The Aloha Medicinals Advantage - Full
Spectrum Mycoproducts™
Scroll down to see the pictures
There is a lot of confusion today in the field of
Medicinal Mushrooms as to what form of mushroom product is the best to
use. Is it the fruitbody, or the mycelium, or an extract standardized
for some particular compound? This question is not as straightforward
as it seems. The answer to this question should be based in scientific
fact, not on historical usage, or on someone's idea of what looks
pretty or what feels or tastes good. There is a lot of amazingly
complex bio-chemistry going on in the mushroom kingdom. Many new drugs
are under testing from mushrooms for the treatment of many
diseases like Cancer, AIDS, Diabetes and Hepatitis. This subject
deserves to be accurately addressed so that you can know which health
supplements are the best for your use.
Definitions:
Fruitbody - This is the mushroom that you see. It is the
spore producing portion involved with reproduction. Basically, the
fruitbody is equivalent to the flower of a plant. Fruitbodies ONLY
form in response to some stress in the environment... heat, cold,
fire, flood, running out of food, that sort of thing. The mushroom
that you see is NOT the growth form of the mushroom organism. Strictly
the reproductive portion.
Mycelium - This is the growth form of the organism, the
stable state in which all of the life processes occur; growth,
feeding, competing for survival and some forms of reproduction. In
cultivated mushroom products, the mycelium can be grown either by
fermentation (in a tank full of liquid) which is an unnatural growth
condition, or it can be grown on a solid substrate of some material
that it would normally grow on - the natural growth condition. For
production of many mushroom derived drugs, the compounds are extracted
not from the mycelium, but from the broth that the mycelium is grown
in.
Extract - This is either the mushroom or the mycelium,
extracted with some type of solvent with the intention of
concentrating some desirable portion and eliminating or reducing some
unimportant portion of the mushroom. There are a number of solvents
which are used, depending on which compounds are desired. The two most
common are Alcohol and Water. Extracts are more expensive and can be
better or worse than the raw feedstock, depending on what you are
attempting to achieve.
Scientific Basis of Quality in Medicinal Mushrooms
History - The cultivation of mushrooms specifically for the
production of medicinal compounds is a fairly new science, dating only
from the late 1970's. Since that time, there have been a number of
bio-active compounds of interest identified from the mushroom
fruitbody, from the mycelium and from the residual culture broth. In
almost all cases, the compounds present in the different life stages
are identical. But in a few instances there are differences, where
substantially greater amounts of some target compound can be extracted
from one growth state as compared to another. Many examples of this
can be seen from the charts below, presented here from Dr. Solomon
Wassers' excellent article: Medicinal Properties of substances
occurring in Higher Basidiomycetes Mushrooms: Current Perspectives
(Review) published in - International Journal of Medicinal
Mushrooms, Vol 1, 31-62 (1999) Click
Here for Chart
Almost all of the research done recently has shown that the most
bio-active compounds are in the extra-cellular compounds (metabolic
exudates), as compared to either the mycelium or fruitbodies. These
compounds would be in the liquid broth for products grown by
fermentation. Knowing this, the question becomes "What is the
most practical way to produce medicinal mushroom product of the
greatest effectiveness, while keeping them affordable enough for the
general public?" We felt that to address the problem by growing
in liquid culture, as is commonly done in the Orient was not a good
approach. Reason: The mycelium would have to be extracted as well as
the residual culture broth in order to capture all the interesting
compounds, while at the same time the few different compounds specific
to the fruitbodies would be absent. Alternatively, to grow it on grain
for a couple of weeks, as is the usual practice with other American
growers was also not the answer. We believe that the production of
medicinal mushroom nutraceuticals that don't work is
counterproductive. The consumers will loose faith in medicinal
mushroom products, and the potential benefits are lost.
So, what we did was look long and hard at the chemistry of the wild
collected fruitbodies, the mycelium and the extra-cellular exudates.
We then experimented with modifications of the growing substrate and
culture parameters. By controlling each aspect of the growth cycle,
such as the time of growth to harvest, the O2
to CO2 ratios, temperature, the light cycle and
all the other parameters, we found we could produce a product with at
least as much of the target compounds as is found in nature. In
nearly all cases, we are able to exceed the concentration of any
target medicinal compounds over what is found in the naturally grown
mushrooms.
