Knowledge from A to Z
Technical terms relating to medicinal mushrooms, ingredients, processing, and quality, explained simply and understandably.
The almond scent is in the name: Agaricus subrufescens is known in this country as the "almond mushroom." During the 20th century, the species became more well-known, particularly in Brazil and Japan, and is now cultivated in various countries.
Facts
🔬 Scientific name: Agaricus subrufescens (syn. A. blazei)
🏷️ Also known as: Almond mushroom, sun mushroom, ABM, Himematsutake
🌍 Origin: Originally Brazil, today mainly Asia
🌱 Grows on: Nutrient-rich compost soil
💊 Available as: Powder, extract, extract + powder
💡 Fun fact: The almond mushroom owes its German name to its characteristic aroma reminiscent of almonds.
An independent testing laboratory in Germany that examines, among other things, food and raw materials for defined quality and safety parameters. The parameters tested are determined by the specific testing order.
The material on or in which a mushroom grows – for example, wood, straw, or grain. The substrate provides the foundation for growth but is not to be equated with the mushroom itself.
Auricularia is primarily known from Asian cuisine under the name "Mu-Err." Its gelatinous, ear-shaped structure makes the mushroom unmistakable – and also explains some of its common names.
Facts
🔬 Scientific name: Auricularia auricula-judae
🏷️ Also known as: Mu-Err, wood ear, jelly ear
🌍 Origin: Found worldwide, cultivated mainly in China
🌱 Grows on: Deadwood, especially elder
💊 Available as: Powder, extract, extract + powder
💡 Fun fact: Auricularia has been cultivated as an edible mushroom for a long time, particularly in East Asia.
Components of plant or mushroom-based foods that are not, or only partially, broken down by the human digestive system. In mushrooms, this includes, for example, chitin.
A specific group of polysaccharides (complex carbohydrates) that occur naturally in the cell walls of mushrooms.
The EU organic logo identifies pre-packaged organic food that has been produced and inspected according to applicable EU regulations for organic production.
At first glance, Chaga hardly looks like a classic mushroom: it forms a dark, brittle structure on tree trunks that is reminiscent of charred bark. In cold regions, it grows over the course of several years.
Facts
🔬 Scientific name: Inonotus obliquus
🏷️ Also known as: Chaga mushroom, cinder conk
🌍 Origin: Siberia, Scandinavia, Northern Canada
🌱 Grows on: Birch trunks (parasitic)
⏳ Maturation time: Several years
💊 Available as: Powder, extract
💡 Fun fact: The striking black structure of the Chaga is not a classic fruiting body, but a sclerotium-like growth of the fungus.
Inconspicuous but world-famous: Agaricus bisporus is the classic button mushroom. Botanically, it belongs to the same genus as the almond mushroom, Agaricus subrufescens.
Facts
🔬 Scientific name: Agaricus bisporus
🌍 Origin: Originally Europe/North America, cultivated worldwide today
🌱 Grows on: Compost substrate
💊 Available as: Powder, extract
💡 Fun fact: White and brown button mushrooms belong to the same species – the different color is due to different cultivated varieties.
The main component of the fungal cell wall, which gives the tissue strength and acts as an insoluble dietary fiber in the human digestive tract.
With the shaggy ink cap (Coprinus comatus), the name says it all: ripe fruiting bodies begin to decompose themselves from the bottom up, turning into a black, ink-like liquid. This process is called autolysis.
Facts
🔬 Scientific name: Coprinus comatus
🏷️ Also known as: Shaggy ink cap, lawyer's wig
🌍 Origin: Europe, large parts of the Northern Hemisphere
🌱 Grows on: Meadows, roadsides, nutrient-rich soil
💊 Available as: Powder, extract
💡 Fun fact: Autolysis sets in quickly after ripening – which is why quick processing is important for fresh Coprinus.
The traditional Chinese name for Ophiocordyceps sinensis translates roughly to "winter worm, summer grass" – a reference to its natural life cycle as an insect-inhabiting fungus. Commercial products today also use cultivated Cordyceps species and fungal strains.
Facts
🔬 Scientific names: Cordyceps militaris / Ophiocordyceps sinensis
🏷️ Also known as: Caterpillar fungus
🌍 Natural occurrence: depending on the species, particularly in regions of Asia
⭐ Special feature: Commercial raw materials can originate from controlled cultivation; the species and fungal strain used are product-specific.
