Fruiting body or mycelium: which should you buy?
Answer
Fruiting body is the mushroom itself. Mycelium is usually grown on grain and often milled with it, so a stated weight can be substantially grain rather than mushroom.
Key takeaways
- What is the difference?
- Fruiting body is the mushroom. Mycelium is the root structure, typically grown on a grain substrate.
- Why does it matter?
- Mycelium milled with its substrate means part of the stated weight is rice or oats.
- Which should I buy?
- The one that names the part used at all. Silence about it is common and informative.
The practical difference
Fruiting body material is harvested and extracted. Mycelium is grown on a sterilised grain substrate, and at harvest the mycelium and grain are frequently not separated before milling.
The resulting powder legitimately weighs what it weighs, and a meaningful share of that weight can be grain. That is the single biggest content problem in the category and it is why a large milligram figure means little on its own.
What to look for
The ingredients line should name the part. Fruiting body extract is stated plainly by manufacturers who use it, because it is the more expensive input. Mycelial biomass and myceliated grain both indicate substrate is included.
Futuro Labs Lion's Mane states 1500mg mushroom equivalent from a 5 to 1 extract, with 50 percent polyphenols and brown rice flour declared separately as a bulking agent, at 13p a day. Neither type carries an authorised health claim in the UK.
Why mycelium products exist at all
Cost and speed. Mycelium can be grown indoors on grain in a matter of weeks, in a controlled environment, at a fraction of the cost of cultivating fruiting bodies to harvest.
That is a legitimate production method and the problem is not the mycelium itself. It is that the grain substrate frequently goes into the mill with it, so the finished powder is accurately weighed and inaccurately understood. A product that separates the two, or that states the substrate is included, has told you what you are buying.
The full version
- How to tell fruiting body from mycelium on a labelThe words to look for and what silence means.
- How to check a lion's mane extract ratioConverting a mushroom equivalent figure into actual extract.
The product
Futuro Labs Lion's Mane
Futuro Labs Lion's Mane is the 1500mg mushroom equivalent one at 13p a day, from a 5 to 1 extract in a vegan capsule, UK made and GMP certified. It carries no authorised health claim.
- 1500mg mushroom equivalent, 5:1 extract
- 50% polyphenols, bulking agent declared
- Vegan capsule, UK made to GMP
- No authorised health claim exists
Sharper Rugby is published by Futuro Labs. If you buy through this link Futuro Labs earns from the sale. Prices are set by Amazon.
Questions players ask
Is fruiting body better?
It is more straightforward, because mycelium grown on grain can be substantially grain by weight.
How do I tell?
The ingredients line should name the part used. Mycelial biomass indicates substrate is included.
Does either carry a claim?
No. Lion's mane carries no authorised health claim whatever the source material.
Why is mycelium used?
It grows indoors in weeks at a fraction of the cost of cultivating fruiting bodies.