What We Mean When We Say Fruiting Bodies In Our Mushroom Blends
To ensure we provide the highest quality at West Wolf Medicinals, we specialize in using only the whole fruiting bodies of mushrooms in all our medicinal blends. Unlike many brands on the market today that use mycelium (the mushroom roots) and a blend of filler, such as rice, we are committed to following our ancestors’ traditional healing and modern science. Below, we'll discuss why this is so important when creating natural healing remedies from mushrooms. Keep reading to learn about fruiting bodies, and shop our fruiting body mushroom supplements online today!
What Are Fruiting Bodies?
Mushrooms, composed of mycelial roots underground and fruiting bodies above ground, are one of the most fascinating organisms on the planet. In nature, the mushroom pushes out the fruiting body to release spores for reproduction. The fruiting body is similar to the fruit from a fruit tree. You’re not eating the bark or the roots, you’re picking the ripe apple or peach, just like the mushroom stem and cap you have foraged or grown. The fruiting bodies of mushrooms are the nutrient-rich portions used in medicine and cuisine. It is where all the science-based studies of benefits are found.
The Benefits of Fruiting Bodies in Medicine and Cooking
When used in cuisine, the mushroom’s fruiting bodies can add unique flavors (often called umami) while also being rich with essential vitamins and minerals. Shiitake, for example, is a well known edible mushroom in Asian cuisine that is a great source of vitamin B and immune supporting compounds. Additionally, the heat from the cooking breaks down the cell wall of the mushroom to release the nutrients which is similar to how we extract the health benefits for our blends.
In addition to cooking with mushrooms, many fruiting bodies can be extracted into supplements, due to the numerous additional health benefits they provide. For instance the same Shiitake in your soup, is a favorite medicinal mushroom due to potent beneficial properties when extracted. The health benefits of extracted mushrooms depend on the variety of the mushroom as each one is unique. Check out our post on extraction.
Be sure to read labels when buying medicinal supplements, as so many brands are filling up the shelves with mycelium-based powders. These are not only not used in traditional medicine, but additionally the science is not there— grinding the roots of the mushroom and the substrate (often rice) to make any kind of potent quality product is just not going to happen.
Fruiting Bodies We Use
We use only the latest, science-backed mushroom fruiting bodies. They are also the same mushrooms that have been used for medicine in many cultures for thousands of years. Here is a list of the different types of fruiting bodies we use in our medicinal mushroom blends.
Lion's Mane
Shiitake
Reishi
Chaga
Turkey Tail
Cordyceps
Our Featured Blends
We’ve created three powerful fruiting body mushroom supplements. Try one today!
We hope this has helped you learn more about fruiting bodies and why we use them in our blends. If you’re interested in trying out some of our medicinal mushroom blends at West Wolf Medicinals, be sure to shop our collection today!