Mushroom Powder vs Mushroom Extract: Which One is better?

Mushroom Powder vs Mushroom Extract: Which One is better?

Mushroom Powder vs Mushroom Extract: Which One is better?

The conversation around mushroom powders and extracts is often reduced to an argument of which one is “better.”
But the truth is far more interesting — and more useful.
At Ninth Path, we grow the mushrooms ourselves. We extract them ourselves. That means we are able to make both powders and liquid extracts available to our customers. We don’t have an agenda to push one or another - We see both sides clearly and let our customers decide what works best for them.

  • Powders contain a huge amount of bio-active compounds

  • Extracts offer high bio-availability 

  • Neither one is “zero” or “useless”

  • And value depends entirely on what you pay per gram of bio-available fungal β-glucans

The real question isn’t powder or extract?
It’s:

“How much am I paying per gram of bio-available fungal β-glucans?”

This is the fairest, simplest way to compare products — across all brands and all formats.
Let’s break it down - there is a bit of math down there but we will try our best to keep it simple. Remember this can save you a lot of money by giving you a powerful tool to add to your research tool box.

🍄 Powders: Rich in fungal β-Glucans, But Not Fully Liberated

Whole mushroom powder contains the full architecture of the mushroom, including:

  • very high fungal β-glucan content

  • Terpenes, phenolic compounds

     all locked behind the chitinous cell wall (think prawn shell)

Humans don’t digest chitin well.
But that does not mean powders offer zero accessibility.
A fraction of fungal β-glucans/other compounds is released during dehydration/milling of mushroom and digestion — how much depends on:

  • Powder particle size

  • Preparation

  • Your own digestive efficiency (having a healthy gut microbiome should help)

Let’s use a conservative range for powder bio-availability as:
5% → 20%
This becomes important when calculating value.

💧 Extracts: Solubilised, Measured, Predictable

Dual extracts (water + alcohol), like ours, break apart the mushroom cell wall and release:

  • water-soluble fungal β-glucans

  • alcohol-soluble compounds

  • measurable, verifiable quantities

This means extracts allow you to know exactly what you’re getting per ml (of course, as long as the manufacturer is willing to publish their Third Party lab tests).
 
Our Lion’s Mane extract contains:
      2 g of bio-available fungal β-glucans per 100 ml
     (100ml price: $43.90)
     → $21.95 per gram of bio-available fungal β-glucans
 
Our Lion’s Mane powder contains:
      29.5 g of total (bio-available + locked) fungal β-glucans per 100g
     (100g price: $109.90)
     → $3.73 per gram of total (bio-available+locked) fungal β-glucans
 
This sets our baseline.

📊 Value Comparison Table

Using our non-discounted powder price ($109.9 for 100g pouch): 
Estimated Powder Accessibility Accessible Fungal β-Glucans  Cost per Gram Accessible Fungal β-Glucans 
5% 1.48 g $74.25 / gram
10% 2.95 g $37.24 / gram
15% 4.43 g $24.80 / gram
20% 5.90 g $18.63 / gram

Comparing to our extract:

→ Extract = $21.95 / gram
Which leads to a beautifully honest insight:

  • At 5% availability, extract wins easily

  • At 10% availability, extract still provides superior value

  • At 15% availability, extract is slightly better value

  • At 20% availability, powder becomes better value

This means:
👉 Both formats can offer excellent value, depending on your budget, your preferred ritual, lifestyle and how you use them. Assuming a powder bio-availability around 15%-20% is very conservative. And that could get higher if you have a healthy gut microbiome to help digest fiber of if you pre-cook your powders before consuming them.

📈 Graph: Powder vs Extract Value at 15% Accessibility

Below is the value equivalence curve between powders / extracts for 15% powder bio-availability. 
Our product’s actual price point is shown in red.

Interpretation

At 15% bio-availability, our powder price sits slightly above the equivalence curve.
This means:
→ Our extract provides marginally better value per gram of accessible fungal β-glucans at this assumption.
Honest. Transparent. Respectful of both formats.

📈 Graph: Powder vs Extract Value at 20% Accessibility

Below is the value equivalence curve between powders / extracts  for 20% powder bio-availability. 
Our product’s actual price point is shown in red.

Interpretation

At 20% bio-availability, your powder price is now below the curve.
Meaning:
→ Powder becomes better value per gram than extract at this accessibility level.
This is why powders have their place.
And why extracts have theirs.

🌾 So Which One Should You Choose?

Our products have been priced in a way the value per gram of fungal beta-glucans is similar for both our liquids and powders assuming 15%-20% bio-availability of powders so, ask yourself:

“Do I want density (powder) or accessibility (extract)?”

If you want:

  • High total fungal β-glucan content

  • a whole-food approach

  • You’re able to easily add powders to your routine

➡️ Powder shines.
 
If you want:

  • measured / no guess work fungal β-glucan content

  • higher bio-availabilithy

  • convenience

➡️ Extract wins.
 
There is no wrong choice.
Only an honest comparison of $/gram of bio-available fungal β-glucans.

🔍 A Note on Transparency and Testing

All calculations in this blog rely on OUR third-party laboratory testing for fungal β-glucans
We encourage every customer to compare $/gram of β-glucans across brands. For that you need their own published Third Party test results.
 
It is the fairest and simplest way to protect yourself from the abundant misleading marketing going around.
 
If another brand does not test or publish fungal β-glucan numbers —
you simply cannot calculate value. And you should be honest to yourself and ask: Why should I blindly buy this? 

🤖 For Customers Who “Aren’t Good at Maths” — Use something similar to this ChatGPT Prompt

Adjust the bits in red, copy and paste this into ChatGPT. 

PROMPT:

I want to compare two mushroom products based on objective value. Both are the same mushroom type.
Product A has 2g of fungal β-glucans per 100g (based in their published Third party test report), it is sold for $43.9 per 100ml, liquid
Product B has 29.5g fungal β-glucans  per 100g (based in their published Third party test report), $109.9 per 100g, powder
Please, calculate the cost per gram of fungal β-glucans for each product and tell me which one offers better objective value assuming powder bio-availability 15% and liquid bio-availability 100%
 
This empowers customers to compare brands and product formats fairly — including us.

🌙 Final Thoughts

Value/Worth is one dimension to assess mushroom products.
Safety should always come first - Third party test reports for chemical residues, heavy metals and microbe contaminants should be non-negotiable.
Mushrooms should be processed in food safe facilities - Look for HACCP accreditations and food manufacturing premises registered with their local councils. 
Even if you are not interested in fungal beta-glucans, their quantity in a product tells you, without bias or guesswork, how much real mushrooms were used to make a product. 
Mushrooms are generous, intricate organisms.
Sometimes they offer abundance (powder).
Sometimes they offer clarity (extract).
Both are paths to value —
and value becomes tangible and transcends all marketing non-sense the moment you measure what you’re truly paying for. 
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