We’ve all seen mushrooms growing out in the wild – whether in our backyards, in the park, or on the trail. We have several different kinds growing in yard right now.
When you do see them, do you ever wonder how the ones used in your animals’ supplements grow? Are supplement companies out there foraging for wild mushrooms? Sometimes, but not always. In fact, there are many different ways to grow a mushroom…
But does it really matter how mushrooms for pets are grown?
The short answer
Yes, it matters. How a mushroom is grown changes what ends up in the bottle.
- Mushrooms grown in nature (on trees, logs and the forest floor) produce a fruiting body, the part richest in compounds like beta-glucans and triterpenes.
- Many commercial mushroom supplements are mycelium grown on grain such as rice or oats. The mycelium and grain are almost impossible to separate, so the grain gets ground up and extracted too. Research has found these products can be 30 to 60% starch.
- Mushrooms themselves do not contain starch. A lot of starch in a mushroom product tells you much of what you are paying for is grain.
- Our view: mushrooms grown in their natural environment carry benefits a sterile lab cannot copy. That is why Adored Beast uses only the fruiting body of mushrooms grown in nature.
Wild-grown fruiting body vs mycelium on grain at a glance
| Fruiting body grown in nature | Mycelium grown on grain | |
| Where it grows | Trees, logs and forest floors | Sterile, climate-controlled facilities |
| What it grows on | Wood and soil, its natural home | Cooked rice, oats, sorghum or other grains |
| Part of the mushroom used | The fruiting body (the mushroom you can see) | Mycelium (the root-like network), usually with the grain |
| Starch | Mushrooms contain no starch | Can be 30 to 60% starch from the grain |
| Exposure to nature | Soil, forest bacteria, weather and seasons | Controlled temperature, humidity and light |
| Cost and predictability | Harder, slower and more expensive to source | Fast, cheap and predictable |
| Label clues | “Fruiting body”, “wildcrafted” | “Mycelium”, “myceliated grain”, “full spectrum”, grain in the ingredients |
How do mushrooms grow?
We often think of mushrooms as vegetables, but they are not. Vegetables grow from seeds. Mushrooms are fungi, and they start as spores.
In nature, mushrooms release their spores, which fall to the ground, drift on the wind or catch a ride on an animal’s fur. Spores can survive harsh conditions and stay dormant until they land somewhere suitable to grow (pretty brilliant). Then they grow on their own: in the soil, on dead logs, on tree trunks and more.
Once a spore germinates, it grows mycelium, a network of fine threads beneath the surface. The mycelium draws nutrients from whatever it is growing in, and eventually it produces a fruiting body. Think of the mycelium as the root and the fruiting body as the fruit. Just an FYI: many medicinal mushrooms, including turkey tail and chaga, do not have stems at all.
What is the difference between the fruiting body and the mycelium?
Both are valuable, and both contain compounds that may benefit health. Some compounds are shared, and some are unique to one part or the other.
That said, research shows that most mushrooms hold higher concentrations of bioactive compounds, such as beta-glucans and triterpenes, in the fruiting body than in the mycelium. Mushrooms also contain many compounds that have yet to be isolated, let alone fully understood. Using the whole fruiting body, grown the way nature intended, means your animal gets all of them, including the ones science has not named yet.
How are most commercial mushroom supplements made?
In commercial farming, spores are collected and mushrooms are grown in large, often sterile spaces where temperature, humidity and light are all controlled. Growers use many materials as a base (called a substrate), including:
- Rice
- Oats or other grains, like sorghum
- Sawdust or wood chips
- Straw
- Manure
- Compost
- Logs
To produce mycelium, most companies grow it on cooked, sterilized grain. By harvest, the mycelium and the grain have grown into each other (this is called “myceliated grain”), and it is extraordinarily difficult to separate the two. So, more often than not, the whole mass is ground up and extracted together. The end result can be more starch than mushroom.
Why does starch in a mushroom supplement matter?
Because mushrooms themselves do not contain starch. When a mushroom product tests high in starch, that starch came from the grain it was grown on.
A 2016 study in the Journal of AOAC International that measured beta-glucan in mushrooms and mycelial products found that mushrooms grown on grain can contain as much as 30 to 60% starch. That raises a fair question: can a product that is up to half starch be a complete representation of the mushroom on its label?
