Info: 60 Vegan Capsules, Equal Blend of 8 Fermented Organic Mushrooms
Medicinal mushrooms have many adaptogenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and especially immune-modulating properties you may've been tempted to try, or try again, but perhaps you've been put off by the bitter taste, inconvenient format, meager effect, or digestive upset some experience with some types. MycoSynergy Immune 8 is a blend of 8 of the better-known types which have been fermented to make them far more bioavailable and effective, in a convenient, neutral-tasting capsule format.
Info: 60 Vegan Capsules, Equal Blend of 8 Fermented Organic Mushrooms
Medicinal mushrooms have many adaptogenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and especially immune-modulating properties you may've been tempted to try, or try again, but perhaps you've been put off by the bitter taste, inconvenient format, meager effect, or digestive upset some experience with some types. MycoSynergy Immune 8 is a blend of 8 of the better-known types which have been fermented to make them far more bioavailable and effective, in a convenient, neutral-tasting capsule format.
Product Notes:
Although they've been used for thousands of years elsewhere, medicinal (aka 'functional') mushrooms are finally starting to come into their own in North America, both for their immune-modulating properties (their commonality, whose basic mechanism is explained in this video), and for some of the more unique effects of the individual types (like Lion's Mane aiding cognition, or Chaga, energy and endurance).
But as with many natural health ingredients, it can be quite difficult to derive sufficient benefits from the original raw ingredients without proper preparation: often because they are very difficult to completely digest in order to 'liberate' their truly active ingredients (especially the ones with a lot of fibre, or which have thick cell walls, or which contain "anti-nutrients" like phytic acid, which block absorption).
There have been several approaches to get around this, including teas, hot water and/or alcohol extraction and tinctures, and micronization (chopping them into tiny bits). But they aren't always all that successful in fully capturing the beneficial polysaccharides, polyphenols, amino acids, and vitamins waiting to be unleashed; they can still cause digestive upset due to the fibre content; and because some mushrooms taste quite bitter, they're not always that palatable in liquid form even without the insoluble fibre.
Living Alchemy takes a different approach – one it's been perfecting with its other product lines (which mostly involve probiotics, supporting herbs, and minerals, with more effective delivery systems): fermentation.
In short, they take the same types of dehydrated mushroom powder from reputable Chinese sources that most supplement companies in North America are using, but instead of just encapsulating it as is or just grinding it up more, and slapping their name on it, they soak it in a solution of two fermented drinks, Kefir and Kombucha, for quite a while until the dozens of probiotics in that brew work their magic to ferment the mushrooms, as well. Then, when it reaches the peak of its newly enhanced nutritional profile, they dry it again at low heat, and grind it back into a powder which they then encapsulate (in vegan-friendly capsules made from tapioca starch).
Fermenting mushrooms has several beneficial effects: it breaks down those tough cell walls to release their nutrients and active compounds; it increases the available number of free amino acids (the ones the immune system actually interacts with); it 'pre-digests' the fibre for you; it breaks down the anti-nutrients like phytic acid; it supplies probiotics (which help the digestive and immune systems in their own right). Heck, it even supplies post-biotics, which are beneficial compounds* produced as by-products of the probiotics' activities as they 'chow down' on what they're busy fermenting (or digesting, when it happens in our own intestines). E.g., a 2022 study** found that two common probiotics produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), especially propionic acid, from Cordyceps; propionic acid has many benefits, including promoting weight loss and increasing insulin sensitivity.***
Related Products: See Purica Immune 7.
Living Alchemy Immune 8 Ingredients:
Each capsule contains:
Symbio® Fermented Mushroom Blend (360 mg), consisting of equal portions of:
Organic Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus, fruiting body): 45 mg
Organic Maitake (Grifola frondosa, fruiting body): 45 mg
Organic Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum, fruiting body) (12:1, 540 mg dry): 45 mg
Organic Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor, fruiting body): 45 mg
Organic Chaga (Inonotus obliquus, mycelium): 45 mg
Organic Shiitake (Lentinula edodes, fruiting body): 45 mg
Organic Cordyceps (Paecilomyces hepiali, cultured mycelia): 45 mg
Organic Himematsutake (Agaricus blazei, fruiting body/mycelium): 45 mg
This product delivers a minimum of 30% polysaccharides (total glucans) and 30% beta-glucan content.
Non-medicinal ingredients: Organic Pullulan Capsule (Organic pullulan starch, water).
Suggested Usage:
Adults: Take one capsule 3 times per day, with food (to avoid digestive upset).
Store bottle in a cool, dry place.
Warnings:
Keep bottle out of reach of children. Consult a healthcare practitioner prior to use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you are taking blood thinners/anti-coagulants.
Health Canada Natural Product Number: 80125158.
Supporting Science and References:
Łysakowska, Paulina et al. “Medicinal Mushrooms: Their Bioactive Components, Nutritional Value and Application in Functional Food Production - A Review.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2023.
* Postbiotics, as this review notes, are "bioactive substances such as enzymes, peptides, teichoic acids, cell lysate, microbial fractions—peptidoglycan-derived muropeptides, polysaccharides, cell surface proteins, organic acids, etc., that are produced by or released during microbial activity and known to have a positive impact on the host’s gut health and beyond." Kumar, Anand et al. “A Comprehensive Overview of Postbiotics with a Special Focus on Discovery Techniques and Clinical Applications.” Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 2024.
** Omak, Gizem, and Lutfiye Yilmaz-Ersan. “Effect of Cordyceps militaris on formation of short-chain fatty acids as postbiotic metabolites.” Preparative Biochemistry & Biotechnology, 2022.
*** E.g., see “Gut microbiota promoting propionic acid production accompanies caloric restriction-induced intentional weight loss in cats,” Scientific Reports, 2024; and a review by Zhang, Binbin et al. (“The Mechanism Underlying the Influence of Indole-3-Propionic Acid: A Relevance to Metabolic Disorders,” Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2022) found propionic acid "can improve blood glucose and increase insulin sensitivity, inhibit liver lipid synthesis and inflammatory factors, correct intestinal microbial disorders, maintain the intestinal barrier, and suppress the intestinal immune response."