Host Defense Information

Should you consume raw mushrooms and/or mushroom mycelium?

• No, absolutely not! Raw mushrooms are largely indigestible because of their tough cell walls, mainly composed of chitin.
• Dr. Andrew Weil advises, in agreement with other experts, that mushrooms must be cooked! “Mushrooms have very tough cell walls and are essentially indigestible if you don't cook them. Thoroughly heating them releases the nutrients they contain, including protein, B vitamins, and minerals, as well as a wide range of novel compounds not found in other foods,” (Prevention, Feb 1, 2013).
• Raw mushrooms and raw mycelium may pose health hazards from harmful pathogens and heat-sensitive toxins—potentially causing red blood cell damage¹, gastrointestinal irritation and allergic reactions, such as skin rashes².

How can one safely use mushrooms?

• By consuming mushrooms or mushroom products that have been cooked, or heat-treated.*
• Proper heat treatment denatures toxins, softens fungal tissues, and allows our natural digestive enzymes to access and utilize the inherent benefits of both culinary mushrooms and mushroom supplements: Edible mushrooms should be tenderized by heating to at least 140 ˚F —over many hours— more preferably over 180˚F, most preferably above 200 ˚F to release their nutrients and render them digestible and safe.³

Are Host Defense® Mushrooms raw or cooked?
Host Defense® encapsulated products have been heated to proper temperature levels to maximize nutritional benefit and safety. Our process includes:

• Growing mycelium (the root-like life stage) on Certified Organic, cooked, and sterilized brown rice.
• At peak performance, we harvest and immediately freeze-dry material, to preserve nutrients and prevent oxidation. (Air-drying, a cheaper and inferior processing method, does not achieve maximum constituent levels nor reduce toxin levels, and is vulnerable to contamination and oxidation.)⁴
• We heat-treat the mushroom mass after freeze-drying, to activate and unlock the nutritional compounds and ensure their bioavailability. Host Defense products are assayed a minimum of four times for quality and purity.

Thank you for your continued support on the path to help people and planet.

¹Shibata, T., M. Kudou, Y. Hoshi, A. Kudo, N. Nanashima, K. Miyairi, 2010. “Isolation and characterization of a novel two-component hemolysin, erylysin A and B, from an edible mushroom, Pleurotus eryngii.” Toxicon 56: 1436–1442.

²Kopp, T., P. Mastan, N. Mothes, S. Tzaneva, G. Stingl, A. Tanew, 2009. “Systemic allergic contact dermatitis due to consumption of raw shiitake mushroom.”Clinical and Experimental Dermatology 34: e910–e913.

³Choi Y., S.M. Lee, J. Chun, H.B. Lee, J. Lee, 2006. “Influence of heat treatment on the antioxidant activities and polyphenolic compounds of Shiitake (Lentinus edodes) mushroom.” Food Chemistry 99(2): 381–387. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2005.08.004.

⁴Ma, L., H. Chen, W. Zhu, Z. Wang, 2013. “Effect of different drying methods on physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of polysaccharides extracted from mushroom Inonotus obliquus.” Food Research International 50:633-640.

In 2017, Paul Stamets and his team at Fungi Perfecti, LLC (FP) have partnered with Natural Immune Systems, Inc. (NIS) to further clarify the immune-enhancing impacts of various mushroom ingredients. NIS Labs specializes in bio-relevant assays, integrating their laboratory and clinical facilities to evaluate how natural products impact human physiology. Together, NIS Labs and FP are uncovering some remarkable truths about mushroom ingredients used in the supplement industry.

To check for activation of various immune factors, three Host Defense® brand products were put to the test: MyCommunity® capsules, Reishi mycelium capsules and Agarikon mycelium capsules.

Testing by NIS Labs confirmed that these three mycelium-centered products:

• increase innate immune cells for protection*
• activate white blood cells for immune strength*
• regulate immune cell compounds for a balanced immune response.*

A separate research effort by FP and NIS Labs sought to understand the immune impact of organic brown rice substrate after being cultured by Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) mushroom mycelium.

As mushroom mycelium grows through brown rice, it produces a near-inseparable matrix of mycelium and enzymatically-converted material. Utilizing an expensive and time-consuming laboratory process, researchers were able to separate pure Turkey Tail mycelium from the cultured rice substrate.

Testing verified both the mycelium and the cultured rice substrate as immunologically active.* Furthermore, the mycelium and the cultured rice substrate are active in different ways, each conferring unique and complimentary immune benefits.*

By contrast, the same immune assays were performed on organic brown rice substrate that was not cultured by mushroom mycelium. With the plain, uncultured rice, no significant immune activity was detected.

This data definitively demonstrates that cultured mycelium on organic brown rice is extraordinarily active in supporting immunity.*

Consumers should keep in mind that it is not possible to separate mushroom mycelium from its grain substrate under normal circumstances. Similar to yogurt, in which beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus cultures milk, these two nutrient sources exist as a living, interconnected matrix. Alongside the pure mycelium, the cultured rice substrate becomes a new, integrated functional food providing complete and effective support for immune function.*

Some vendors in the mushroom supplement space deceptively argue that mycelium grown on a grain substrate is not useful for consumers and that only mushroom fruitbodies are valuable in supporting health. These claims contradict hundreds of articles published in the scientific literature demonstrating the health-enhancing value of mushroom mycelium grown on grain substrates such as organic brown rice, including a NIH funded study confirming the immunologically supporting activity of Host Defense Turkey Tail mycelium capsules.*

Paul Stamets notes, “In my scientific opinion, mushroom products not incorporating mycelium are at a decided disadvantage, given the results of recent research.”

Ongoing research efforts by Fungi Perfecti and NIS Labs are further demonstrating the profound value of mushroom mycelium. Several papers are in preparation for publication in peer-reviewed immunological journals.

Paul Stamets & Fungi Perfecti, LLC: 

Founder, owner and Director of Research of Fungi Perfecti, Paul Stamets, D.Sc. has been recognized for decades as a leading innovator in the field of mycology, with a focus on revealing the health-supporting properties of mushrooms. As a renowned researcher and author of six books, Stamets’ Host Defense mushroom formulations have long been the most sought-after and highly valued within the dietary supplement industry.