Great extract. Super concentrated. Authentic REAL mushroom.
So, I got a bit of an education with this product, which is always nice. I was approached to do a product review for these guys. I was intrigued because I actually grow mushrooms myself as a hobby and had considered growing reishi at one point for the fabulous health benefits, but it's a bit difficult to cultivate.<br /><br />Quality: 5/5<br />So, let me get this out of the way first. I had a bit of an issue with one of the claims in the product description and brought it to the company's rep for answers. They have an image that reported that their extract is made from actual mushroom fruiting bodies (the part of the above ground part of the mushroom that we traditionally think of AS a mushroom is actually the fruit or aka fruity body) while other brands sometimes use ground up mycelium (the body of the mushroom, not the fruit)....<br /><br />As someone who does this as a hobby I was immediately concerned about this. Surely this could not be true. To sell ground mycelium as a mushroom product, ESPECIALLY for medicinal purposes, is COMPLETELY unethical and misleading IMO. It's tantamount to selling a jar of apple wood sawdust and calling it apple sauce because it came from the same plant. The vast majority of the beneficial compounds in almost all mushrooms is found in the fruiting bodies.<br /><br />I thought surely this must be misleading advertising on the part of REAL Mushrooms... So, i went several rounds back and forth with their wonderful customer relations team and then I went and did my own research. What do you know... This happens a LOT.  Even one of my favorite and trusted brands apparently does this with one of their key ingredients. They're basically selling metaphorical sawdust. I was appalled.<br /><br />In contrast I got in-depth about the extraction process that REAL Mushrooms uses with their suppliers. They use both a hot water and alcohol extraction to get both the water and alcohol soluble compounds out of the mushroom mass and then put it through a process to convert that extract to powder. That is exactly how I would want it done. you get all of the potency concentrated down into a manageable package. They also don't bind their extract to a carrier or filler such as starch, which is even better. That raises the medicinal value and potency you get from this extract exponentially graham for graham.<br /><br />Value: 5/5<br />This is a small package that seems expensive for the weight, but you're getting a tremendous about of value. If I were to guess I would imagine that 1 tsp of this stuff is equivalent to several pounds of actual mushroom fruit as far as the active chemical components. The company might have a more accurate conversion as this is just a guess based on their process as described to me. Wild reishi goes for between $10 and $50 per pound so you do the math. :)<br /><br />Taste: 5/5<br />Ok, so there's no getting around it. Reishi is bitter. It's got a complex earthy bouquet but it's also mildly bitter. The aroma reminds me a bit of beef bouillon cubes but more floral. The bitter notes are not overpowering at all IMO. Overall the flavor is very rich and earthy. That bitter note is one of the ways to tell it's authentic because the actual mushroom itself is bitter because of those same beneficial chemical compounds. Because this is super concentrated it's got the same properties...<br /><br />However, I honestly found the taste great, especially when mixed with my coffee. It added a deep rich earthy note to my coffee and the bitter notes just sort of disappeared into the coffee. I think it pairs very well with coffee even if you were just adding it JUST for the flavor. It was down right yummy.<br /><br />The powder doesn't readily dissolve in water because they also use an alcohol extraction to get all of the goodness out of the fruit so I recommend mixing about a tsp with a little coffee first, mixing vigorously and then pouring that into your mug/cup. It just seems to work out better. I have not tried it in teas or smoothies yet, but I imagine the flavor would likely almost completely disappear in a fruit smoothie and if paired with a nice earthy tea it would probably go nicely.<br /><br />About Reishi Mushrooms:<br />For those that aren't aware, Reishi mushrooms have been used for literally thousands of years in chinese and japanese herbal medicine. They're revered for their &#34;life prolonging&#34; properties. Recent scientific testing has identified the active compounds primarily as triferpenes (ganoderic acids) which are mild antihistamines (improves allergy tolerances), improve oxygen utilization and liver function. Especially when taken regularly Reishi has been shown to enhance immune function and blood circulation, help with anxiety, high blood pressure, hepatitis symptoms and even insomnia and asthma. Recent research has also pointed toward Rishi being effective at at dealing with tumor growth.<br /><br />**I received this product at a discounted rate for my honest and unbiased review. This opinion is 100% based on my own experience and research with this product
Rating: 5 stars