How to use vital mushrooms correctly?

Vital mushrooms are one of the most popular health-supporting agents today. Why is that? Thanks to an exceptional complex of bioactive active substances, they can help with a range of health issues. From a weakened or overreacting immune system (allergic or autoimmune reactions), through cancer, inflammation, and metabolic problems, to psychological imbalances. The range of effects is exceptionally wide.

Do you know how to use vital mushrooms?

1, Choosing mushrooms

First and foremost, mushrooms must be chosen correctly, according to the problems you want to address. This Mushroom Wiki will help you with that. If you are still unsure, seek out a doctor or therapist who uses mushrooms in their practice. You can also use the expert advice service offered by some manufacturers. Be careful here, as not everyone who claims to be an expert truly is one.

Likewise, you will find a lot of often contradictory information on the internet. In my experience, some of it is nonsense that can even harm a person.

In practice, I often combine several vital mushrooms together. They act synergistically, and their effect is potentiated. This is a big difference compared to, for example, herbal recipes, where I give only one recipe at a time and a maximum of two different recipes in one day. With mushrooms, there is no problem taking four types at once. However, you should know why you are doing it.

If you are interested in mushrooms and want to learn more, in addition to this Mushroom Wiki, you can also watch some of the webinars I regularly host. You can also find a lot of information in the Articles or Videos sections.

2, Dosage of vital mushrooms

The dosage depends on the form in which you take the vital mushrooms. Whether you are brewing decoctions or taking the mushrooms in the form of powder or extract. The most common and, for health problems, the most effective way is to use vital mushrooms in the form of hot-water extracts. This is for two reasons. Thanks to extraction, the concentration of active substances is increased, and thus their effectiveness, and at the same time, their bioavailability is increased (the organism is otherwise unable to utilise the active substances locked in the chitinous shells of the mushroom cells).

a, Mushrooms in the form of extracts (recommended form of use)

If you are taking mushrooms in the form of 30% extracts, I recommend:

Preventive use

• 1 g of mushroom extract per day (all mushrooms combined)

For milder health problems

• 2 g of mushroom extract per day (all mushrooms combined)

For more serious health problems

• 3-5 g of mushroom extract per day (all mushrooms combined)

b, Mushrooms in tincture

• dose the tincture according to weight
• usually, the number of drops corresponds to the person's weight
• this daily dose is divided in half, with half taken in the morning and half at noon

c, Mushrooms in the form of powder (biomass)

• usually 2-3 times a day, a teaspoon of mushroom powder mixed in water
• this is more for preventive use

d, Dried mushrooms

• 20-100 g per day
• either added to food or used to make decoctions
• you prepare a decoction by taking 100 g of mushrooms, placing them in about half a litre of cold water, and boiling them on a low flame for half an hour. Some mushrooms can be eaten along with the decoction (e.g., Hericium), while others are too woody to eat (like Reishi).

Further recommendations for use

• the above dosage is intended for adults – for people between 50-70 kg; for children or heavier individuals, the dosage is adjusted proportionally
• mushrooms should be taken on an empty stomach; I usually recommend a minimum interval of half an hour before a meal or an hour after a meal
• it is good to wash the mushrooms down with water or weak tea
• the "empty stomach" recommendation also applies to other medicines or food supplements
• if you are dealing with problems related to the immune system (even secondarily, which is almost always the case), I recommend using the rule of 5 days on, 2 days off; this prevents excessive stimulation and fatigue of the immune system and makes the use more effective
• when taking mushrooms, increase your intake of vitamin C - either by increasing your consumption of fruit and vegetables or by adding an extract from the Brazilian Acerola cherry
• if you have weakened digestion, mushrooms might be a bit "heavy" for you; if symptoms such as bloating, pressure in the stomach area, diarrhoea, nausea, etc., appear at the beginning of use, I recommend reducing the dose or eating something light with the mushrooms; these problems usually disappear within a few days
• sometimes a "cleansing" reaction occurs at the beginning of use - as the mushrooms cleanse the organism and the body begins to get rid of waste substances or dead organisms, various symptoms may arise, usually skin rashes, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, fever, etc.; if these symptoms cannot be tolerated, I recommend reducing the dosage or stopping the mushrooms for a few days; after restarting, it is advisable to increase the dose gradually
• I most often use hot-water extracts when addressing health problems. In my opinion, extracts with 30% polysaccharides are optimal; if the concentration is higher, the effect changes and moves away from the effect of the natural mushroom, and if the concentration is lower, the effect is reduced
• some mushrooms (usually Chaga and Reishi) are processed by so-called double extraction - first, a hot-water extraction is performed, followed by alcohol extraction; this is to release active substances that are insoluble in water, such as triterpenes or certain sterols; a similar procedure is also used in the production of tinctures

3, Duration of use

I am very often asked how long mushrooms should be taken for the desired effect on health to manifest. This is very individual and depends on many circumstances. It depends on the patient's age, the severity, type, and strength of the given disease, the vitality of the person, etc.

I generally say: "Stick with it for 2-3 months". By then, you must see some effect. At least an improvement in condition. Sometimes people observe improvement within days. Sometimes, however, it takes time.

As for the duration of treatment for already established chronic problems, vital mushrooms can be used long-term. Even for years. However, one must constantly see some effect, some improvement in the condition.

Otherwise, I recommend using mushrooms for people who are weakened or before a more demanding period. For example, if a child is preparing to start nursery school, that is a case where it is good to take mushrooms in advance. Or for people who have gone through cancer, it is suitable for them to do a course of vital mushrooms 1-2 times a year. This will support their vitality.

4, The quality of vital mushrooms is important

You probably know that mushrooms in the forest easily absorb any pollutant. Heavy metals, radioactivity, pesticides, moulds, etc. Therefore, it is extremely important to use mushrooms from quality suppliers. A quality supplier acts transparently and constantly tests all mushroom raw materials in renowned laboratories (quality suppliers test for more than 250 harmful substances).

In addition to testing for harmful substances, a good supplier also tests the mushroom raw material for the quality and authenticity of the active substances. That is, to ensure the mushroom product really contains what the supplier declares, i.e., that the mushroom really contains mushroom polysaccharides and not, for example, potato starch. A standard laboratory will not recognise this, but the patient will recognise it in the effects very quickly.

5, Side effects and contraindications

When using vital mushrooms, I observe practically no negative side effects. I wrote about the discomforts at the beginning of use linked to weakened digestion or the "cleansing" reaction above.

Allergic reactions are also rare. In my many years of practice, I have encountered an allergic reaction to mushrooms only about once.

Mushrooms can be taken concurrently with most medicines. It is just necessary to take them at a different time, following the "empty stomach" rule. They can also be used during cancer treatment concurrently with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or biological treatment. This is beneficial because the mushrooms directly help to eliminate cancer cells (they act cytostatically and cytotoxically) and at the same time strengthen the vitality of the person, who then copes better with the negative impacts of conventional treatment. See more here.

What I do not recommend:

• taking the Auricularia mushroom concurrently with blood-thinning medication
• taking mushrooms shortly after transplants. I usually recommend starting only about 2 years after the transplant.

In most other cases, mushrooms can also be used concurrently with drugs that suppress immune reactions (immunosuppressants). This is because mushrooms can not only strengthen the immune system if it is weakened, but also suppress it if it reacts disproportionately. And this is either towards foreign substances, such as pollen, which are allergic reactions, or they react disproportionately towards one's own healthy cells, which are autoimmune reactions.