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    The Grass & Co. Journal, Education

    The quiet science behind the blend.

    No miracle claims, no biohacker jargon. Just an honest look at the mushrooms we work with, where they come from, and why we formulate them the way we do.

    Fruiting body first. One transparent exception.

    Lion's Mane, Reishi, Maitake and Shiitake use fruiting-body extracts. ENERGY uses cultivated Cordyceps sinensis mycelium, for the compliance and sustainability reasons explained further down this page.

    Intelligently accessible

    The research, translated. If we can't explain an ingredient plainly, we don't put it in the blend.

    Claims we can prove

    Every functional statement we make is backed by approved vitamin and mineral claims. Nothing more, nothing less.

    The Formula

    One recipe, four ways

    Need State = Functional Mushroom + Adaptogen × Vitamins

    Every Grass & Co. blend starts with a moment in your day, the 3pm slump, the wired mind at midnight, the morning that never starts. Then we build backwards: a functional mushroom for the heavy lifting, an adaptogen to steady the system, and vitamins with claims we can actually prove.

    • FocusLion's Mane + Ginseng × Omega-3, B12 & D
    • RelaxMaitake + Ashwagandha × Magnesium & B6
    • DreamReishi + Sage × B5, B6 & D
    • EnergyCordyceps + Holy Basil × Iron, B9 & B12
    Grass & Co. botanicals laid out on linen
    Why Grass & Co.

    A mushroom
    is good.
    A mushroom with company is better.

    That's the & Co.

    Anyone can sell you a mushroom. Most do, ground up, working alone, often grown on grain. Ours never work solo. Every Grass & Co. blend pairs a functional mushroom with an adaptogen and vitamins carrying claims we can actually prove. The "& Co." isn't a suffix, it's the whole idea.

    01

    The Mushroom

    Organic fruiting-body extract, no fillers, no starch padding the capsule. The one exception is ENERGY, which uses cultivated Cordyceps sinensis mycelium.

    02

    The Adaptogen

    Ashwagandha, ginseng, holy basil, sage, a steadying partner chosen for the exact moment the blend is built for.

    03

    The Vitamins

    B12, D, magnesium, iron, nutrients with approved claims, so what we say on the pack is what we can prove.

    What's inside
    A typical mushroom capsule
    Often mycelium grown on grain, more filler than fungus
    The Grass & Co. blend
    100% organic fruiting body extract
    The formula
    A typical mushroom capsule
    One mushroom, working alone
    The Grass & Co. blend
    Mushroom + adaptogen + vitamins, built for a real need state
    The claims
    A typical mushroom capsule
    Vague wellness promises
    The Grass & Co. blend
    Approved vitamin & mineral claims, nothing we can't prove
    The proof
    A typical mushroom capsule
    Try asking for the lab tests
    The Grass & Co. blend
    Every batch independently tested, certificates published on this site
    The standards
    A typical mushroom capsule
    Fine print optional
    The Grass & Co. blend
    Vegan Society registered · GMP made · Provenance verified
    Explore the range
    The Evidence, Certificates of Analysis

    Every batch, tested. Every report, published.

    We send every production batch to independent, ISO-accredited laboratories, 33 certificates and counting. No cherry-picking, no summaries: the full documents, exactly as the labs issued them.

    What the labs measure

    • Beta-Glucans, the active compounds10–50%
    • Alpha-Glucans, starch from grain-grown mycelium~28%
    • Total Glucans, the full picture~50%

    High beta-glucans with moderate alpha-glucans is the signature of genuine fruiting-body extract, and it's printed on every certificate.

    Screened for safety

    • ✓Heavy metals
    • ✓Pesticides
    • ✓Microbiology
    • ✓Mycotoxins
    • ✓Allergens & gluten
    • ✓PAH compounds

    Certificates are issued by Eurofins Food Testing UK and NLAB, independent, accredited laboratories with no stake in the result.

