We found that mice fed a HF-SHM (high fact-shiitake) diet had ∼86% smaller aortic lesion area than mice in both HF-C (P < 0.01) and MIX-C (P < 0.01) groups and also expressed 31-48% lower vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 levels (P < 0.05) than all other groups. Similarly, HF-PBM- (high fat-portobello) fed mice displayed a 70% reduction in aortic lesion area in the tricuspid valve only (P < 0.05). Both mushroom-fed groups had lower weight gain and fat mass (P < 0.05) than the control groups.
Full article below.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316622166897?via%3Dihub
Human equivalent dosage is huge.
According to Wu et al. (12), 10% wt:wt mushroom powder in mice will translate to ∼11 g fresh mushroom/kg body weight, which is ∼750 g mushroom/d (10 servings/d) for a person with an average weight of 65–70 kg.
Assuming the powder is one tenth of fresh mushrooms, that is still 75g (five tablespoons) of powder per day. If the effects scale down linearly, then two tablespoons of powder would produce 40% of the benefit. That is a big if.
The full study has a pic of the lesion area.
LF-C low fat control
HF-C high fat control
HF-PBM high fat portobello
HF-SHM high fat shiitake
MIX-C mixed control
4 Likes
Bicep
#82
Almost 3 inches of rain this week here and high temp and humidity. Mushrooms are blooming like crazy. Embarrassed to say after all the whining I’ve done that most of my cornucopia oysters are blooming. Small so far, but I’m thrilled. This means the mycelium is in there working away. I should get these for years here because these are big logs:
We’ll eat a few fresh, but most will be dried, ground up and frozen for later.
And of course the Golden Oysters are having their 3rd bloom of the year:
10 Likes
Beth
#83
The golden oysters are STUNNING! I’ve never seen anything like it.
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Very nice specimens there! Looks like ideal weather conditions for our little fungus friends.
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Golden oyster - highest source of ergotheioneine.
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Mushroom coffee now af Costco San Francisco, and no more expensive than regular Peet’s, etc. So had to try it…
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An update on the Four Sigmatic mushroom coffee I’m currently using. It tastes fine - not a significant difference one way or another from my regular coffee from Costco (I jump around between all the major brands and the Kirkland brand). But no noticeable benefit (but wasn’t expecting any noticeable benefits). As long as the price is about the same as other brands, I may keep taking it for a while. But my expectations are low.
Prompt:
What is the evidence that ergothionine or other beneficial compounds from mushrooms get transferred to the coffee you drink, when you use Four Sigmatic coffee with mushroom powder?
From CGPT5:
Here’s a reasoned breakdown of what the evidence does — and does not — support regarding transfer of ergothioneine (and other “beneficial” mushroom compounds) into brewed coffee (or mushroom-fortified coffee mixes like Four Sigmatic). The short version: there is some suggestive evidence, but no definitive proof yet that a meaningful dose reaches your cup in a bioavailable form.
What we do know about ergothioneine and mushrooms
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Mushrooms are among the richest dietary sources of ergothioneine (ET).
For example, values in mushroom species vary, but typical levels range from ~0.4 to 2.0 mg per g dry weight (depending on species, strain, growth conditions, etc.). (PubMed )
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Ergothioneine is absorbable in humans
A small crossover human trial (n = 10) tested consumption of mushroom powder (Agaricus bisporus) at two dosages, and found that ET was detectable in red blood cells postprandially, indicating some uptake from the diet. (PubMed )
However, that doesn’t tell us the fraction of ET consumed that survives processing (like drying, extraction) or ends up in your brewed coffee.
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Biological transport & retention mechanisms
Humans express a specific transporter (SLC22A4, aka OCTN1) for ergothioneine in the intestine and kidney, which allows efficient absorption (from the gut) and reuptake (in the kidney) of ET. (PMC)
In other words, once ET enters the gut lumen, there is a mechanism favoring its uptake.
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Stability of ergothioneine
It is chemically fairly stable (less prone to autooxidation than many thiols) at physiological pH, which makes it more likely to survive mild heat and processing conditions. (PMC)
What we don’t (yet) have evidence for
To substantiate that Four Sigmatic (or any mushroom-infused coffee) passes a meaningful amount of ergothioneine (or other bioactive mushroom compounds) into your drink in a form that is absorbed, one would need to show:
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That the processing (drying, pulverizing, mixing into coffee, hot-water extraction / steeping) preserves a nontrivial fraction of ET (or other compounds) into the liquid fraction you drink.
