FAQs
Here you can find all frequently asked questions regarding our products, medicinal mushrooms in general and production processes. Can’t find your question? Just send us an e-mail or call us!
About our products
Do we ship internationally?
Yes, we offer worldwide shipping. Please note that we are unable to deliver to some countries and we apologize for any inconvenience caused.
What are our delivery times?
Delivery times depend on the country of destination and the availability of the products ordered. As soon as we’ve received your order we can inform you about the estimated delivery times.
Do we offer white label products?
Yes, you can purchase our products as white label. Just contact our team for further assistance.
What is the shelf life of our products?
If stored properly, our capsules can be kept for up to 36 months and extracts and powders for up to 4 years. Proper storage means that the products should be kept dry, cool and out of direct sunlight. The packages for the powders should also be kept closed. Please refer to the specifications of each product for more detailed instructions.
Where do we ship from?
We ship all of our orders from Austria, where our warehouse is based.
What is the capsule hull made of?
The capsule shell is made of cellulose. We do not use any capsules made gelatin derived from animals.
Why do mushroom powders/extracts from one species sometimes have a different color?
Our medicinal mushrooms are grown on natural growing materials such as wood or straw. As the type of wood is not important, we use different types of wood that sometimes differ in color. Oak wood, for example, is relatively dark, while apple trees provide a very light-colored material.
In their capacity as chemosynthesizers, the mushrooms absorb the different dyes from the growing material and store them in their cells. After drying and grinding, the different colors of the growing material result in differences in the color of the powder.
Do we offer our products to individual customers?
No, we only sell to businesses and other such organizations.
Why our capsules contain acerola?
Studies have shown that vitamin C significantly improves the absorption of the ingredients in medicinal mushroom extracts. The acerola cherry is one of the fruits with the highest vitamin C content. For this reason, we have decided to add acerola to our extracts to make our products even more bioavailable.
Is a mushroom product better the more polysaccharides it contains?
The natural polysaccharide content of a mushroom is between 20 and 30%. Therefore, we standardize our extracts to this level. To achieve even higher polysaccharide levels, the mushroom extract must be made stronger. It must be repeatedly treated with ethanol or other extracting agents, which means that the natural ingredients of the mushroom are lost. Also, many mushroom products with higher polysaccharide content most likely also contain polysaccharides not derived from mushrooms.
About medicinal mushrooms
What are medicinal mushrooms?
Medicinal mushrooms can be seen as a sub-category of functional mushrooms. The term medicinal refers to the mushrooms being used specifically in alternative and traditional medicine for their potential health benefits. The mushrooms contain bioactive compounds, such as polysaccharides, triterpenes, and beta-glucans, which are believed to have various therapeutic properties. Research on the medical benefits of such mushrooms is on-going.
What are functional mushrooms?
Functional mushrooms are mushrooms that are not necessarily high in nutritional value, but have many functional or adaptogenic properties that go beyond the nutritional benefits. Examples include reishi and cordyceps, which are not intended to be eaten, but contain valuable substances such as polysaccharides that may have other health benefits. Studies regarding these potential health benefits have been growing in recent years, as interest towards functional mushrooms has been growing.
What is mycelium?
The mycelium is the root system of a mushroom. Most of the mushroom actually consists of the mycelium. The fruiting body is used for reproduction and is known as the part of the mushroom that is used for both natural healing and culinary purposes. A mycelium usually grows underground or on dead wood and can reach gigantic proportions.
Is the mycelium less potent than the fruiting body?
The ingredients of the fruiting body and the mycelium are very similar. However, the concentration of for example polysaccharides and beta-glucans is higher in the fruiting body, so it can be said that the fruiting body of the mushroom is more potent. For example, triterpenes, which are often responsible for the bitterness as well as potency of reishi, are mostly found in the fruiting body and rarely in the mycelium.
What are polysaccharides?
Polysaccharides, which include beta-glucans, are compounds composed of multiple glucose molecules and are found in the cell walls of mushrooms. The potential health benefits of mushrooms can be largely attributed to polysaccharides and beta-glucans in particular.
About our production processes
Why don’t we grow functional mushrooms in Germany or Europe, but only in China?
Thanks to the long tradition with TCM, our Chinese farmers have a sound knowledge of mushroom growing and cultivation from which our customers can benefit. We Europeans lack this know-how, as the knowledge about mushrooms has been largely lost in the course of industrialization and modern medicine.
Studies have even shown that medicinal mushrooms from countries with a tradition of producing TCM functional mushrooms, such as China, are of better quality than mushrooms from countries without this tradition.
The import of medicinal mushrooms from China is therefore a decisive criterion to ensure the high quality and effectiveness of our raw materials.
How can the customer know what is the delivered product?
Each raw material batch is given a number, as is each finished product. With this number the results of the Agrolab analysis can easily be traced and the analysis certificates can be given to customers per request.
What packaging options are available?
All of our products are packaged in either PE bags or cardboard drums. Detailed explanations of the packaging can be found in the product specifications for each mushroom.
Is it possible to get customized product labeling?
Yes, it is possible for our customers to get custom labels for their products. You can discuss about your needs with our team.
Do other ingredients in the mushrooms suffer from the extraction process?
Small amounts of vitamins and amino acids are lost during extraction. But, since the polysaccharide content is the most important factor in extracts, this loss plays a minor role.
However, it also shows why both dosage forms, extracts and powders, have their place and why it sometimes makes sense to use them in combination.
Are the Chinese farmers paid fairly?
Fair treatment of our Chinese partners is very important to us. This includes fair payment for the work they do, regardless of how much harvest is yielded.
This philosophy is also an important building block of our quality system, as fair payment ensures the loyalty of our farmers.