💊 Available as: Powder, extract, liquid extract
💡 Fun fact: The name "Cordyceps" can represent different species and cultivated fungal strains. A look at the exact raw material designation provides clarity.
The physical form in which a product is offered (e.g., as powder, capsule, extract, or liquid extract).
Long, light stems and tiny caps: that is how Enoki is known from the kitchen. Its typical shape is created during cultivation under special conditions; in the wild, the mushroom grows more compact and darker.
Facts
🔬 Scientific name: Flammulina velutipes
🏷️ Also known as: Velvet shank, winter mushroom
🌍 Origin: East Asia, also Europe and North America
🌱 Grows on: Deadwood (deciduous trees)
💊 Available as: Powder, extract
💡 Fun fact: Enoki isn't called "winter mushroom" without reason – in the wild, it can form fruiting bodies even at low temperatures.
A natural component of fungal cell membranes. Ergosterol is a precursor to Vitamin D2 and can convert accordingly under the influence of UV light.
A concentrated extract from mushroom material. During hot water extraction, water-soluble components in particular are dissolved from the starting material and concentrated in the extract.
Indicates how much starting material was used for a certain amount of extract. A ratio of 10:1 means, for example: 10 kg of raw material yields 1 kg of extract.
An analytical method in which characteristic molecular patterns of a sample are examined and compared with one another. It can be used for identity and quality testing.
An extract in liquid form. Depending on the manufacturing process, water or alcohol serves as the solvent; the liquid form allows for drop-by-drop dosing.
The part of a mushroom that is visible above the substrate for many species – for example, cap and stem. It is distinguished from the mycelium, the thread-like fungal network.
A set of rules for quality assurance of production processes and the environment during the manufacture of food and dietary supplements.
Hericium is immediately noticeable: instead of a classic cap, the mushroom forms long, white spines. Hence names like "hedgehog mushroom" and "lion's mane." In nature, it grows mainly on deciduous trees.
Facts
🔬 Scientific name: Hericium erinaceus
🏷️ Also known as: Lion's mane, pom-pom mushroom, bearded tooth
🌍 Origin: Temperate forests of Asia, Europe, North America
🌱 Grows on: Deciduous trees (especially beech, oak)
💊 Available as: Powder, extract, extract + powder
💡 Fun fact: Hericium also occurs in the wild in Central Europe, but is a protected species in Germany and Switzerland.
A standard for the audit certification of quality and safety in food processing.
A solid shell (usually of plant origin, made from HPMC) used for the precise dosing of powders or extracts.
An imaging examination procedure for analyzing the structural properties of solid samples.
The measurement-based examination of an individual production batch for defined parameters such as identity, content, purity, and potential residues or contaminants.
The Japanese name Maitake means "dancing mushroom." It is characterized by its numerous fan-shaped caps that grow in dense clusters at the base of deciduous trees.
Facts
🔬 Scientific name: Grifola frondosa
🏷️ Also known as: Hen-of-the-woods, dancing mushroom, ram's head
🌍 Origin: East Asia, North America, Europe
🌱 Grows on: Root area of deciduous trees
💊 Available as: Powder, extract, extract + powder, liquid extract
💡 Fun fact: A single Maitake fruiting body can weigh several kilograms in the wild.
Vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients that the body requires only in small amounts.
A product in which the mycelium is processed together with the grain substrate on which it was grown.
The fine, thread-like network of a fungus. Depending on the species, it grows in the soil, wood, or another substrate and forms the actual vegetative body of the fungus.
Foodstuffs intended to supplement the normal diet. They contain vitamins, minerals, or other substances with nutritional or physiological effects in concentrated form and are offered in dosed form.
Organic combustion residues analyzed in the laboratory as part of quality control.
Pleurotus ostreatus is better known as the oyster mushroom. It owes its name to its shell-shaped caps – and it is one of the most widely cultivated edible mushrooms worldwide.
Facts
🔬 Scientific name: Pleurotus ostreatus
🏷️ Also known as: Oyster mushroom
🌍 Origin: Widespread worldwide
🌱 Grows on: Deadwood of deciduous trees
💊 Available as: Powder, extract
💡 Fun fact: Pleurotus can actively catch nematodes (roundworms) in its substrate to meet its nitrogen requirements.
Many small caps, one common origin: Polyporus grows in branched clusters from an underground perennial organ, the so-called sclerotium.
