Welcome to my guide to the best reishi mushroom supplements of 2019 and how to choose the best reishi brand for your kitchen cupboard. Reishi is a common mushroom in Chinese medicine that’s been around since ancient times. Nowadays, people all over the world use it for its many health benefits.

Through my research, I concluded that like most things in life, not all reishi supplements are created equal. In fact, most of the reishi supplements in the US are of inferior quality. There’s also a misconception around what to look for when choosing a reishi supplement.

For example, are you buying mushroom fruiting bodies or starchy mycelium? Mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus that the mushrooms grow from. Think of mycelium as the roots and soil from which mushrooms sprout.

The problem with mycelium is it often contains starch and little of the beneficial substances that you want in a quality reishi supplement.

In this article, I share the top 5 best reishi mushroom supplements and a brief FAQ to help ensure you avoid inferior reishi brands.

The Best Reishi Mushroom Supplements

How to Select the Best Reishi Mushroom Supplement

In this section, we’ll take a closer look at what makes the best reishi mushroom supplements and why people should be careful when selecting a reishi supplement.

An Eye-Opening Reishi Supplement Study

In 2017, Nature.com published a reishi study (*) that tested 19 different reishi supplements sold in the United States. Nature worked with the US Pharmacopeia for the study.

Real Mushrooms’ supplier, Nammex, submitted 3 of the 5 reishi samples that passed the Nature test. The study concluded that 14 of the 19 supplements didn’t pass Nature’s quality test.

The conclusion of this study is one of the primary reasons why I rank Real Mushrooms’ Reishi 415 #1. It’s also the reason why people should be extra careful when selecting a reishi supplement.

Reishi is prized in Chinese medicine and known as the “Mushroom of Immortality.” Beware of companies that risk consumer health by selling inferior products.

In my opinion, a lot of supplement companies are quick to list potential health benefits to sell their products and even quicker to skip over seeking top-quality sources for their supplements.

Seek Bitter Reishi Supplements

Bitterness is a key quality indicator to look for in a superior reishi supplement. The triterpenes in reishi give the powder its bitter flavor. Several of the brands included in my top 5 show the triterpenes % of their powders.

Save Money by Making Your Own Capsules

Since we’re on the subject of bitterness, let’s talk about making your own capsules. I’ve been making my own capsules for over five years, and I love it.

You not only save money by buying powders instead of capsules, but you also have the option to buy pure veggies capsules. I recommend my guide to the best capsule filling machines for more information.

Avoid Starch: Polysaccharide vs Beta-Glucan Content

As you may have noticed in the chart above, the best reishi mushroom supplements contain less than 5% starch. Companies will often deceive consumers by listing polysaccharide content when in reality, companies add starch-like polysaccharides as fillers.

For this reason, mushroom experts recommend focusing on beta-glucan content over polysaccharide content to identify superior reishi mushroom supplements.

Does reishi lower testosterone?

I know that most 199flags readers are men, so I wanted to address this issue. There’s evidence going both ways on this subject. The bad news is that some evidence suggests that reishi inhibits the conversion of testosterone to DHT.

Men often take DHT blockers – both natural and chemical – such as finasteride or saw palmetto to prevent hair loss. Personally, I don’t take and will not take any supplements that block DHT.

However, in the case of reishi, it’s important to remember that reishi is an adaptogen. Adaptogens help to normalize bodily systems when the person is under mental and/or physical stress. In my opinion – and this is only my opinion because I’m not a doctor – reishi will not create a significant change in testosterone levels.

There’s one study that observed no changes in testosterone levels in subjects who were supplemented with ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum (reishi).

How much reishi should you take?

It’s best to follow the directions on the package to get the best effect. Why? Every supplement is different with varying degrees of strength and potency.

Top mushroom brands do the necessary research and testing before concluding their recommended dosages.

What is the best reishi mushroom brand?

I have a decade worth of experience studying and practicing mycology. I also have three years of experience researching products and companies online.

Real Mushrooms is the current best reishi mushroom brand and overall mushroom brand. They also own the #1 spot on my list of top 10 best mushroom supplements with their top-notch cordyceps powder.

Their company culture is what I look for in a company, and they know their mushrooms.

They don’t sell bogus health claims and only offer genuine mushroom knowledge/information. They also go the extra mile to provide consumers with the best possible reishi mushroom extract powder in the US.

Bottom Line

The brands in this guide are currently five of the best reishi mushroom supplements on the market. By choosing one of these brands, particularly Real Mushrooms, you’re putting your money into a trustworthy company that serves up a superior product.

It’s essential to avoid inferior reishi mushroom supplements because they can contain harmful amounts of heavy metals or scant beneficial substances.

Cheers to longevity through the power of reishi!