For dogs and cats, extra starch is also simply not something most of our animals need more of.
Why does Adored Beast use mushrooms grown in nature?
The way we look at health at Adored Beast is to follow nature, not to put it in a box or force it to do what we think it should. That includes mushrooms.
Our founder, Julie Anne Lee, DCH, believes mushrooms develop the most medicinal value when they grow in their natural environment, where they can take in all of the wisdom and nutrients that environment offers.
We know, and science keeps confirming, that soil and forests are full of valuable bacteria and bioactive compounds. We believe mushrooms take in far more from that living environment than they ever could from sterilized rice or any controlled grain-based method.
The mushrooms we use grow in nature: in old growth forests, or in clear-cut forests that have been lovingly rehabilitated. The forest bed and the natural water source they grow from are full of diverse bacteria, the same kind our dogs’ ancestors had access to (and still do). Wolves, for example, take in this beneficial bacteria through their prey, grooming and the world around them.
Of course, this makes our mushrooms harder, more expensive and less predictable to source, because we have very little control over the growing environment. But Julie believes it is important to consume things that have learned to be resilient to changes in the environment. Nature, especially forests and mushrooms, has a way of adapting and becoming resilient when left to its own abilities. When we take in food that has not been tampered with, it already carries that ability to survive.
How can you tell how a mushroom supplement was grown?
Read the label and ask questions. Look for:
- “Fruiting body” stated clearly. If the label says “mycelium”, “myceliated grain”, “mycelium biomass” or “full spectrum” without naming the fruiting body, it is likely grown on grain.
- Grain in the ingredients, such as brown rice, oats or sorghum. That is the substrate, and it is part of what you are buying.
- How it is extracted. Dried mushroom powder is hard for the body to absorb. Extraction in hot water and alcohol draws out both the water-soluble compounds (like beta-glucans) and the alcohol-soluble ones (like triterpenes).
- A company that tests every batch and will tell you where its mushrooms come from.
Our Chaga Liquid Extract and Turkey Tail Liquid Extract use only the fruiting body of mushrooms wildcrafted in North American forests. Both are made with a three-step triple extraction: hot water, then organic alcohol, then glycerin. Once the process is complete there is 0% alcohol left, and every batch is tested. For horses, we make an Equine Turkey Tail Liquid Extract the same way.
Not sure which mushroom fits your animal? Start with Chaga vs Turkey Tail: Is One Better Than the Other?, then see why we recommend rotating them in Medicinal Mushrooms for Dogs: The Power of Rotation.
So, does it matter?
Mushrooms are profoundly medicinal, and however they are grown, they can still be helpful. We are of the opinion, though, that some benefits can only come from mushrooms grown in their natural environment, and that you should know whether you are buying mushroom or grain.
Whatever you choose, choose it with confidence. That positive energy, and the confidence that it will work, matters too. And always remember: nature wants us to heal.
Frequently asked questions
The mycelium is the root-like network that grows underground or inside wood. The fruiting body is the mushroom you can see, which grows from the mycelium. Both contain useful compounds, but most mushrooms hold higher levels of beta-glucans and triterpenes in the fruiting body.
It means the mycelium was grown on a grain such as rice or oats, and the grain was usually ground up and included in the final product. These products can be 30 to 60% starch.
Mushrooms do not contain starch. Starch in a mushroom product comes from the grain the mycelium was grown on.
We believe so. Mushrooms grown in their natural environment take in nutrients and beneficial bacteria from the forest and develop resilience that sterile, grain-based growing cannot copy.
Look for the fruiting body on the label, no grain in the ingredients, a hot water and alcohol extraction, and a company that tests every batch.
Yes. Our Chaga, Turkey Tail and Equine Turkey Tail liquid extracts use only the fruiting body of wildcrafted mushrooms, triple extracted with 0% alcohol in the finished product.
Written by The Adored Beast Team at Adored Beast Apothecary, founded by Julie Anne Lee, DCH, RCSHom, one of the longest-practicing holistic animal health practitioners in North America. Read Julie’s full bio
This article is for informational purposes and is not a substitute for veterinary advice. If you are worried about your animal, please contact your veterinarian.