Facts
🔬 Scientific name: Polyporus umbellatus
🏷️ Also known as: Lumpy bracket, umbrella polypore
🌍 Origin: East Asia, North America, Europe
🌱 Grows on: Root area of deciduous trees
💊 Available as: Powder, extract
💡 Fun fact: The underground sclerotium can rest in the soil for years before an above-ground fruiting body is formed.
Complex carbohydrates. In fungi, various polysaccharides are present as components of the cell wall, among other things.
Dried mushroom material that is finely ground mechanically. For the mushroom powders described here, the fruiting body is used.
The analytical laboratory procedure for checking raw materials for isotope residues (e.g., Caesium-137).
The period required for the fungus from mycelium formation to the full growth of the fruiting body.
The shiny cap makes Reishi unmistakable. Its consistency is woody and its taste bitter, which is why it is not prepared like a classic edible mushroom, but is primarily dried, ground, or extracted.
Facts
🔬 Scientific name: Ganoderma lucidum
🏷️ Also known as: Ling Zhi, glossy ganoderma
🌍 Origin: Asia, widespread worldwide
🌱 Grows on: Deadwood (deciduous trees)
⏳ Ripening time: Up to 8 months
💊 Available as: Powder, extract, extract + powder, liquid extract
💡 Fun fact: The German name "Glänzender Lackporling" (glossy varnish polypore) describes its appearance quite accurately: the mature cap looks as if it has been varnished.
The systematic testing of raw materials for residues such as heavy metals, pesticides, or microbiological contaminants.
Coarsely chopped, dried mushroom material. Vital mushroom coarse ground can be used, for example, for infusion preparations.
The potential presence of elements such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, or mercury, which is controlled by limit values.
A variety of organic compounds in plants and fungi (such as triterpenes) that do not serve primary energy metabolism.
A particularly fine grinding process for dried mushroom tissue. The goal is a very small particle size of the powder.
Shiitake is one of the best-known edible mushrooms in East Asia. Its name refers to the Japanese Shii tree, on whose wood the mushroom was traditionally cultivated.
Facts
🔬 Scientific name: Lentinula edodes
🌍 Origin: East Asia (Japan, China, Korea)
🌱 Grows on: Hardwood (chestnut, oak)
⏳ Ripening time: About 5 months
💊 Available as: Powder, extract, extract + powder
💡 Fun fact: Shiitake is one of the longest-cultivated edible mushrooms in the world.
A process used to set or ensure a defined and as consistent as possible content of selected marker substances in extracts.
Almost like a white flower: Tremella forms gelatinous, highly folded fruiting bodies. Because of this striking shape, the mushroom is also known as the "silver ear" or "snow fungus."
Facts
🔬 Scientific name: Tremella fuciformis
🏷️ Also known as: Silver ear, snow fungus
🌍 Origin: Subtropical regions of Asia
🌱 Grows on: Deadwood
💊 Available as: Powder, extract
💡 Fun fact: The gelatinous structure of Tremella can absorb and bind large amounts of water.
A product name for combinations of mushroom extracts, plant extracts, and defined micronutrients.
A class of substances found in fungi and plants. In Reishi, certain triterpenes contribute to its characteristically bitter taste, among other things.
An international label for products that are free of ingredients of animal origin.
A common commercial term, not defined under food law, for certain edible and cultivated mushrooms or products made from them. Depending on the product, it is legally classified as food or a food supplement; no health-related effect can be inferred from the term "vital mushroom".
A combination product that combines powders or extracts of several mushroom species.
The initial inspection of delivered batches of raw materials or products prior to further processing. Depending on the specifications, this includes sensory checks and defined measurement or testing steps.
The proportion of certain polysaccharides that can be dissolved from mushroom material during aqueous extraction.
The outer structure of a fungal cell. It provides the cell with stability and contains, among other things, chitin.
The tinder fungus is a polypore with a long cultural history. Its fibrous inner tissue was formerly processed to produce highly flammable tinder.
Facts
🔬 Scientific name: Fomes fomentarius
🌍 Origin: Northern Hemisphere
🌱 Grows on: weakened deciduous trees (primarily beech)
💊 Available as: powder, extract
💡 Fun fact: Pieces of tinder fungus were also found with the glacier mummy "Ötzi".
Blog
Facts, background information, and the latest articles on medicinal mushrooms.
Ingredients
Learn more about beta-glucans, polysaccharides, triterpenes, and other natural components.
Studies & Research
Insights into published research on fungi and their constituents.
Medicinal mushrooms with tradition
Medicinal mushrooms with tradition