    FOCUS Capsules

    Lion's Mane · Hericium erinaceus
    View product

    Archive, previous formulas

    These products are no longer in the range, but their 3 certificates stay published. If you still have a pack at home, the report for your batch is here.

    BIOME Capsules

    Chaga · Inonotus obliquus

    BIOME Powder

    Chaga · Inonotus obliquus

    Find your batch code on the base of your pack, then match it here. Older reports are archived as new batches are certified.

    Beta-Glucans & Extraction

    How to judge a mushroom supplement.

    Almost every mushroom product on the shelf makes the same promises. The difference is in the chemistry, how much of the mushroom is actually mushroom, and whether your body can reach it. Here is what to look for, and how our blends are built.

    01

    What they actually are

    Beta-glucans are the long-chain polysaccharides that build a mushroom's cell wall, specifically β-1,3 / 1,6 D-glucan. They are the compound most researchers point to when they talk about why mushrooms behave differently from other plants, and the compound most often measured when a lab is asked to grade quality.

    02

    Why the fruiting body matters

    The fruiting body, the mushroom you would recognise, is dense in beta-glucans. Mycelium grown on grain is not: harvest it and you take the grain with it, which dilutes the beta-glucan content with starch. That is the single biggest difference between two capsules that look identical on the shelf.

    03

    Why extraction changes everything

    Beta-glucans are locked inside chitin, the tough structural material that forms fungal cell walls, which human digestion cannot break down easily. Hot-water extraction opens the cell wall so the compounds are available; dual extraction adds alcohol to pull the fat-soluble triterpenes too. A raw powdered mushroom is not the same as an extract, whatever the front of the pack says.

    04

    Why 'polysaccharides' is a red flag

    Beta-glucan is a polysaccharide, but so is starch. A label quoting a high 'polysaccharide' percentage may simply be counting grain. The honest number is a measured beta-glucan percentage, tested by a third-party lab, on the batch in your hand.

    The label decoder

    Four things worth checking before you buy anything.

    Look for

    Fruiting body, named

    Be wary of

    'Mushroom powder' or 'mycelial biomass'

    Look for

    Beta-glucan % on the batch

    Be wary of

    'Polysaccharides' % with no breakdown

    Look for

    Hot-water or dual extract, ratio stated

    Be wary of

    Raw ground mushroom, no extraction

    Look for

    Third-party certificate of analysis

    Be wary of

    In-house testing, no document

    How ours are built

    Organic fruiting body, extracted, then tested.

    We use organic fruiting-body mushrooms, never grain-grown mycelium, hot-water extracted so the cell wall is opened and the beta-glucans are available. Every batch goes to a third-party lab, and every certificate is published on this page rather than sat in a drawer. Then we add the adaptogens and the vitamins that carry authorised claims. That is the & Co. part.

    Read the certificatesExplore the herbarium
    Where the science stands

    Beta-glucans are the structural polysaccharides in mushroom cell walls. They have the strongest and most consistent immune-modulation signal of any mushroom compound: several randomised trials report changes in immune-cell populations and markers. The catch is that most trials use isolated extracts or whole mushrooms at doses far above what fits in a daily capsule, and the clinical relevance of the lab markers is still debated.

    Supplementation was well tolerated and showed immune-modulating effects, including reduced incidence and symptoms of respiratory infections and improved allergic symptoms in some cohorts.

    The contextThe review notes inconsistent cellular/molecular findings and calls for more work on optimal dose and mechanism. Not every trial found a benefit.

    Vlassopoulou et al., Food & Function (2021)

    Significant increases in T-lymphocytes, NK cell counts and IgA levels versus placebo. The intervention was safe and well tolerated.

    The contextAn isolated beta-glucan extract, not a whole mushroom, at a dose unlikely to fit in a standard capsule. Marker changes are not the same as proven illness resistance.

    Reishi beta-glucan RCT, Journal of Medicinal Food / PubMed (2023)

    Increased gamma-delta-T and NK-T cell proliferation, higher secretory IgA, and reduced C-reactive protein, suggesting improved immune function under less inflammatory conditions.

    The contextWhole dried mushrooms at food doses, not an extract. Four weeks, healthy young adults, no placebo control. Not directly comparable to a capsule.

    Dai et al., Journal of the American College of Nutrition (2015)

    Measurable immunologic effects, with some immune parameters rising and others falling in a non-monotonic dose response.

    The contextA clinical cancer population, not healthy adults. The authors explicitly warn that botanical agents can depress as well as enhance immune function.

    Deng et al., Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy (2009)

    We do not make health claims for mushrooms or beta-glucans, those are not authorised for food supplements in the UK. The only claims on our packs are the authorised ones tied to the vitamins and minerals in each blend.

    From spore to capsule

    How our mushrooms are actually grown.

    A mushroom is only as good as the conditions it grew in and the way it was handled afterwards. We work with one specialist grower, a family-founded business with more than thirty years in mushroom cultivation, organic growing bases at each species' place of origin, and its own analytical laboratory. Here is the method, step by step.

    01, The strain

    Grown at origin, from a known strain

    Our mushrooms are cultivated on certified-organic growing bases in the mountains and forests each species comes from, clean, remote highland sites, away from industry and dense habitation. Growing a species where it naturally belongs, from a documented strain, is what makes a batch behave the same way twice.

    02, The substrate

    Fruiting bodies on natural substrate, never grain-grown mycelium

    Reishi and Shiitake are grown on hardwood. Lion's Mane and Maitake fruit on natural wood-based substrate. Cordyceps sinensis mycelium is greenhouse-grown on natural substrates. What we never do is harvest mycelium grown on grain and mill the grain in with it, that is how a capsule ends up mostly starch.

    03, The harvest

    Whole fruiting body, dried low and slow

    The mushroom is harvested whole at maturity, then dried at controlled low temperature so the cell-wall polysaccharides survive the process. No sun-drying on open ground, no high-heat shortcuts.

    04, The extraction

    Hot-water extraction, cell walls opened

    Beta-glucans are locked inside chitin, the tough structural material that forms fungal cell walls, which human digestion cannot break down easily. Our partners use hot-water extraction and low-temperature cell-wall-breaking technology to open them up, so what's in the capsule is available to you rather than passing straight through.

    05, The testing

    Every batch tested, twice

    Each batch of raw material, intermediate and finished powder is tested in-house for beta-glucan and polysaccharide content, then sent to Eurofins, an independent laboratory, for pesticide residue and heavy metal screening. Organic batches come back with zero pesticide residues and heavy metals well below EU and US limits.

    06, The paperwork

    Certified, audited, and blended in the UK

    The growing bases hold EU Organic, USDA/NOP and JAS organic certification, renewed annually. The processing facility runs to cGMP, BRCGS, FSSC 22000 and HACCP, with unannounced SGS audits. Our botanicals and adaptogens are sourced across the UK and EU, and every Grass & Co. blend is manufactured and packed in the UK.

    One exception

    Cordyceps is mycelium-grown, and for good reason.

    Wild Cordyceps sinensis is rare, expensive and its harvest carries serious sustainability problems. More practically, it is not the form permitted under UK novel-food rules. We use Cordyceps sinensis mycelium, greenhouse-grown on natural substrates and extracted to maximise beta-glucans and cordycepin. It is the only vegan, novel food-compliant Cordyceps available in the UK: the honest, cultivated alternative to a wild harvest that most supplements never contained anyway.

    Where things come from, plainly.

    We grow each mushroom where it grows best, which for Reishi, Lion's Mane, Shiitake and Maitake means certified-organic forest bases in their native highland regions of East Asia, several of them protected geographical indication areas, the same idea as Champagne or Melton Mowbray. Our adaptogens and botanicals are sourced across the UK and EU. Blending, encapsulation and packing all happen in the UK.

