Of the thousands of mushroom species found in the wild, only a tiny fraction meet the criteria for researchers to describe them as “functional”, meaning they have an identified beneficial effects on humans.

Evidence suggests that functional mushrooms have been used by traditional healers for thousands of years. People from vastly different cultures, living in far-flung lands that had little contact with one another, drew similar conclusions about the effects these mushrooms can have on a variety of health conditions. In recent times, scientific investigations of functional mushrooms have revealed that they contain complex arrays of compounds that act together to exert powerful supportive effects on different aspects of our physiology. The four mushrooms used in our tinctures are the most widely recognised by both modern medicine and traditional healing systems for their unique benefits, as well as their safety for long-term use.

Why Tinctures?

The fruiting bodies of mushrooms are essentially the organism's exoskeleton, and consist primarily of chitin, the same substance from which the protective outer shells of insects are composed. When you consume this substance, which houses all the incredibly beneficial compounds you've probably heard of, the majority of it will pass through your digestive system unabsorbed (note that the same is not true of mushroom mycelium, which contains unique beneficial compounds and is just one cell wall thick, meaning that it can be easily digested).

This is where tinctures come in. Each of our tinctures is created from fresh mushrooms through a labour-intensive process. Mushrooms are initially chopped up, dehydrated, and ground into powder. They are then taken through a weeks-long process of ethanol extraction and hot water extraction. This method makes the broadest possible spectrum of compounds in the mushroom fruiting body fully bioavailable. Read on to learn about our different medicinal mushroom tinctures and tincture blends.

Lion's Mane

The most famous and extensively studied of the medicinal mushrooms, Lion’s Mane has attracted interest for its ability to improve cognitive performance, both in healthy subjects and those suffering from mild cognitive impairment or cognitive decline. Many researchers attribute this to the ability of compounds found in the Lion’s Mane fruiting body to cross the blood-brain barrier and boost the production of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), which is essential to your brain’s ability to produce new neurons. NGF also plays a critical role in the growth and maintenance of the myelin sheathe, the layer that forms around brain and nerve cells to protect them from inflammatory damage. Our double-extracted tincture delivers the equivalent of 500mg of Lion's Mane fruiting body per dose.*

Reishi

Traditionally, the Reishi mushroom was believed to promote both longevity and mental clarity, so much so that the Latin word for “bright” features in its scientific name, ganoderma lucidum. Scientific studies have found Reishi to be a powerful immune modulator with significant effects in reducing anxiety, so much so that it is often dubbed “the calming mushroom”. Our double-extracted tincture delivers the equivalent of 250mg of Reishi fruiting body per dose.*

Cordyceps

Cordyceps is thought to improve exercise performance by increasing blood flow, enhancing oxygen utilization, and acting as an antioxidant. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial demonstrated that the particular strain used in our tinctures, cordyceps militaris, can improve VO2max and tolerance for high intensity exercise after three weeks of supplementation. Cordyceps is also a powerful immune modulator, with recent studies demonstrating that it may be effective in combatting COVID-19 infection. Our double-extracted tincture delivers the equivalent of 500mg of Cordyceps fruiting body per dose.*

Turkey Tail

Turkey Tail mushrooms have attracted great interest for their apparent ability to help the immune system identify and destroy cancel cells. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this may significantly improve treatment outcomes of chemotherapy. In healthy individuals, Turkey Tail’s ability to modulate the immune system can both help the body to defend against harmful pathogens and microbes, and prevent the immune over-activation that can lead to inflammatory conditions. Our double-extracted tincture delivers the equivalent of 250mg of Turkey Tail fruiting body per dose. * * These statements have not been evaluated by the South Africa Health Products Regulation Authority (SAHPRA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.