What Are Mushroom Supplements?

Mushroom supplements contain dried mushrooms or mushroom extracts and are available as pills, powders, teas, gummies, liquid extracts and coffee alternatives, according to Yvette Hill, a registered dietitian based in Denver. These supplements include one or more varieties of mushroom, often referred to as medicinal mushrooms, which contain various bioactive compounds (substances commonly found in fruits, vegetables, chocolate, tea and more that have beneficial antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties). Additionally, medicinal mushrooms may provide anticancer, antidiabetic and cardioprotective properties, according to Hill.

Bioactive compounds are present in the mycelium, which is the part of the mushroom that lives in the soil, made of tiny thread-like structures called hyphae, as well as in the fruiting body, which is the visible part of the mushroom above ground.

While preliminary research is promising, additional clinical trials are necessary to fully understand how medicinal mushrooms function in the body, according to Hill.

Types of Mushroom Supplements

Among 14,000 mushroom species, more than 2,000 are edible. Some mushrooms commonly found in supplement form include:

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