REAL MUSHROOMS, an industry-leading supplier of premium mushroom supplements, has been honored by Optimal Performance Living with the Best Medicinal Mushroom Product award for their Turkey Tail Mushroom Extract Powder and Capsules. In an increasingly competitive marketplace for medicinal mushrooms, this award-winning company offers its customers an exceptional product for those seeking to strengthen their immune systems by harnessing the renowned benefits of turkey tail mushrooms.
Unlike most brands that contain grains, additives, and fillers, award-winning REAL MUSHROOMS supplements are made with only 100% real mushrooms, delivering pure mushroom extracts — making its turkey tail powder a more authentic and potent alternative to better-known competitor brands.
A Medicinal Mushroom Powerhouse: The Scientifically-Acknowledged Benefits of Turkey Tail Mushrooms is an original (OptimalPerfomanceLiving) article.
Medicinal mushrooms, also called functional mushrooms, have claims of healing properties and nutritional benefits. Functional mushrooms do not, however, have psychoactive properties, which separate them from so-called “magic” mushrooms.
According to market predictions, the medicinal mushroom industry will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.90% between 2023 and 2030, reaching a value of USD 7.03 billion during the forecast period.
Multiple market analysts have identified REAL MUSHROOMS as a key functional mushroom market player. Moreover, health media outlets have recognized REAL MUSHROOMS as one of the best companies in the industry for fast-paced expansion, with a very high potential for dynamic growth in market share acquisition during the coming year.
The turkey tail mushroom is a leathery, fan-shaped fungus with concentric bands of autumn-like colors resembling feathers. They grow on fallen logs and tree stumps, primarily oak and maple trees, in wet, shady areas worldwide.
The benefits of turkey tail mushrooms for medicinal purposes have been known for centuries in Asia. However, modern research has found that a turkey tail mushroom component, polysaccharide-K (PSK), may stimulate the immune system. This may help to fight cancer by activating natural “killer cells,’ a type of white blood cell that helps protect against pathogens and cancerous tumors.
A clinical trial conducted in 2012 found that breast cancer patients who took capsules of powdered turkey tail mushrooms recovered immune function after radiation therapy more quickly than those who didn’t take the capsules. Also, according to the National Cancer Institute, turkey tail mushrooms may help treat stomach cancer and aid immune cells damaged by chemotherapy to recover normal function.
A further study of breast cancer patients found that the mushrooms appeared to boost the efficacy of chemotherapy, and several other randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that PSK has substantial potential as an adjunct to cancer therapy, with benefits of turkey tail mushrooms seen in the treatment of gastric, esophageal, colorectal, breast, and lung cancers.
In addition to PSK, turkey tail mushrooms contain Polysaccharide Peptide (PSP), which boosts the immune system by suppressing inflammation and activating and inhibiting specific types of immune cells. For instance, test-tube studies have demonstrated that PSP increases monocytes, white blood cells that fight infection and boost immunity.
Beta-glucans, abundant in turkey tail mushrooms, also may stimulate the immune system to help kill cancer cells. REAL MUSHROOMS turkey tail supplements are verified to contain greater than 30% beta-glucans; the mushrooms are also rich in antioxidants and prebiotics.
REAL MUSHROOMS Turkey Tail Immune Support Supplement and 5 Defenders Organic Mushroom Blend contains Turkey Tail mushroom extract as their primary ingredient.
REAL MUSHROOMS also produces a variety of medicinal mushroom extracts from Reishi, Lion’s Mane, and Chaga mushrooms in the form of capsules, powders, chocolates, and hot beverage mixes. All are USDA Certified Organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan, and verified for quality at accredited third-party labs.
REAL MUSHROOMS, led by second-generation mushroom supplement entrepreneur Skye Chilton, is based in Vancouver, Canada.
The company’s CEO and “Chief FunGuy” was mentored by his father, Jeff Chilton, an instrumental figure in creating the now-booming functional mushrooms product category. With over 40 years of mushroom growing experience, Jeff Chilton was one of the first to bring mushroom extracts to the North American market, and in 1996 organized the first organic mushroom growers’ workshop in China. Jeff Chilton is also the founder of Nammex, the leading supplier of organic mushroom extract ingredients to supplement companies.
REAL MUSHROOMS uses Nammex mushrooms exclusively, and Skye Chilton says that makes all the difference. However, conversations with his father about the current landscape of the mushroom industry also taught him that not all mushroom supplements are created equal.
“I learned that the medicinal mushroom marketplace was dominated by products that did not contain any mushrooms. These products are produced from mycelium (the root system of the mushroom) being grown on sterilized grain. They’re commonly marketed as “mushrooms,” yet they contain no mushrooms at all. On top of that, the grain is not separated from the mycelium, so these products are primarily grain.” Chilton says REAL MUSHROOMS uses only the mushrooms’ “fruiting body” (caps and stems).
“The name REAL MUSHROOMS came from the fact that we actually use mushrooms in our products.” He says this distinguishes his supplements from most products on the market – something the buying public isn’t aware of.
“Many consumers and even health practitioners are being misled into believing they are consuming mushrooms when in fact the products are nothing more than mycelium cultured grain, much like the food product tempeh. Very few of the important medicinal compounds found in functional mushrooms are contained in these products.”
Mushroom product labeling requirements from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tell manufacturers of food or supplement products to clearly distinguish whether the product contains actual mushrooms or just the mycelium.
“But not everyone follows these rules, and this is low on the FDA’s enforcement priorities,” says Chilton. “There’s still a ton of products mislabeled.”
In 2017, the American Herbal Products Association released labeling guidance for Fungi Dietary Ingredients, recommending how fungal-based products should be labeled to inform consumers about what the functional mushrooms products contain. Still, Chilton says the guidance isn’t enforceable.
“With this knowledge, I wanted to showcase the mushrooms themselves and educate consumers about the differences in products, while being entirely transparent about where our mushrooms come from and why.”
REAL MUSHROOMS supplements of functional mushrooms are also verified for beta-glucans by independent labs.
“Every batch of mushrooms goes through rigorous quality control tests to ensure purity, safety, and effectiveness, something other mushroom supplement companies don’t do,” says Chilton. “Most brands do not test for active compounds and solely rely on hype and marketing. We do more testing than any other company out there. We know mushrooms.”
Skye Chilton is a recent recipient of the Visionary Leadership Award from EmergingEnterpriseNews.
REAL MUSHROOMS products are available to consumers online directly from the manufacturer and via online outlets.
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Optimal Performance Living provides continuously updated content about living a healthier, more productive, and more meaningful life for its readers.
Important Note: The information contained in this article (A Medicinal Mushroom Powerhouse: The Scientifically-Acknowledged Benefits of Turkey Tail Mushrooms) is for general informational purposes only, and should not be construed as health or medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or health condition. Before embarking on any diet, fitness regimen, or program of nutritional supplementation, it is advisable to consult your healthcare professional in order to determine its safety and probable efficacy in terms of your individual state of health.
Regarding Nutritional Supplements or Other Non-Prescription Health Products: If any nutritional supplements or other non-prescription health products are mentioned in the foregoing article, any claims or statements made about them have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and such nutritional supplements or other health products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
