The Pet Health & Nutrition Center Q&AAnswer
Jan 14, 2023 - 03:04 PM
Mycelium is a rich network of thin filaments called hyphae that collect food, water, and nutrients to nourish the mushroom or "fruiting body". It is a very important component of a mushroom supplement as it is responsible for providing the nutrients to the mushroom supporting its growth. There is some confusion found online indicating that the mycelium is just comprised of the grain on which the mushroom is grown. This isn't factually true as the mycelium secretes enzymes that break down the growing medium producing an abundance of nutrients. So the idea that the growing medium, whether oats or brown rice, is just "inactive filler" is inaccurate as the growing medium is actually digested and the metabolites produced during this process yield compounds such as polysaccharides, polyphenols, vitamins, minerals, prebiotics and digestive enzymes that give the fruiting body additional nutritive and energetic properties which are not found in other members of the plant kingdom. Our research shows that "full spectrum" mushroom supplements including both the fruiting body and mycelium provide the most complete nutritive qualities and there are studies to back this up.
