harvest all our mushrooms for purity, meaning that we need to respect the environment for all she offers us.
In Product quality is at the heart of what we do at Mush Mush: ensuring that each product contains extremely potent extracts which can be validated by testing for beta glucans (a Biological Response Modifier).
Biological response modifiers refer to the compounds ability to up-regulate and down-regulate the response of biological systems, giving us a great level of control over our health.
Do you only use wild and semi-wild harvested mushrooms?
As the old saying goes, you are what you eat! By choosing wood-grown, semi-wild or wildly cultivated mushrooms, you are guaranteeing quality and potency, while securing sustainability for the greater environment. What functional mushrooms grow on, and what they feed on is essential for the quality, potency and effectiveness of the active compounds or
phytochemicals they will ultimately retain.
We work incredibly closely with our growers to ensure that the environment and woods our mushies are grown in and on is pristine and Di Dao. Working with wood-grown versus grain- grown mushrooms is at the heart of our ethos. We ensure that our products contain extremely potent extracts, which we validate by taking the additional action of testing our mushies for the presence of a beta-d-glucan (active compound) level of greater than 30 % Beta-D-glucans are researched and known biological response modifiers. This refers to the compounds ability to up-regulate and down-regulate the response of biological systems, giving us a great level of control over our health.
As we covered in our beta-D-glucan blog it is the beta-D-glucan content and specific beta-D-glucan design that makes a mushroom have medicinal properties. The design and construction of beta-D-glucans vary somewhat between functional mushrooms, which gives each mushie its own set of specific benefits supported by the presence of a range of compounds. Some of these compounds include triterpenes, antioxidants, proteins, polyphenols, prebiotics, and digestive enzymes – all the good stuff!
As biological response modifiers, beta-D-glucans are recognised as one of the rare, identified substances which work with the body to boost the immune system naturally and in moderation as needed. Amazing studies are also happening around the further health benefits of beta-D-glucans, including the discovery antioxidant, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory properties.
So why not grain-grown medicinal mushrooms?
When medicinal mushroom species are grown on grain, it can be detrimental to the internal nutrient compounds, leaving the fruiting body loaded with carbohydrates and lacking essential composites.
The problem with grain-grown medicinal mushrooms or products made using these methods is that they contain very little active ingredients and can be contaminated by other substances which were ingested by the mushroom during its growth stages – not ideal!
We refuse to take any shortcuts and that is why our products will never be grown on anything other than natural woods or wooden substrate. We value the environment and nature’s gifts, which is why we only source from growers who are Di Dao certified and share these same values in order bring you top quality medicinal mushroom products with no chemicals, pesticides, or fillers!
We are immensely proud of the quality of our product! We only use 100% organic, wood-grown mushrooms which are hand harvested for their quality and potency. Our shrooms are full of nutrients and the essential compounds needed for you to feel exceptional.
In Summary
The difference between wood-grown and grain-grown products is noticeable on every level. Each mushroom draws its nutrients from the product it is grown on: growing on rice or grain substrate dilutes the potency and overall quality of the mushroom. If a product you are looking at seems a little too inexpensive to be true, we suggest looking into the type of growing environment the mushies are sourced from. If a product does not list a 30% beta-D-glucan content, then you will not be receiving the amount of active compounds needed to activate medicinal functionality.
We know this can be a little confusing, but never fear – all of our products support the standards we have mentioned above. We wildly or sub-wildly cultivate all our mushrooms and are proud to be closely aligned with our growers who implement strict Di Dao sourcing methods. All our powder blends are >30% beta-D-glucan content, and our fruiting bodies used in our products are 100% ethically, Di Dao sourced.
We’ve got you covered at Mush Mush.
