How to Safely Give Your Pet Functional Mushrooms?

Mushrooms are amazing organisms packed with special compounds that work together to provide health benefits. One key feature of all mushrooms is beta-glucans, which help build their strong cell walls. Mushrooms also have terpenes and flavonoids, which vary between different types of mushrooms. These unique beta-glucans, terpenes, and flavonoids give each mushroom its own special effects.

We don’t always know the exact amount of beta-glucan needed for specific benefits, but it’s generally recommended to use mushroom extracts based on the beta-glucan content of that particular mushroom. Studies have provided general guidelines for using beta-glucans, whether they’re from mushrooms, grains, seaweed, or yeast.

To follow this method, it’s important to know the beta-glucan content in the mushroom extract you’re using. When using dried mushrooms, measure the dose in grams of the whole dried mushrooms. These should be steeped in boiling water for several hours to extract the beta-glucans and other active compounds. Fresh mushrooms are 90% water by weight, so you need ten times the weight of fresh mushrooms to match the weight of dried mushrooms. Fresh mushrooms should also be extracted with hot water, which can be added to soups or stews.