The growing and extraction process of Tremella fuciformis is unique compared to other medicinal mushrooms. For centuries, Tremella mushroom could only be wild harvested.
In the past, Tremella fuciformis could not be cultivated on wood like most other well-known medicinal mushrooms like Reishi, Maitake, Shiitake, Oyster, and others.
Studies in fungal ecology eventually discovered that the Tremella mushroom species is a mycoparasite. This means it is a fungus that eats another fungus. Instead of eating the wood for its nutrition, Tremella fuciformis eats another fungus–Hypoxylon archeri–that eats the wood.
Essentially, the life cycle of Tremella mushroom is intertwined with another fungus, in this case, the Hypoxylon genus.
It was not possible to cultivate Tremella fuciformis until this method of cultivation was established.
Modern production now uses a “dual-culture” method where they inoculate the substrate with both fungal species to produce the Tremella mushroom fruiting body. From there, a concentrated extract is produced using the fruiting bodies.
Once the best organic fruiting bodies have been selected, they are cleaned, sun dried and prepared for the extraction process.
Our Tremella mushroom extract undergoes a hot water extract process that uses only the Tremella mushroom fruit bodies.
This creates a Tremella mushroom extract rich in immune system supportive beta-D-glucans (water soluble polysaccharide compounds).
