Medicinal Mushroom Powder: Benefits, Applications, Taste, and Products

Whether you love them or hate them, mushrooms are as fascinating as they are fun(gi).

While cooking mushrooms whole is incredibly common, these fungi can also come in other forms. One such form is powder.

‘A powder? What’s the benefit of that?’ you may ask.

Here we will answer that question and more! Read on and learn why you and how to use mushroom powder…

What is Mushroom Powder?

Simply put, mushroom powder is just dehydrated and finely ground mushrooms. Whether it contains only one or many different mushrooms depends on the type of powder. These ground fungi are used either for culinary or medicinal purposes.

In cooking, mushroom powder is generally added as its own ingredient or a substitute for something else in a recipe. Mushrooms are a surprisingly healthy alternative for some foods!

For example, researchers pitted winter mushroom powder and salt against each other in chicken meat sausages. The results found that the powder improved the sausage quality without sacrificing quality. Look out, unhealthy food! These fungi are on their way to replace you.

On the medicinal side of things, mushroom powder is consumed for the health benefits. These benefits depend on the kind of medicinal mushrooms used.

These powders can also be added to food. Some medicinal mushrooms can be quite bitter though so make sure to check what’s in the powder before using it. You don’t want to ruin a perfectly good meal with some disgruntled fungi.

How it’s Made

So you know that mushroom powder is finely ground dehydrated fungi. For mushroom powder that’s only for taste, that’s the end of that process. But did you know that for medicinal mushrooms there’s a bit more to the process?

Before the mushroom shrivels up, we first have to extract the beneficial properties. There are two main methods to do this: hot water extraction vs alcohol extraction.

Hot Water Extraction vs Alcohol Extraction

As the name implies, the fungi are placed into water that is heated anywhere between 80–175°C for a certain period of time. Why do we do this? The ingredients we want will dissolve in the water and leave behind the parts we don’t want.

After that, we can toss the remaining solids, wait for the water to evaporate, and voila! All that’s left is a raw form of powdered extract.

In alcohol extraction, we substitute water for alcohol. Why? Because water and alcohol extract different phytoactives and properties.

As well, high alcohol tinctures cause the phytoactives from the mushroom to absorb faster into the bloodstream. We use the alcohol extraction technique here at Doseology for that exact reason.

You can even do both if needed. This combined process is called dual extraction. Basically, the leftover solid material from the first method goes through extraction again using the other method.

Benefits of Mushroom Powder

You may not expect it, but mushrooms are an incredibly nutritious and beneficial food.

Without even turning them into powders, mushrooms are rich in proteins, fibres, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Not only that, but they’re also low in calories and fats (including cholesterol). Not bad for fungi, right?

Nutritional value is a mushroom specialty but did you know they can also have medicinal benefits?

The benefit depends on the type of medicinal mushroom used. For example, Lion’s Mane can give you the cognitive support you need, while Reishi can help relax your body and mind.

Our mushroom powder product Think includes many fungi to reap the benefits of all of them.

Taste of Mushroom Powder

Mushroom powders can range from being absolutely delicious to ‘is there even mushroom in this?’ when it comes to taste. Where your powder falls in this range depends on the types of mushrooms in it.

Some medicinal mushrooms, like Lion’s Mane, are both functional and tasty. Because of this, people often cook and eat them whole. Others are functional and the opposite of tasty. Those are the kinds that we recommend only consuming in other forms.

Mushroom powders are also great if you don’t like the taste of mushrooms. You can get the nutritional value and medicinal properties of mushrooms without tasting a thing!

How to use Mushroom Powder

So you’re all aboard the mushroom powder train, but you have no idea how to use it. See, that’s the fun part. The possibilities are endless!

Want to use it in food? Why not make a delicious soup and add some earthy flavour? You could even use it as a meat alternative. Did you know that mushrooms and meat have a similar texture and taste? Try replacing meat with mushrooms in your recipe next time and see for yourself!

How about adding it to your smoothie? If you pick the right type, you may not even taste the fungi in it.

Or maybe you prefer adding it to your morning coffee or tea? Just add a scoop and now you have both caffeine and health benefits. What more could you want?

How to Store Mushroom Powder

Want to know how to get the most out of your mushroom powder? Store it properly. Don’t just toss it all willy-nilly into the back of a cupboard and forget about it.

Step one to keeping your powder fresh is to put it in a resealable bag. By doing this, you will keep all your product locked away and safe from spillage.

Step two involves where to store it. The most common place to store mushroom powder is in the fridge. The cold will slow the deterioration of quality way more than if you left it in a cupboard.

If you really want to extend your powder’s quality then put it in the freezer! Just make sure to thaw it beforehand if you don’t want to use a mushroom brick in your recipe.

Our Products - Think

Think is our cognitive complex mushroom powder. This product contains not one, but four different medicinal mushrooms along with 3 other beneficial herbs mixed in. If that wasn’t enough to convince you to try it, Think also has an organic cacao base that smells and tastes amazing!

Don’t know how to incorporate it into your routine? Try adding a scoop to your smoothie or sprinkle some over your granola. Just that amount of this unique blend is sure to release your cognitive potential.

Conclusion

Interested in getting your hands on your own mushroom powder? Check out Think and see what you’ve been missing out on!