03/14/2026
One thing many people don’t realize about medicinal mushrooms is that simply eating them doesn’t necessarily make their medicinal compounds very available.
Most mushrooms contain a structural fiber called chitin, which forms the cell walls of the fungus. Chitin is extremely tough and resistant to digestion. It’s the same structural material found in the exoskeletons of insects and crustaceans. Because of this, many of the compounds people are seeking from medicinal mushrooms remain trapped inside those cell walls if the mushroom is not properly prepared.
Traditional systems of herbal medicine understood this. That’s why medicinal mushrooms have historically been prepared using decoctions, alcohol tinctures, or dual extractions. Hot water helps break down and extract many of the polysaccharides, while alcohol can help draw out other constituents that are not as water soluble. When both methods are used together, a much broader range of compounds becomes available.
This doesn’t mean eating mushrooms has no value. Culinary mushrooms are nutritious and contain beneficial compounds. But when we’re specifically talking about medicinal use, proper extraction makes a significant difference in how much of those compounds the body can actually access.
So when you see products or preparations made from medicinal mushrooms, it’s worth asking how they were prepared. In most cases, extraction is what turns a mushroom into a medicine.
Were you aware that Mushrooms needed a specific extraction technique, and that most products on the market aren’t actually medicinal?
