Hello, Mushrooms

BY HARMONIC ARTS

Nestled in beautiful Cumberland, BC, Harmonic Arts is a family-owned plant medicine company dedicated to supporting the health of people and the planet. Guided by their passion for herbal medicine, clinical herbalists Yarrow and Angela Willard lead the team in developing innovative herbal formulas to nurture you on your path to wellness.

Functional mushrooms are quickly becoming popular for their vast array of health benefits, and for good reason. Because not all mushroom supplements are created equally, it’s helpful to understand what stages of fungal growth offer the most therapeutic support, in order to reap the benefits of medicinal mushrooms.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the use of medicinal mushrooms dates back over 2,000 years. Fruiting body mushrooms, such as Ling-Zhi, are seen as invaluable medicine and are often enjoyed to boost vitality and overall well-being while supporting a wide spectrum of health imbalances.

The Mushroom Life Cycle

Starting with the basics, there are three stages of the mushroom life cycle:

Spore: Much like a seed, a spore is the first stage of the mushroom life cycle. Once a spore lands on a favourable substrate, it germinates and begins to sprout hypha, the microscopic roots of the fungi.

Mycelium: Once hyphae grow and connect, they begin to form a mycelium—the vegetative part of the fungus. Consisting of thread-like branches, the mycelium accesses resources and grows within its environment, sending nutrients upward to form a fruiting body.

Fruiting Body: The fruiting body of the fungus is typically what is referred to as the ‘mushroom’—the visible part of the fungus. It’s the reproductive part of the fungi that pops up to produce spores and continue the organism’s life cycle. Think of it this way: the fruiting body is the lemon, while mycelium is the lemon tree.

The Fruiting Body Difference

Today, most scientific studies use nutritious fruiting body mushrooms, not mycelium, to test and validate medicinal properties.

At Harmonic Arts, we believe in the healing power of fruiting body mushrooms and work exclusively with the world’s five most researched mushrooms: Chaga, Cordyceps, Lion’s Mane, Reishi, and Turkey Tail.

Our certified organic mushrooms are harvested when fruiting bodies have reached full size and are releasing spores. To ensure potency with each batch, each lot that arrives at our facility requires an industry-standard Certificate of Analysis, as well as third-party testing from Canadian labs to guarantee optimal bioavailability and polysaccharide concentration.

When possible, opt for fruiting body mushrooms over mycelium to feel the whole-body benefits of these fungal superfoods. Extracted from 100% fruiting body mushrooms, Harmonic Arts’ Concentrated Mushroom Powders guarantee 30%+ polysaccharide content, and are easy to add to coffee, tea, and smoothies!

Visit harmonicarts.ca to learn more about Harmonic Arts’ mushroom sourcing practices and explore the benefits of the world’s top five mushrooms.

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