Functional mushrooms are mushroom extracts that contain specific varieties of mushrooms that have bioactive nutrient compounds. These varieties include Lion's Mane, Chaga, Turkey's Tail, Shiitake, Reishi and Cordyceps, and have been used in traditional Chinese practices for centuries.
Frequently asked questions
General
- What are functional mushrooms?
- Are these magic mushrooms?
- Can you take while pregnant/breastfeeding?
- How do you take them?
- What does it taste like?
- Are they heat sensitive?
- Do you ship overseas?
- How long does shipping take?
What are functional mushrooms?
Are these magic mushrooms?
Unfortunately you’ve come to the wrong place if you’re looking for a psychedelic experience! Our mushrooms do not elicit any ‘trips’ or psychedelic episodes as ‘magic mushrooms’ do. Our mushrooms are a natural source of nutrients to supplement health and wellbeing.
Can you take while pregnant/breastfeeding?
We recommend speaking with your midwife, GP or health professional before taking any supplementation during your pregnancy or when breastfeeding, even 100% natural & organic supplements like our mushrooms.
How do you take them?
What does it taste like?
The mushrooms have an earthy, slightly nutty flavour, that’s pretty mild. You might notice the mushroom’s natural flavour if you mix your dose simply with water, or make a warm broth.
Are they heat sensitive?
As our mushroom powders are dual extracted, this means they’ve already been processed using both heat (in the form of hot water) and alcohol to extract all the good stuff (like the β-glucans and terpenes).
This means that the active nutrient compounds are heat stable.
Do you ship overseas?
We’re currently only shipping to NZ and Australia. We will let you know once we expand our shipping capabilities.
How long does shipping take?
New Zealand 1-3 days
Australia 5-6 days
*postal services are experiencing delays due to covid so deliveries can be expected to take longer.
If your parcel has been more than 10 days email us on hello@mothermade.co.nz and we will help you track it down.
Mushroom care
- How do I look after my mushrooms?
- Why has my powder gone clumpy?
- Where do I store my mushrooms?
How do I look after my mushrooms?
Here at Mother Made we don't use anticaking agents or additives.
Here are some tips to making sure you get the most out of your mushrooms:
1. Avoid using a wet teaspoon.
2. Store powders in cool dry conditions or in refrigerator.
3. If you are not using the powder consistently use spoon to break up weekly.
Why has my powder gone clumpy?
Because we dont use anticaking agents and other additives.
All you have to do is shake it up or break it up with a spoon.
If it's been a really long time since you've used your powders we recommend giving it a quick whizz in a blender.
Where do I store my mushrooms?
In a cool dry place or in the refrigerator.
Using our products
- Can I mix my mushrooms together?
- How often can I use these products and in what dose?
- How long will my blend last?
- How many grams of mushrooms per capsule?
- Can I take the PM powder in the morning?
- Will the ‘relax’ capsules make me sleepy?
Can I mix my mushrooms together?
Yes!
Seeing as each variety of mushroom offers a different range of nutrients with differing health support benefits, you may want to take more than just one mushroom.
**It’s always important to be mindful of your overall dosage of these natural extracts however, and be sure to build up your dosage slowly.
How often can I use these products and in what dose?
We suggest, as when taking any new supplement, to start out small and build your way up when it comes to dosage. This might mean only using ½ teaspoon of our powder blends, or 1 capsule per day to start with.
1-2 teaspoons of powder blends, or 1-2 capsules of each type of mushroom tends to be the sweet spot, or common dosage for individuals for health and wellbeing support of mushrooms.
This might vary depending on factors such as your body size or individual metabolism. Make sure to be intuitive and listen to your body when determining what dose works best for you.
How long will my blend last?
Once using regularly;
Powders: we suggest using about 1 tsp per dose daily.
This’ll get you about 60 doses per tub (220g).
Capsules: we suggest taking 1-2 capsules daily.
Each tub contains 60 capsules, so 30-60 days.
How many grams of mushrooms per capsule?
450 mg
Can I take the PM powder in the morning?
Yes! Although we call this our PM blend, there’s absolutely no reason you can’t take the mushrooms that are in our PM blend at any other time of the day.
Reishi can support a feeling of calm, whilst shiitake and turkey’s tail support our body systems such as digestive, skin, immune and cardiovascular systems.
We’ll take that kind of support at any time of the day!
Will the ‘relax’ capsules make me sleepy?
Don't worry, the mushroom extracts (namely reishi) in our Relax capsule don’t make you drowsy!
Quality and sourcing
- Are the capsules vegan?
- Where do you source your mushrooms?
- What is a dual extract?
- Why do you need to extract mushrooms?
- How potent are your mushrooms?
- Are they from the fruiting body?
- Are your mushrooms certified organic?
Are the capsules vegan?
Yes, our capsules are 100% vegan and made from natural plant fibres.
Where do you source your mushrooms?
Our mushrooms are imported from China. This was a conscious decision as it was important to us to source from the origin.
Over the centuries, Chinese practices have developed standards that guide the cultivation of the world’s best quality mushroom extracts and concentrates.
All of our mushrooms are grown organically on natural substrates, not in laboratories.
What is a dual extract?
Our mushroom powders have been dual extracted.
This means we’ve used an extraction method using both heat in the form of hot water (to extract the water-soluble β-glucan polysaccharides) and alcohol (to extract the oil-soluble terpenes) to obtain all the nutrient compounds the mushrooms have to offer. To use only one extraction process would mean we’d only be extracting half of the goodness.
Both heat and alcohol are used regularly to process or extract natural herbs, and are safe and quality controlled extraction methods.
Why do you need to extract mushrooms?
We extract biological nutrients (the goodness) from the fruiting bodies of the mushrooms so that they’re bioavailable (meaning they’re readily available for our bodies to absorb and utilise).
Just like plants, mushrooms are made up of thousands of cells. The cell walls of fungi are made up of a substance called chitin which is super tough (for reference, crab shells are made from chitin). Humans don’t tend to have the enzyme needed to break down chitin so essentially the goodness within the mushroom cells remain locked inside the cell, and passes through our digestive system and out again, much like dietary fibre does.
For this reason, we extract the goodness from the mushroom cells and dry it into a powder. Solvents such as heat and alcohol work to break down the chitin and extract the biological nutrients.
How potent are your mushrooms?
Our powders are 100% pure mushroom extracts, with >20% polysaccharide content, and no fillers, additives or flavours. A little goes a long way.
Are they from the fruiting body?
All our mushroom extracts are from the fruiting body (the reproductive system of the mushroom), not mycelium grain (essentially the mushrooms’ root system).
The fruiting body is where the high concentration of nutrients remain, so that’s where we extract our powders from.
Are your mushrooms certified organic?
Our mushrooms are USDA certified organic! Made with mush mush love :)