The real trick though, is to grow the mushroom organism in glass
containers for a long enough period of time to completely consume all
of the substrate, and then trigger the mushroom to go into its
reproductive cycle of fruitbody production. At that point we have all
of the different aspects of the mushroom present: The mycelium, the
primordia, the fruitbody and the spores. But most importantly of all,
we have the entire range of extra-cellular compounds that have been
produced throughout the entire life cycle of the organism. All of the
anti-microbial properties, the anti-viral properties, and all of the
other potent bio-activities. This long growth period takes at least
several months, and for some species can take up to two years. When a
supplier says they can deliver a finished, custom grown product
in 30 days, it is certain that the quality will be very low. In nature
it takes months-to-years for a mushroom colony to become established.
That is why you find them growing in the same place year after year.
They are fruiting each season, true, but the organism itself exists
from year to year in the soil below. To think that we can trick that
organism into optimal growth in only 2 or 3 weeks is wishful thinking
indeed.
For some species, we have to resort to fairly extreme culture
parameters; for instance with Cordyceps sinensis, we grow it out
for a period of time in a warm, O2 rich
environment, after which we drastically lower the temperature to just
above freezing, change the light cycle and drop the oxygen
to no more than 50% of atmospheric. Then we trigger it to fruit. All
of this is done on an organic, vegetarian substrate with no insect or
animal substances used. The authors that state, "Cordyceps can
not be fruited in culture" are obviously not up to date with the
work we have been doing as well as the work of a few other
cultivators.
So in a nut shell, the process which Aloha Medicinals has developed
is this:
1. |
Select species-specific substrate for the
mushroom in question. |
2. |
Select the growth parameters of
temperature, light, O2, etc. for the
results desired. |
3. |
Grow for lengthy periods of time
(typically 20-45 weeks) in small glass containers, capturing
all of the metabolic exudates. (This is the hard part; to grow
the mycelium in their own metabolites without stunting the
growth. Look at beer or wine production for example: the
alcohol accumulation eventually stops the growth.) |
4. |
Fruit the mushrooms in the glass container
at the end of the growth term. (Yes, even including Cordyceps
sinensis, see photos) |
5. |
Harvest the whole thing. Mycelium,
fruitbodies, primordia, and all of the extra-cellular
compounds which have been produced over the entire life cycle, |
6. |
Dry, powder, package, sterilize and supply |
This is the best process for production of bioactive medicinal
mushroom compounds. Even if further extraction or processing is
desired, this is still the most complete and broad-spectrum raw
feedstock for downstream processing. By growing the mushroom products
this way, we gain the benefits of each phase of the life cycle.
To look at an example of the different compounds from the same
mushroom, we can use the Shiitake mushroom as typical. There are a
number of pharmaceutical drugs produced from Shiitake; Lentinan (from
the fruit body) LEM (from the mycelium) and KS-2 (from the residual
culture broth - an extra-cellular compound). All of these compounds
are present in our Full Spectrum product. Same product - multiple
modes of action. Are you getting this with other cultivated Shiitake?
Here are a couple of pictures showing the
Full Spectrum Mycoproduct process
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Shiitake Fruited, Ready to Harvest |
Reishi starting to fruit in glass jar |
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Pleurotus ostreatus fruiting |
Cordyceps sinensis fruiting |
What is the Best Medicinal Mushroom Product Available?
What we are producing at Aloha Medicinals Inc. is quite simply the
best product of its kind available in the world today. There is no
residual grain as is the case with all of the other
domestically produced, solid substrate grown mycelium. (less than 2%
Residual substrate in ours, vs. typically 60-80% residual grain from
some of the other American suppliers. Question: Are you looking
to buy Medicinal Mushrooms or are you looking to buy rice flour?)
There is a complete profile of the extra-cellular metabolites found in
our product, which is not found in liquid culture mycelium. And the
life-force of the growing organism, the mycelium, is there in all its
glory. The same holds true of the fruitbody-specific compounds.
Present and accounted for. To compare products produced by the Full
Spectrum process to the usual extracts found on the market, is
like comparing apples and oranges. Nature is a very complex wonder.
