My last blog about best practices to prevent and/or treat COVID-19 came back with a few questions, so I wanted to take a moment to clarify a few points and answer the 2 most commonly asked questions.
Please! It’s important you understand what you’re taking, why, and how it’s been manufactured so you are getting the highest quality products that provide the optimal support for you and your well-being. If anything I share leaves you with questions, please do not hesitate to email or ask in our FaceBook group.
1) Can you share your references for the information about supplements, botanical medicine, and COVID-19?
Answer: Yes! Absolutely.
2) What is the difference between full extract mushrooms and mushroom extract?
Answer: This would be the same for medicinal mushrooms as it is for herbal medicine of any plant – when being processed, some companies identify “active ingredients” and will try to synthesize or extract only these compounds in the medicine. In any given plant (including mushrooms) there are hundreds of ingredients and some that have been identified as more important than others – i.e. in mushrooms, polysaccharides (especially beta-D-glucans) and triterpenoid compounds. When we isolate these “active ingredients”, we are moving away from the inherent wisdom within the plant – there are many “lesser” compounds that end up working synergistically within the plant so when used as a whole, they create an effect much bigger than the sum of its parts. As a traditionally trained herbalist, I have always been taught to use whole-plant medicine over extracted parts as we are just scratching the surface of how these compounds work together in a way that hasn’t yet been understood in a lab.
Also, some mushroom products are made up of mycellium or myceliated grain which is cheaper to grow and often used in the US, example. These products do not have nearly the same medicinal potency as actual full mushroom extracts. If you’d like to read more, here’s some websites I found that offers a deeper explanation (please note that I haven’t heard of this company and have never used their products, so do not endorse them in anyway).
- Real Mushrooms vs Mycelia
- What You Should Know about Medicinal Mushrooms
- Full Spectrum Mycoproducts: 100% Full Grown Mushrooms
Overall, it is incredibly important to know where your raw materials are being sourced from, how they are being processed, and whether the medicine remains intact after processing is completed. This is why buying from a drugstore, grocery store, online source, or Amazon is not necessarily in your best interest. When buying online, it’s impossible to know how the products have been stored (were they exposed to heat, freezing temperatures, air, or light?). These are also outlets looking to make the most amount of profit – if you need to take twice as much of a lesser product, they benefit because you’re spending twice as much on something that you think is a “better deal”. Buying locally and from someone who has been trained and has expertise in selecting high quality herbs and supplements is essential. You’re also contributing to the health of your local economy by spending dollars that are more likely to stay within your community.
I appreciate all of your questions. Please – keep them coming! I love hearing from all of you. I am also posting regularly in our FaceBook group – please join us there for on-going discussion!
P.S. Some of you have asked about staying in touch during this time. I am thinking about offering a monthly membership where you’d have access to 2 live calls each month, a private FaceBook group, and other resources to stay grounded during this time. If this sounds interesting to you, please let us know by emailing us!
Dr. Nicola is the founder of Pura Vida Natural Healthcare in Durango, CO where she sees people locally and virtually. She's an expert in the treatment of anxiety, depression and insomnia. By connecting people back to themselves, she is able to minimize supplements and medications as her patients become empowered to heal themselves.