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Product FAQs

For all your questions on our functional mushroom products: Lion's Mane, Cordyceps, Turkey Tail, Reishi and Shiitake. If you want to learn about the differences between our double liquid extracts and powders or for other queries, please have a read below. If you can't see what you're looking for, don't hesitate to send us a message via Facebook Messenger or email us on info@lifecykel.com!

For any questions on how to grow your own mushrooms using one of our grow kits, please visit our How to Grow page here.

 

Double extracts? Are they the equivalent strength to powders? The powders are 10:1 on powders but not the extracts. How does that work?

Powders and liquid extracts are made using different processes.

Our powders are 10:1 which means that 10kg of mushroom material has been used to make 1kg of powder. The powder is made using a spray-drying process.

Our liquid extracts are 1:2 which means that 1kg of mushroom material is used to make 2L of liquid extract. The liquid extracts are made using a double extraction method (water and alcohol based). This double liquid extract ensures that both water soluble compounds (mainly polysaccharides like beta-glucans) and alcohol soluble compounds (mainly antioxidants such as triterpenoids) are present in the end product and bioavailable for the consumer.

We believe that the liquid extracts contain a range of full spectrum compounds acting synergistically together while powders are an isolate of single compounds.

For your own purpose, we advise you to test the difference - some people prefer the powders, others prefer the liquids.

Can I use the different extracts at the same time?

Absolutely, feel free to use different extracts together. One thing to note is that because Reishi has more a calming type of effect and Cordyceps a more energy boost type of effect we do not recommend mixing these two together.

What is the starch content in your liquid extracts?

Our liquid extracts contain less than 1% of starch. This result tells us that we can separate most of the grain parts (mainly starch) from the mycelium with our patent pending extraction process.

Your label tells me there is alcohol in your extracts; how much and why?

As one serve is 1ml, there is 0.3ml of alcohol in one serve. This is the equivalent of drinking 6ml of a standard 5% alcohol beer or 2.6ml of a standard white wine restaurant glass size (150ml) of 11.5% of alcohol. This is a very small quantity of alcohol with no intoxicating effects. In Australia, one standard drink is equivalent to any drink containing 10 grams of alcohol.

1 serve of extract is equivalent to 0.3ml alcohol = 0.2g of alcohol = 2% of a standard drink (or less than 1/43 of a standard drink).

Alcohol is used to extract the alcohol soluble compounds (mainly antioxidants such as triterpenoids) to make them bioavailable for the consumer. Without using alcohol in our extracts, you would only have the water-soluble compounds.

Are all your liquid extracts suitable for vegetarians and vegan diets?

Yes, our liquid extracts are vegetarian and vegan, containing no animal-based ingredients.

How should I store the liquid extracts?

Our products are shelf stable.

Extracts used regularly can be stored at room temperature but if you plan to not use them regularly once opened, we recommend refrigerating the bottles to increase longevity.

Which extracts are made from native Australian strains?

Our Lion’s Mane Hericium corraloides and Turkey Tail Trametes versicolor extracts are made from strains growing natively in Australia.

How much beta glucans are there in your extract?

Until we can get precise laboratory results on beta-glucans content, we have decided to not promote them on our extracts.

Have you had your lion’s mane extract tested  for specific beta glucans, terpenes, erinacines, hericenones and polyphenols levels?

Beta glucan and terpenes laboratory testings are in their infancy and so we do not believe in the validity of these markers currently. While we know beta glucans and terpenes are important the science is unclear. The Australian native Lion’s Mane strain we are using does not contain erinacines and hericenones but instead contains similar compounds called corralocins.

And what do you mean by flavouring on the ingredients. Are you using artificial flavouring agents?

This is a requirement from the current FSANZ standard regulations. We do not use artificial flavouring agents in our liquid extracts. Our liquid extracts are made from organic ingredients and wild harvested Kakadu Plum.

Are your products safe to be consumed by children?

There is currently not enough research available to safely conclude mushroom supplements are safe for use by children. For further guidance, please consult your doctor or pediatrician. Thank you for your understanding.

I am pregnant, can I consume the liquid extracts?

There is currently not enough research available to safely conclude mushroom supplements are safe for use during pregnancy. For further guidance, please consult your doctor. Thank you for your understanding.

I am allergic to mushrooms, is it safe for me to consume your liquid extracts or other mushroom products?

People allergic to mushrooms shouldn’t consume this product. For further guidance, please consult your doctor. Thank you for your understanding.

What benefits am I getting with the liquid extracts and your other functional mushroom products?

As mushroom farmers our expertise is the cultivation of mushrooms. Life Cykel takes great pride in producing the highest possible quality products. We recommend using pubmed.com as a source of research conducted by varying international research institutes and universities. Be sure to use the specie name for your search. Additionally, for further advice we recommend consulting your doctor. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Thank you for your interest in the wonderful world of mushrooms.

Can I still fast when using your products?

Biohackers and athletes often include both intermittent fasting and Mushroom liquid extracts in their regimens. A perfect way to start the day is adding the tinctures to your coffee, tea or water.

The extract doesn’t have a detectable mushroom taste. It is easy to take because of its mild flavour but just wondering about effectiveness?

Our liquid extracts are 1:2 which means that 1kg of mushroom material is used to make 2L of liquid extract. The liquid extracts are made using a double extraction method (water and alcohol based). This double liquid extract ensures that both water soluble compounds (mainly polysaccharides like beta-glucans) and alcohol soluble compounds (mainly antioxidants such as triterpenoids) are present in the end product and bioavailable for the consumer. We are using both fruiting bodies, primordia and mycelium to ensure that the entire life cycle of the mushrooms full spectrum is in the end product.

Our liquid extracts are purified using pharmaceutical grade equipment which brings this clear purified colour. This differs from other companies extracts made without purification steps with a more colourful type of extracts and less clean end product with a strong, not easy to take flavour.

Our extract are made from 70% of purified water extract and 30% of alcohol extract purified extract combined together.

Why do you use Kakadu Plum in your extracts?

The native Australian Kakadu Plum infused within the mushrooms brings a sweet taste to the extracts while enhancing the effect of the mushrooms.

Can I take your products when I'm using prescription medications?

As mushroom growers this is not our area of expertise. Any medical related questions are best answered by your local GP or physician.

Do you have a recommended schedule for when to take the extracts?

Here's an example of a day in the life of a mushroom biohacker. Inspired by Dave Asprey’s personal use:

AM: Cordyceps and Turkey Tail - add to coffee, tea or water
PM: Reishi and Lion's Mane - add to evening tea or water
 
Shiitake is fine to have at anytime.
 
* Please note: Some of our community prefer to take Lion's Mane in the morning. As these mushrooms are adaptogens it is different for everyone. Be sure to try out for yourself to find what works best for you.

Are there any calories in your extracts?

Our extracts are identified under the category of flavourings. The calories involved are very low.

 Are your extracts made from pure mycelium or it is made from mycelium on grain or liquid culture?

Our extract is made from a combination of fruiting bodies and mycelium. Our liquid extracts contain less than 1% of starch. This result proves that we can currently separate more than 99% of the grain parts (mainly starch) from the mycelium with our proprietary extraction process that has been lodged with the patent office.

How much vitamin C is in your extracts?

We are using the Kakadu plum mostly as a natural flavouring. We are not making any claims on the vitamin C content of our extract. We do believe the formulation is amazing for optimising your day and we receive many positive reviews about this on a daily basis.

What percentage of Kakadu Plum is in your extracts?

Our extraction processes and formulas are part of our company's IP which is within our patents lodged.