Many mushroom products fall short — either in how much mushroom is used or how effectively it is extracted. At Fung Shui, we focus on both.
Mushrooms are structurally complex, with cell walls made of chitin — a tough crustaceous-like compound that acts as a barrier, locking compounds inside. Without proper breakdown, much of this remains inaccessible to the body. More mushroom alone does not solve this.
Our approach combines high mushroom input with a multi-stage extraction process designed to overcome this barrier. This includes thorough drying, dual-phase extraction, ultrasonic-assisted extraction, and controlled reduction.
The process typically takes around two months (excluding growing the mushrooms), using extended alcohol and hot water extraction, ultrasonic cavitation, and temperature-controlled, food-grade systems.
It is not just about how much mushroom goes in, and it is not just about how you extract it. It is about doing both properly with the time, process and care required to get it right - and that’s what we pride ourselves on.
It’s worth noting that we place equal importance on the origin and quality of the raw material, ensuring the correct mushroom species is used, sourced with care and provenance.
This includes:
- verified species identity
- carefully selected growing conditions
- proper harvesting and drying practices
- full traceability from raw material to final product
Our mushrooms are UK grown wherever possible (around 90%) and we work closely with a mycologist to make the extracts. These are only ever UK made and UK bottled, allowing us to maintain control and consistency at every stage. Because no extraction process can compensate for poor raw material.
Our mushrooms are grown in the UK under controlled conditions, allowing for consistency at every stage of the process.
Each species develops at its own pace, typically taking several weeks to reach maturity before harvest. This slower growth cycle allows the fruiting body to fully form, rather than being rushed. Only once the mushrooms have reached the appropriate stage are they carefully harvested and prepared for extraction.
Fresh mushrooms are approximately 90% water. We dry them until bone dry to concentrate the material, then mill them to increase surface area and improve extraction efficiency.
The ground mushroom is placed in water and exposed to 20kHz ultrasonic waves. This begins breaking down chitin cell walls, improves solvent penetration and releases water-soluble compounds more effectively.
The remaining material, called the ‘mark’ is extracted using high quality ethanol for 4-6 weeks (depending on the mushroom)– agitated frequently. This unlocks non-water-soluble compounds such as triterpenes, sterols and phenolics, while further penetrating the chitin structure.
The mushroom is soaked in hot water at a maximum of 70°C for 24-36 hours depending on the type of mushroom to further break down chitin and extract beta-glucans, triterpenes, polysaccharides and other compounds more thoroughly.
The extract is pressure-filtered multiple times through progressively finer filters to remove particulate matter and refine the final liquid.
Water and alcohol extracts are combined to create a full-spectrum extract containing both water-soluble and alcohol-soluble compounds.
The extract is evaporated using a thin film vacuum evaporator, reduced to achieve the final ratio, defining the potency of the product.
We work with an independent analytical chemist operating from a pharmaceutical-standard laboratory in Devon to validate compound presence, ensure consistency between batches and maintain high quality standards.
Each batch is also screened for safety, including contaminants such as heavy metals and microbial impurities.
The extract is then bottled in amber glass (UV protective) and so remains fully traceable from raw material to final product.
It matters greatly!
If you are results-driven, you want a meaningful concentration of compounds in every dose.
If you are evidence-focused, you care about mechanisms such as mushroom species selection, chitin breakdown, and extraction process.
If you are lifestyle-led, you value quality, process and attention to detail.
If you are values-driven, you care about integrity and doing things properly.
