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 attracted the interest of scientists around 35 years ago. The starting point was the finding that cancer in the rural region around São Paulo, where the fungus was not only at home but also consumed as food, was virtually non-existent. The strong increase in demand since then and the fact that the ABM, unlike most vital mushrooms, does not grow on wood but only on fermented soil, makes the ABM a very expensive mushroom.

Benefit and mode of action

Agaricus blazei has very high concentrations of long-chain polysaccharides, especially beta-glucans. Even higher than, for example, Reishi or Shiitake. For example, beta-glucans increase phagocytosis as an important component 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 was able to prove that adjuvant therapy with Agaricus blazei extract can significantly improve insulin sensitivity. In addition, many users report that Agaricus blazei can have a positive effect on the healing process, especially in skin diseases caused by viruses or bacteria, by inhibiting the proliferation 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 by separating the insoluble accompanying substances.

Another advantage of extracts compared to powder is the standardization and reproducibility. In this way, 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, is produced using the so-called "Shellbroken Process"; the fungus is ground so finely that the chitin cell wall of the fungus is broken open. A polysaccharide content (depending on the manufacturer) of up to 30% can be made possible and the ingredients can be optimally utilized by the organism.

Also make sure that only the fruiting bodies are used to produce the mushroom extracts. The wording "from the whole mushroom" means that not only the fruiting body can be included, but also the underground part ("mycelium"), which contains hardly any nutrients, as well as the substrate on which the mushroom is grown – and in this substrate there can be many undesirable 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. The statements made here refer to the original Ayurvedic and TCM texts. This knowledge, which has been handed down for thousands of years, is based on experiences that are passed on from generation to generation. It should not be claimed that the products described here have any effect in the sense of western medicine. All products are dietary supplements; they are not medicines and have no medicinal effect. If you are ill and need medical care, please contact your doctor or pharmacist.