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That your brewed cup contains measurable ET (or other compounds) at biologically relevant concentrations.
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That those compounds remain bioavailable (i.e. absorbable by your gut) in the presence of coffee matrix (pH, competing compounds, etc.)
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That consuming such a coffee meaningfully raises serum / cellular levels of ET (or other compounds) beyond background diet.
I did not find published studies that satisfy all those criteria for mushroom-coffee blends or functional “mushroom coffee” brands like Four Sigmatic.
Some suggestive evidence in adjacent studies
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“Coffee with Cordyceps militaris and Hericium erinaceus” — A recent study (2024) looked at brewed coffee to which mushroom additives (H. erinaceus and C. militaris) were added, and they analyzed “bioelements.” The authors claimed that brewed coffee itself is a good source of certain minerals, and that adding mushroom material “improves” some metrics. However, this is not a direct test of ergothioneine (or many of the putative mushroom bioactives), nor does it establish how much is extracted from the mushroom into the coffee. (PMC)
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Stability and content variation in mushrooms
Several studies document that ergothioneine content in mushrooms is influenced by cultivation practices, substrate, and post-harvest handling. (E.g. addition of histidine to the substrate, stress on the mycelium, or storage conditions can change ET content) (ResearchGate)
Thus, the “payload” (how much ET is in the mushroom powder added) is variable to begin with.
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Ergothioneine transfers via plant roots or media
One study added ET into hydroponic solutions and found ~1.7 % transfer into the plant body (komatsuna). This is only tangentially relevant (since it’s plant uptake, not extraction into beverage) but indicates that passive transfer under dilute conditions is possible at low rates. (MDPI)
What factors could hamper transfer into your coffee
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Incomplete extraction
Hot-water brewing may not liberate all of the ergothioneine present in the mushroom particles (some fraction might remain bound, trapped in insoluble matrix, or degrade).
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Degradation during processing
The drying, heat exposure, or storage of the mushroom powder (or coffee + mushroom mix) may degrade some of the ET or other sensitive bioactives.
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Dilution
The amount of mushroom powder added is relatively small (to avoid overpowering taste or texture), so even if extraction is efficient, the final concentration in your cup may be quite low compared to what’s found directly in fresh mushrooms.
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Interaction with coffee matrix / pH effects
Coffee is acidic, contains many polyphenols, oils, etc. It’s possible that interactions may reduce stability, binding, or availability of ET or other compounds.
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Bioavailability competition or binding
The presence of other compounds in coffee (polyphenols, caffeine, etc.) might influence absorption of ET (e.g. by competing for transport or altering gut conditions).
Conclusion & “best guess” based on current science
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There is plausible mechanistic basis (i.e. mushroom is a high-ET food, ET is relatively stable, humans have a transporter) that ET or other mushroom bioactives could be transferred into coffee and absorbed.
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But there is no published, high-quality evidence I found that convincingly demonstrates that a branded mushroom-coffee product (like Four Sigmatic) delivers a meaningful, measurable, bioavailable amount of ergothioneine (or many other mushroom bioactives) to the drinker.
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So if someone claims that their mushroom coffee gives you the same dose of ergothioneine you’d get from eating mushrooms, that claim is at present speculative (or marketing) rather than firmly grounded in published data.
If you like, I could dig more deeply (beyond open access literature) to see whether any internal brand studies or unpublished data exist for Four Sigmatic or similar products — would you like me to try that?
1 Like
Bicep
#90
I take a huge dose of Golden Oyster powder in my kefir every morning. My question (and I think we’ve been here before) is can I be tested for erg? That’s the only way to know if what I’m doing is working. You could test my mushrooms, but if it’s there that really doesn’t mean it’s getting into me.
1 Like
Bicep
#91
Trudiagnostic (Truhealth) will do it for $500 as part of their whole program. Not just ergo.
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Visit the local Costco to see if they are sticking the 4sigma coffee. Much cheaper than vitaCup
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One can also just buy ergothioneine pills from California Gold Nutrition (supposedly third-party tested), where little pill contains 5mg of ergothioneine.
1 Like
Bicep
#95
According to my AI, they synthesize it now:
Ergothioneine supplements are produced through both microbial fermentation and chemical synthesis, not just by extracting from mushrooms
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Engineered microbes: Scientists have developed genetically engineered microbes, including Escherichia coli and yeasts like Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to act as “microbial cell factories”.
This is the most efficient way currently. I still like the whole package of mushrooms with all their molecules.
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