Origin

The Agaricus blazei Murril originally comes from the Brazilian rainforest and is a popular edible mushroom that is related to the button mushroom. Unlike most other medicinal mushrooms, Agaricus blazei only came into scientific interest around 35 years ago. The starting point was the finding that cancer cases were virtually non-existent in the rural region around São Paulo, where the fungus was not only at home but also consumed as food. The sharp increase in demand since then and the fact that, unlike most medicinal mushrooms, the ABM does not grow on wood, but only on fermented medium, makes the ABM a quite expensive mushroom.

Benefits and mode of action

The Agaricus blazei has very high concentrations of long-chain polysaccharides, especially the beta-glucans. Higher than, for example, Reishi or shiitake. Beta-glucans, for example, increase phagocytosis as an important part of the cellular immune system and stimulate the production of cytokines that regulate the growth and differentiation of cells.

A clinical study with type 2 diabetes patients demonstrated that adjuvant therapy with Agaricus blazei extract can significantly improve insulin sensitivity. In addition, many users report that the Agaricus blazei v.a In the case of skin diseases caused by viruses or bacteria, it can positively influence the healing process by inhibiting the reproduction of numerous pathogenic germs.

Why are extracts better than mushroom powder?

Mushroom extracts contain in particular the highly effective and bioactive polysaccharides and glucans in high concentrations, which are relevant for the immune system.
The extraction not only causes the release of the active substances from the cell organelles, but also the enrichment of the fungal active substances through the separation of the insoluble accompanying substances.

Another advantage of extracts over powder is their ability to be standardized and reproducible. This means that the dosage and combination with other preparations can be carried out precisely and in a targeted manner.

Shellbroken procedure

The mushroom powder, which is then later extracted using hot water extract, is produced using the so-called “shellbroken process”; The fungus is ground so finely that the chitin cell wall of the fungus is broken down. This allows a polysaccharide content (depending on the manufacturer) of up to 30% and the ingredients can be optimally utilized by the organism.

In addition, make sure that only the fruiting body is used to produce the mushroom extracts. The phrase “from the whole mushroom” means that it can contain not only the fruiting body, but also the underground part (“mycelium”), which contains hardly any nutrients, as well as the substrate on which the mushroom is grown – and this substrate can contain many unwanted by-products, from wood to manure. Pay attention to this when choosing the product.

Legal consumer information

German and European case law wants to protect consumers from supposedly misleading claims about effectiveness. The statements made here refer to the original Ayurvedic and TCM texts. This ancient knowledge, which is thousands of years old, is based on experiences that are passed on from generation to generation. It is not intended to claim that the products described here have an effect in the sense of western medicine. All products are nutritional supplements; they are not medications and have no medical effect. If you are sick and need medical care, please contact your doctor or pharmacist.