Getting Started
The Complete Guide to Functional Mushrooms
Functional mushrooms are species valued for more than flavour, from Lion’s Mane and Reishi to Cordyceps, Chaga and Oyster. This guide explains what the term means,...
The Spore & Bloom Library
A growing field guide to mushrooms, extracts, cultivation, traditional use and the science behind the fungal kingdom.
Start exploring
-
Mushroom Biology
How fungi grow: mycelium, fruiting bodies, spores and substrates.
-
Extraction & Manufacturing
Hot water, alcohol and dual extraction, and how tinctures are made.
-
Getting Started
Beginner questions answered: what functional mushrooms are, how extracts are made and how to choose.
-
History & Traditional Use
Mushrooms through history, presented as history rather than medical advice.
-
Mushroom Library
Species guides to the mushrooms we work with, and the wider fungal kingdom.
-
Mushroom Science
Beta-glucans, fungal compounds and how to read mushroom research.
Featured guides
Longer guides that form the heart of the Library.
Mushroom Library
The Complete Guide to Cordyceps
“Cordyceps” can mean a rare Himalayan fungus, a cultivated orange relative or a mycelium sold under an old name. This guide explains the species, how Cordyceps...
Mushroom Library
The Complete Guide to Oyster Mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms are among the world’s most familiar and widely cultivated fungi. This guide explains how they grow, the wider Oyster family, what they contain, including...
Mushroom Library
The Complete Guide to Chaga
Chaga grows on birch as a hard, black mass rather than a typical mushroom, and it has long been brewed as a tea in northern Europe...
Mushroom Library
The Complete Guide to Reishi Mushroom
Reishi, or lingzhi, is a glossy red bracket fungus with a two-thousand-year history in Chinese culture. This guide explains how it grows, the confusion around its...
Mushroom Library
The Complete Guide to Lion's Mane Mushroom
Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) is a striking white tooth fungus with a long culinary history in East Asia and a great deal of research interest. This...
Extraction & Manufacturing
The Complete Guide to Mushroom Extraction
Extraction is how a mushroom’s contents are drawn out of its tough cell walls, and it’s why two products from the same species can differ so...
Mushroom science
Beta-glucans, fungal compounds and how to read mushroom research.
Mushroom Science
Oyster Mushroom Compounds Explained
Mushroom Science
Chaga Compounds Explained
Mushroom Science
Cordyceps Compounds and Chemistry Explained
Extraction & craft
Hot water, alcohol and dual extraction, and how tinctures are made.
Extraction & Manufacturing
Alcohol Mushroom Extraction Explained
Extraction & Manufacturing
From Mushroom to Bottle: The Extraction Workflow
Extraction & Manufacturing
Understanding Mushroom Extract Ratios
New in the Library
Extraction & Manufacturing
Alcohol Mushroom Extraction Explained
Getting Started
What Are Beta-Glucans?
Getting Started
Fruiting Body vs Mycelium: Understanding the Difference
All articles
Extraction & Manufacturing
Alcohol Mushroom Extraction Explained
Alcohol extraction draws out mushroom compounds that hot water leaves behind, such as triterpenes and sterols, and preserves the finished tincture. This article explains how it...
Getting Started
What Are Beta-Glucans?
Beta-glucans are glucose-based polysaccharides found in the cell walls of mushrooms, as well as in yeast, oats and barley. This article explains what they are, how...
Getting Started
Fruiting Body vs Mycelium: Understanding the Difference
A mushroom’s fruiting body and its mycelium are two different parts of the same organism, and products made from each can be very different. This article...
Getting Started
What Does Dual Extract Mean?
“Dual extract” means a mushroom has been extracted in two different solvents, usually hot water and alcohol, and the results combined. Here’s why the method exists,...
Mushroom Library
The Complete Guide to Chaga
Chaga grows on birch as a hard, black mass rather than a typical mushroom, and it has long been brewed as a tea in northern Europe...
Mushroom Library
The Complete Guide to Reishi Mushroom
Reishi, or lingzhi, is a glossy red bracket fungus with a two-thousand-year history in Chinese culture. This guide explains how it grows, the confusion around its...
Mushroom Library
The Complete Guide to Lion's Mane Mushroom
Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) is a striking white tooth fungus with a long culinary history in East Asia and a great deal of research interest. This...
Mycelium on Grain Explained
Many mushroom supplements are made from mycelium grown on grain rather than from mushrooms themselves. This article explains how they’re made, why the grain starch matters,...
Extraction & Manufacturing
From Mushroom to Bottle: The Extraction Workflow
What happens between a harvested mushroom and a finished tincture? This article walks through each stage of making a dual extract, from sourcing and drying to...
Extraction & Manufacturing
Understanding Mushroom Extract Ratios
Extract ratios such as 1:3 or 10:1 appear on many mushroom products and are easy to misread. This article explains how tincture and powder ratios work,...
Extraction & Manufacturing
Hot-Water Mushroom Extraction Explained
Hot water extraction is the modern form of the traditional mushroom decoction, and the foundation of most mushroom extracts. This article explains what it draws out,...
Extraction & Manufacturing
The Complete Guide to Mushroom Extraction
Extraction is how a mushroom’s contents are drawn out of its tough cell walls, and it’s why two products from the same species can differ so...