Welcome to my connoisseurial guide to the best mushroom supplements. I’ve been on a mushroom kick this week and spilling out my decade’s worth of mycology knowledge onto the screen in front of you. It’s been magical on every level.

Before my life abroad, I studied mycology, practiced it, went on mushroom hunts in the forests of northern California, and ate more than my fair share of shroomies. The reason I put this guide together is to steer you to the best mushroom supplement for your needs and desires.

A lot of supplement companies are now using mushrooms as their core ingredients. Unfortunately, a lot of these products and complexes are bunk. Since most people aren’t practiced in mycology, companies use exotic terms and lofty health benefit claims to deceive buyers.

Even the great Paul Stamets, who I respect as a mushroom authority, sells a version of cordyceps that is mycelium, not fruiting bodies. That’s not to say his products are bad as you’ll soon discover.

Top 10 Best Mushroom Supplements

How to Choose the Best Mushroom Supplement

In this section, I share how I arrived at my 10 best mushroom supplements and considerations to make when shopping for your favorite shroomies.

Rule #1: Buy from Mushroom-Centric Companies

A lot of fly-by-night “nootropic” companies and bodybuilding supplement companies are now using mushrooms in their supplements. They sell the same types of mushrooms as in the blends above. The difference is their mushrooms are of inferior quality and come with a bunch of far-fetched health claims attached.

Real Mushrooms, Host Defense, Naturealm, and Freshcap know mushrooms and where to source the best shrooms for their supplement blends. For this reason, I recommend sticking with companies that focus on selling mushrooms instead of companies that sell a wide range of health or bodybuilding supplements.

Earlier this week, I wrote a Genius Muscle Builder Review, and this product is a perfect example of a nootropic company that’s going to great lengths to profit off the mushroom health wave before it breaks.

Medicinal mushrooms are nothing new. They’ve been staples in Chinese medicine for centuries. The bottom line is don’t be fooled by companies with lofty health benefit claims attached to their products.

Chinese-Grown vs US-Grown Mushrooms

A lot of people argue that Chinese-grown mushrooms are inferior, and this thought couldn’t be further from the truth. The Chinese have centuries’ worth of experience cultivating medicinal mushrooms, and the best medicinal mushrooms on Earth come from Asia.

Cordyceps is a Tibetan mushroom that’s very expensive in Asia. I’ve taken cordyceps for roughly a decade and have tried both Militaris and Sinensis. I prefer eating raw dried cordyceps.

This type of cordyceps doesn’t grow in America. That’s why companies use cordyceps mycelium instead of fruiting bodies. If you want to eat cordyceps fruiting bodies, stick with the first two supplements in my top 10.

If you want to eat USA-grown cordyceps mycelium, buy from Paul Stamets or Hippie Farms. I’ve eaten US lab-grown cordyceps and mycelium. They do work, just not as well as the fruiting bodies, and I’m a cordyceps fanatic.

I take my cordyceps with a strong cup of Taiwanese High Mountain Oolong Tea for the ultimate effect.

It’s up to you whether you think Chinese mushrooms are inferior. I know mushrooms, and Chinese mushrooms certainly aren’t inferior. It depends where they’re picked, and the companies in my top 10 are shroom pros.

They don’t sell or source inferior-quality mushrooms. In reality, we’re lucky to have access to these mushrooms. These mushroom supplements weren’t so readily available or available at all when I was a kid.

Beta-Glucans > Polysaccharides

Beta-glucan content is more important than polysaccharide content. Scientific research shows that beta-glucan content is a better measure of the medicinal strength of a mushroom supplement than polysaccharides.

If you look closely at the labels, you’ll notice that Host Defense measures in polysaccharides while Real Mushrooms and other top brands measure beta-glucan percentage.

However, it’s important to remember that these companies are in direct competition with one another. Do Host Defense supplements work? Yes, they do. The price you pay for buying US-grown mushrooms over Chinese mushrooms is sacrificing fruiting bodies.

If you’re unsure which is better for you, the best idea is to try both and see which supplement makes you feel better. In my experience with mushroom supplements, I can feel the difference. It’s not like when I take Vitamin C to make sure I’m getting enough Vitamin C.

In other words, you should feel the effects of a good mushroom supplement. If you aren’t, it’s time to try another or move on completely if none are working.

Final Thoughts

That’s everything you need to know about the best mushroom supplements and how to choose them. If you haven’t already noticed, cordyceps is my favorite mushroom of them all.

When I get a good cordyceps rush, I turn into a machine. The best part is by the time the effects wear off, I sleep like a baby.

I also find that cordyceps helps me get a better night’s sleep, and by the time I wake up, I’m ready to go! Cordyceps is one of the few supplements I take and will continue to take for a reason: It’s the best one I’ve ever tried.

Which mushroom supplement is your favorite?