Jeff Chilton has been involved one way or another in organic mushroom cultivation and mushroom health benefits since the 1970s.

In this podcast, he tells listeners

• Which compounds in fungi boost our immune system and how the supplement industry is making them more available to consumers,
• What processes they use to extract these beneficial compounds that are then supplement-ready, and
• What mushroom farming looks like in the U.S. and China and how mushrooms are produced.

After many years spent in organic mushroom farming, Jeff Chilton started Nammex in 1989 to sell mushrooms to the herbal supplement industry. He explains that it took a while to educate North Americans to how essential mushrooms had been in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. His company produces extracts of quality mushrooms that these supplement companies integrate and sell for functional or medicinal purposes. 

Jeff gives listeners a broader picture of the value of various fungi in the diet, and says that there are at least 270 different medicinal mushrooms with supporting research showing benefits. His company works consistently with about 10 to 12 species that have an overlap between established scientifically-proven benefits and a history of use in traditional Chinese medicine. 

He explains that mushroom supplements benefit our immune system modulation. He describes the process they use to produce the powdered extract as well as some of the qualities of popular species like the shitake and the reishi mushroom.  He also tells listeners about their biology and growing process and lists some compound benefits, such as for beta glucans and ergosterol. He finishes by describing some newer products, such as cordyceps, a fungus harvested from caterpillars. 

Find more on their website, nammex.com, and for a division of the company that sells directly to consumers, see realmushrooms.com.

Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK