Dozen Synergy Power™: Inside a 12-Mushroom Water-Soluble Extract

1. Shiitake (Lentinula edodes)

One of the most researched culinary mushrooms in the world, and a natural cornerstone of the blend. Its cell walls are rich in the beta-glucan lentinan, and it uniquely contains eritadenine, a compound found in almost no other mushroom. Shiitake also supplies B-vitamins, ergosterol (a vitamin-D precursor) and minerals such as zinc, selenium and copper. In a four-week randomized dietary trial in healthy young adults, eating shiitake every day increased the proliferation and activation of gamma-delta T-cells and NK-T cells and raised secretory IgA — all markers of everyday immune readiness — while lowering the inflammatory marker CRP.⁷ Its eritadenine has separately been studied in animal models for helping keep cholesterol and triglyceride levels already within the normal range.⁸ Shiitake anchors the immune and cardiovascular side of the formula.

→ Read our full Shiitake article

2. Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor)

Instantly recognizable by its colourful concentric bands, Turkey Tail is one of the most studied mushrooms on earth thanks to two signature protein-bound polysaccharides: PSP (polysaccharopeptide) and PSK. These compounds are best known for the way they connect the gut and the immune system. In a randomized trial in healthy volunteers, Turkey Tail PSP behaved as a prebiotic, producing clear and consistent favourable shifts in the composition of the gut microbiome.⁹ Animal studies echo this, showing its polysaccharides help normalise gut bacteria and increase beneficial short-chain-fatty-acid producers.¹⁰ Since so much of our immune activity begins in the gut, Turkey Tail supports both digestive balance and everyday resilience.

→ Read our full Turkey Tail article

3. Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)

Chaga grows slowly on birch trees in the far northern forests, concentrating over many years an unusually dense set of antioxidant compounds: polyphenols, triterpenoids, betulinic acid and the dark pigment melanin. Laboratory research has isolated polyphenols found only in Chaga — the inonoblins and phelligridins — which strongly neutralise free radicals such as ABTS and DPPH in testing.¹¹ Broader reviews describe how Chaga’s compounds also support the body’s own antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase and catalase, helping protect cells from the oxidative stress behind everyday wear-and-tear.¹² This antioxidant density is why Chaga is one of the blend’s most valued members.

→ Read our full Chaga article

4. Agaricus Blazei (Agaricus blazei Murrill)

Native to the mountains of Brazil and now cultivated worldwide, Agaricus blazei Murrill — the Royal Sun mushroom — is one of the richest natural sources of immune-active beta-glucans. Its (1→3),(1→6)-beta-glucans act as ligands for the innate immune receptors dectin-1, complement receptor 3 and TLR2 on macrophages, dendritic cells and NK cells, a mechanism described in detail in the research literature.¹³ In a randomized, double-blind clinical study, an Agaricus blazei-based extract measurably shifted immune-signalling cytokines (such as IL-1ra, IL-5 and IL-7) and increased regulatory immune-cell populations in people.¹⁴ It is a mushroom chosen specifically for its contribution to the body’s natural immune responses.

→ Read our full Agaricus Blazei article

5. Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus)

The oyster mushroom is both a kitchen staple and a quietly capable functional mushroom. It naturally contains beta-glucans along with trace amounts of lovastatin-type compounds that interact with cholesterol metabolism. A systematic review of clinical trials associated regular oyster-mushroom intake with support for healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels — while honestly noting that the overall evidence base is still modest and of low certainty.¹⁵ Oyster mushrooms are also one of the few foods that generate meaningful vitamin D2 when exposed to UV light, adding a bone-support dimension to the blend. It rounds out the cardiovascular and structural side of the formula.

6. Tremella (Tremella fuciformis)

Tremella, the translucent “snow mushroom,” has been a beauty secret in East Asia for centuries — tradition links it to the legendary complexion of an imperial concubine. Its value comes from an acidic heteropolysaccharide (built from mannose, xylose and glucuronic acid) with an exceptional capacity to hold water. Research shows Tremella polysaccharide can retain moisture comparably to — and in one direct comparison, better than — hyaluronic acid.¹⁶ In an applied skin-cream test on volunteers, a formulation containing Tremella extract reduced transepidermal water loss by around 12%, a measurable sign of a better-hydrated, more resilient skin barrier.¹⁷ For skin hydration and elasticity, Tremella is the blend’s dedicated specialist.

→ Read our full Tremella article

7. Phellinus Linteus (Phellinus linteus, “Sanghuang”)

Known in East Asia as Sanghuang and prized for centuries, Phellinus linteus is a hard, woody bracket fungus rich in styrylpyrone compounds (the hispidin family) and polysaccharides. Its hispidins show notable free-radical-scavenging activity, and reviews document consistent antioxidant and liver-supporting effects across laboratory and animal studies.¹⁸ In mice, Phellinus polysaccharides restored levels of glutathione — the body’s master antioxidant — and activated the AMPK/Nrf2 pathway that switches on our own protective enzymes, supporting healthy liver function.¹⁹ Phellinus brings a focused antioxidant-and-liver angle that complements Chaga.

→ Read our full Phellinus (Black Hoof) article

8. Poria Cocos (Wolfiporia extensa)

Poria cocos is one of the most frequently used mushrooms in all of traditional East Asian herbalism, appearing in countless classic formulas. It grows underground around pine roots and is rich in lanostane-type triterpenoids together with soothing polysaccharides. Modern reviews connect those triterpenoids to its long-standing traditional use for healthy fluid balance and normal kidney water-handling.²⁰ Its calming side has been explored too: in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial, a Poria-containing blend improved self-reported sleep quality and increased total sleep time versus baseline.²¹ Poria brings a gentle, balancing quality — fluid balance and calm — to the formula.

→ Read our full Poria Cocos article

9. Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus)

With its cascading white spines, Lion’s Mane is unmistakable — and it is the blend’s brain specialist. It contains two families of compounds, hericenones (in the fruiting body) and erinacines (in the mycelium), studied for their ability to support nerve growth factor (NGF), a signalling protein essential to the health and maintenance of neurons.²² In a randomized human pilot study, a single dose of Lion’s Mane was associated with faster performance on a demanding attention task (the Stroop test), an early hint of support for mental clarity and focus.²³ For anyone who values everyday cognitive sharpness, Lion’s Mane is the reason it belongs among the twelve.

10. Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)

Reishi has been revered for over two thousand years — the Chinese called it lingzhi, the “mushroom of immortality,” and once reserved it for emperors. Its lacquered red cap is rich in more than a hundred triterpenes (the ganoderic acids) alongside immune-active beta-glucans. In a placebo-controlled trial, Reishi supplementation was associated with within-group improvements in happiness and life satisfaction and reduced low mood.²⁴ Animal research points to its triterpenes calming inflammatory signalling in the brain and body, a plausible route for its traditional role in relaxation and stress resilience.²⁵ Reishi is the blend’s grounding, balancing presence.

11. Maitake (Grifola frondosa)

Maitake — “the dancing mushroom” — grows in great overlapping clusters at the base of oaks, and its most famous component is the D-fraction, a beta-glucan that is among the best-characterised of any mushroom. A phase I/II human trial confirmed that oral Maitake extract is genuinely immunologically active in people, producing measurable, dose-dependent changes in immune-cell parameters.²⁶ More recent animal work links its polysaccharides to healthier glucose metabolism — lower fasting glucose and improved insulin sensitivity — alongside a more balanced gut microbiome.²⁷ Maitake reinforces both the immune and the steady-energy sides of the blend.

→ Read our full Maitake article

12. Cordyceps (cultivated Cordyceps militaris)

Cordyceps is the blend’s energy-and-endurance mushroom, and here honesty matters. We use cultivated Cordyceps militaris — the sustainable, lab-grown species — rather than wild Cordyceps sinensis (Ophiocordyceps sinensis), the rare caterpillar fungus of Himalayan legend that is now protected and prohibitively expensive. Cultivation delivers the same signature compounds, cordycepin and adenosine, reliably and traceably. In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial a Cordyceps militaris-containing formula improved VO2max and time-to-exhaustion during high-intensity exercise,²⁸ and a separate controlled trial of the sinensis fermentation product raised exercise thresholds in healthy older adults.²⁹ Its role in the formula is stamina, vitality and cellular energy.