Medicinal mushrooms belong to an ancient, richly detailed tradition, with 2,000-year-old practices around quality, cultivation and extraction. Discover how you can choose medicinal mushrooms with clarity, care and respect for their Taoist origins.

Medicinal mushrooms, like Reishi, Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, Chaga, Tremella and Turkey Tail, have long been used to nourish immunity, support digestion, enhance energy, balance mood and hormones and promote deep vitality and longevity. These mushrooms carry the weight of empirical use across generations. Their potency depends not only on species, but on where and how they are cultivated and extracted.

Medicinal mushrooms are adaptogenic herbs long used in Chinese medicine and Taoist herbalism. These fungi nourish the body’s vital energy (Qi), modulate immune function, support gut and brain health, cultivate emotional balance and resilience, and help the body adapt to stress. Unlike culinary mushrooms, these are potent tonics with therapeutic effects.

Key mushrooms are:

Medicinal mushrooms work by modulating the immune system, not stimulating it, which is ideal for long-term balance. They adapt to your needs, whether that means calming stress or fuelling vitality, while supporting gut and liver function and nourishing Jing, Qi, and Shen, the Taoist trifecta of core energy.

There are many well-studied compounds that contribute to the therapeutic effects of medicinal mushrooms, such as adaptogenic triterpenoids, polysaccharide-K (PSK), polysaccharide-P (PSP), cordycepin, hericenones, erinacines, melanin and ergosterol.

We asked SuperFeast founder Mason Taylor, what to look for when buying mushroom products – below is his list of what to check for:

*Potency: To produce potent medicinal mushroom extracts it is important to use the right extraction method for the specific mushroom. The traditional Hòu Huǒ (厚火) extraction approach ensures a full-spectrum extract by adjusting the time, temperature, and pressure of extraction for each mushroom. Whether dual (alcohol and water) or water only extraction required is specific to each mushroom, for example Reishi requires dual-extraction to obtain the fat soluble Triterpenes.

*Sourcing: Certified organic mushrooms are free from non-organic pesticides and fertilisers. However, certification does not guarantee optimal potency. Dì Dào mushrooms are grown according to traditional Chinese practices, in pristine

conditions that best support their medicinal potential.

*Quality: Fingerprint chromatography should be used to confirm the mushroom species. Every batch should be tested for contaminants such as heavy metals and pesticides. Trustworthy brands provide certificates of Analysis (COAs) for transparency.

*Wood-grown: Wood-grown mushrooms follow the traditional Taoist way. Wood is the mushroom’s natural growing environment and directly contributes to the mushroom’s energetic and therapeutic profile, resulting in higher concentrations of active compounds.

*Fruiting body: This is the visible, above-ground part of the fungus, which contains the majority of bioactive compounds and is traditionally used in Chinese medicine. Mycelium, the root-like structure of the mushroom found in grain-grown products, is typically less potent.

Powders: Highly potent, bioavailable, and easily to mix into hot water, tea, broths or smoothies. Capsules: The same potent extract powders encapsulated for convenient daily use, on-the-go and travel, and for those who prefer not to taste the herbs.