    Origin on its own tells you very little. What tells you something is the substrate, the extraction, the organic certification and the independent lab report, and we publish all four.

    See the certificatesEvery ingredient, one by one
    Botanical plate of Lion's Mane, Hericium erinaceus
    The Profiles / 01

    Lion's Mane

    Hericium erinaceus

    The thinking mushroom. A shaggy, waterfall-like fungus that has been part of East Asian herbal practice for centuries, and the backbone of our best-selling blend.

    We pair 600mg of organic Lion's Mane fruiting body with Korean Ginseng, plant-based Omega-3 (DHA), and Vitamins B12 and D, which contribute to normal nervous system function and normal psychological function.

    In plain terms: the B12 and Vitamin D are there so we can say something true about the nervous system and psychological function, and the DHA supports normal brain function at 250mg a day.

    See it in Focus
    Botanical plate of Maitake, Grifola frondosa
    The Profiles / 02

    Maitake

    Grifola frondosa

    Known as the dancing mushroom, Maitake grows in frilled clusters at the base of hardwood trees. It is one of the traditional adaptogens people have reached for in demanding times.

    We combine 500mg of Maitake extract with Ashwagandha, then add Magnesium and Vitamin B6, which contribute to normal psychological function, normal functioning of the nervous system, and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

    In plain terms: the magnesium is doing the steady work on the nervous system and muscle function, and the B6 covers psychological function and tiredness.

    See it in Relax
    Botanical plate of Reishi, Ganoderma lucidum
    The Profiles / 03

    Reishi

    Ganoderma lucidum

    The mushroom of the evening. Reishi has been used for centuries in wind-down rituals, a quiet companion for the hours when your mind refuses to switch off.

    We pair 400mg of Reishi extract with Sage and Magnesium, which contributes to normal nervous system and muscle function, plus Vitamins B5, B6 and D to help reduce tiredness and fatigue.

    In plain terms: the magnesium settles nervous system and muscle function, while B5, B6 and D cover mental performance, psychological function and tiredness at the end of a long day.

    See it in Dream
    Botanical plate of Cordyceps, Cordyceps sinensis
    The Profiles / 04

    Cordyceps

    Cordyceps sinensis

    The stamina mushroom, famed in Tibetan tradition and beloved by endurance athletes. Ours is cultivated organically, never harvested from the wild.

    We combine Cordyceps with Holy Basil, then add Iron and B vitamins, which contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

    In plain terms: the iron and B vitamins are the part with authorised claims for energy-yielding metabolism and reducing tiredness and fatigue. The Cordyceps is the tradition around them.

    See it in Energy
    The Herbarium

    Every botanical, pressed & filed.

    22 mushrooms, adaptogens, botanicals and algae, each with its traditional use, key compounds and place in the range.

    Photograph of CBD Hemp Extract (Cannabis sativa L.)Cannabinoid

    CBD Hemp Extract

    Photograph of Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus)Functional mushroom

    Lion's Mane

    Photograph of Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)Functional mushroom

    Reishi

    Photograph of Maitake (Grifola frondosa)Functional mushroom

    Maitake

    Photograph of Cordyceps (Cordyceps sinensis)Functional mushroom

    Cordyceps

    Photograph of Shiitake (Lentinula edodes)Functional mushroom

    Shiitake

    Photograph of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)Adaptogen

    Ashwagandha

    Photograph of Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum)Adaptogen

    Holy Basil

    Photograph of Korean Ginseng (Panax ginseng)Adaptogen

    Korean Ginseng

    Photograph of Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)Botanical

    Chamomile

    Photograph of Sage (Salvia officinalis)Botanical

    Sage

    Photograph of Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)Botanical

    Ginkgo

    OPEN THE FULL HERBARIUM

    "Nature knows no hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

    Education is an ongoing conversation. If something here raised a question, the quiz is a good place to start, or wander the range and read every label.

    Explore the range