Ingredients of medicinal mushrooms

Polysaccharides

Polysaccharides are compounds consisting of multiple glucose molecules that are found in the cell walls of mushrooms. They are certainly among the most interesting and well-studied components of medicinal mushrooms. In fact, scientific studies have shown that the health-promoting effects of medicinal mushrooms are often due to the mushroom-typical polysaccharides.

However, humans cannot utilize the polysaccharides simply by eating mushrooms. The cell walls that surround the polysaccharides are made of chitin and the human body can’t break it down.

Extraction can be used to dissolve this chitin shell and allow the human body to access the polysaccharides inside. High quality medicinal mushroom extracts are standardized for a certain amount of polysaccharides.

A good polysaccharide content of an extract is between 20 and 30%, as this is the level of polysaccharides that naturally occur in mushrooms. A content around this value is thus a proof that the natural composition of the mushroom is not significantly altered by the extraction process.

Beta-glucans

Beta-glucans, a type of dietary fiber, are an sub-type of polysaccharides with a special helical-formed structure. This structure allows them to enter the T-cells in the human body like a lock and key, opening the door to the immune system.

Beta-glucans are also found in grains, yeast and oats, but their effect is not the same as that of polysaccharides found in mushrooms. Therefore, when purchasing medicinal mushroom products, it is important to make sure that you only buy products made from pure mushrooms without any fillers.

Vitamins and minerals

Different medicinal mushrooms contain varying amounts and types of vitamins, the most common among them all being vitamins D, B1, B2, B3, B5, B9, and C. Many medicinal mushrooms also contain iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium, and potassium.

These vitamins and minerals are essential to the human body for ensuring important functions such as nerve function, muscle contraction, metabolism, and optimal functioning of the immune system. They also serve as building blocks for bones and teeth.

Triterpenoids

Another important component of medicinal mushrooms is triterpenoids. They are a group of bioactive compounds that are considered to be one of the main components responsible for medicinal mushrooms’ various health benefits. Their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cholesterol-lowering effects have been researched in numerous studies and research papers.

Like polysaccharides, triterpenoids are bound in the cell walls of mushrooms and need to be extracted out.

Triterpenoids are not found in every medicinal mushrooms. For example reishi and chaga are particularly rich in titerpenes, that belongs to the wider group of triterpenoids.

Ergosterol

Ergosterol, a precursor of vitamin D, that is often called the “super vitamin,” is also found in medicinal mushrooms. The human body can even make vitamin D3 from ergosterol, a vitamin that is important for bone health and the immune system.

Maitake has the biggest concentration of Ergosterin, but it can aslo be found in champignon (button mushroom), shiitake and pleurotus (oyster mushroom.