Think of the rose... Do you want the color, or the smell, or maybe
just the prick of the thorns? Some of the extracts being sold today
are no more than the pricks.
Extracts:
In the herbal products field, there was historically a lot of
misleading product claims and hocus-pocus, as well as just honest
differences in herbs grown in this area or that area. Herbs from
different soils and different climates often brought about different
results. So the industry as a whole responded by demanding
standardized extracts. Which is a very good move and definitely a step
in the right direction. But it is important to realize that the
chemistry of plants is much less complex than what is found in the
fungal kingdom (mushrooms). Usually in plants, there are just one or
two active ingredients present and they are well known. So it is easy
to say that standardizing on this or on that is going to result in
higher quality products. This is a good move with plant based herbs.
But with mushrooms... that's another story.
Extract Chemistry: First off, the Mushroom biochemistry is
much more complex than that of plants. Orders of magnitude more
complex. And the chemistry involved is not nearly so well known. Aloha
Medicinals uses extracts for its most potent and most successful
products. But these are very specific and targeted extracts. Extracts
which are made for the specific purpose of concentrating out specific
compounds. Just as in the production of penicillin, the fungus (a
Penicillum species) is grown in liquid culture, then the active
ingredient (Penicillin) is extracted from the residual culture broth.
An example of a pecific target compound, using a specific growth
method and a specific extraction procedure. This works very well. And
in the cases where we have identified a specific compound which we
want, it is easy to find a way to extract it. For example, to extract Lentinan
from Shiitake mushrooms is a pretty straight forward chemical process.
But what about another compound present in Shiitake, the one called Eritadenine?
This compound is useful in the treatment of high cholesterol, while Lentinan
is used for the treatment of cancer. If you extract Shiitake by hot
water, then use alcohol to precipitate out the polysaccharide
fraction, the Lentinan is concentrated and the resultant
product is effective for cancer treatment or immune stimulation.
However, with this process you loose the Eritadenine, and the
extract has no effect on blood cholesterol. So, even though a raw
shiitake product shows great effectiveness in treating high
cholesterol, the "Standardized Extract" as available today
is useless for this purpose. So what is the more valuable product, the
raw Full Spectrum Shiitake, or the "standardized extract"?
The answer is neither, or both. It really depends on what you are
hoping to achieve with the supplement. For general health supplement
usage, the best product is the one that has the greatest effectiveness
over a broad range of conditions. In this example, it makes much more
sense to use the Full Spectrum product.
In General, the following things can be said regarding Mushroom
Extracts:
There are two general categories of bio-active compounds found in
mushrooms, the polysaccharides, which comprise most of the medicinal
compounds. These are soluble in hot water and are not soluble in
alcohol. The immune-stimulant type action so well known in mushrooms
is from this class of compounds. If you are looking for Immuno-modulation
action, then don't use alcohol extracts. That would be a waste of
money and time since they do not work for this. Another class of
compounds from mushrooms are those which are soluble in non-polar
solvents like alcohol and hexane. These are usually smaller in
molecular size and they are more specific in their bio-activity.
Nucleosides, deoxynucleosides and most of our antibiotics and anti-microbials
fall into this category.
The Bottom Line:
Aloha Medicinals is pleased to provide either Extracts or Full
Spectrum MycoProducts. Or for that matter, fruitbodies or liquid
culture mycelium. As the largest medicinal mushroom manufacturer in
North America, we do it all. Our quality is assured. And we work
with you to make sure you are getting what you need for the product
task at hand. We know that every company wants to say that their
products are the best. I hope that by showing you here a little of the
thoughts behind our processes, you can see that our quality is
different than the other producers of medicinal mushrooms.
Aloha Medicinals does one thing only, and we do it right. We
produce Medicinal Mushrooms. And with the largest production capacity
in North America, no project is too big. We have two full time
mycologists on staff with over 50 years combined experience, and a
work force that averages 18 years experience in the production of
mushroom compounds. Certified Organic and Made in America. Why risk
the reputation of your products on imported raw materials, when better
quality is available right here in America, Certified, Qualified and
Independently Assayed by FDA certified labs. And at a price lower than
imported raw materials in most cases. Let us bid your next order. You
will be pleasantly surprised!
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