About Extracts
Thank you for your interest in Catskill Fungi extracts. We take care and pride in creating high integrity products as we live aligned with our goals to grow healthier, more resilient communities.
Do you offer any Discounts?
Yes!
$3 off every 3 bottles. $10 off every 6 bottles. $20 off every 12 bottles.
How do I take the extracts? How much do I take and how often?
Each bottle contains 2oz (approximately 60ml) of extract, which is a one-month supply.
Each day 2 dropperfuls (about 1/2 tsp or 2ml) can be safely added to your favorite drink. When you squeeze the top it fills the glass tube fills about 1/2 way and this is considered 1 dropperful. Feel free to mix the different extracts together in the same glass. To evaporate the alcohol, drop it in a cup of steaming hot water or tea, and wait a few minutes before drinking. This will not affect health components of the extract.
Some herbalists say that you should take extracts on an empty stomach. We find that it is better to take the extract if you have eaten, rather than not take it at all. Consistency is key.
Mushrooms are adaptogenic, meaning their effects are gradual and cumulative - and may take two to four weeks to take effect. Taking extracts regularly is the best way to gain the benefits the mushrooms have to offer.
What's in them?
Our extracts are made of 3 ingredients:
1. LOCAL, WOOD-GROWN & SUSTAINABLY WILD-CRAFTED MUSHROOMS
All our mushrooms are sustainably foraged or cultivated on or around our family farm or at local mushroom farms within 100 miles. We use only local, wood-grown mushroom fruiting bodies, not grain-grown or rice-grown mycelium (fungal roots) which some companies source from other countries. Research shows there are higher concentrations of active beneficial compounds like beta glucans in mushrooms than in mycelium. We harvest our mushrooms sustainably, and take 25% or less of the chaga conks we find. With Reishi, Turkey Tail, and Maitake we harvest up to 60% of what we find and only after spores have been released. This allows for the spread of more fungi and for the medicinal properties to be utilized by the forest. Our mushrooms are sun-dried (shown to accumulate vitamin D) and dehydrated using low heat before going through our triple extraction process.
2. LOCALLY SOURCED, NON-GMO, CERTIFIED ORGANIC CANE ALCOHOL.
Alcohol is important as it binds to sterols, terpines, and other healthy compounds that are not extracted by water. Alcohol also acts as a preservative in the finished product.
3. PURE CATSKILL MOUNTAIN WATER.
To extract valuable polysaccharides and other water-soluble compounds, we use water for the second and third steps in our extraction process. We believe Catskill Mountain water is the purest and best tasting water in the world. The pristine water used to cultivate our mushrooms and infuse our extracts is essential to the quality of our products.
How are the extracts prepared?
In our commercial kitchen we mindfully create an alcohol tincture, a cold water infusion, and a hot water decoction (reduction) over a period of three months, which are combined to create our triple extracts. This process ensures that the concentrated health components of each mushroom are of the highest quality and can be optimally absorbed by your body. Throughout our process we use biodynamic oxygenating and energizing techniques as well as focused positive intentions.
We create small batches and bottle, label and seal our liquid extracts by hand in tinted glass, and carry them to our local farmers markets, drive them to local stores, and ship them to customers like you.
We also teach workshops on how to make mushroom extracts. Take a look at our workshops or weekend retreats. It is our philosophy that the more people know how to create mushroom extracts, the healthier and more resilient our communities will be.
Why liquid extract? Why not powder or capsules?
Liquid extracts, no matter the herb of fungi, are the most readily absorbed by our bodies. Liquid benefits are absorbed in under 5 minutes, whereas capsules may take over 20 minutes to break down. We assimilate over 90% of liquid extracts, but only 60% of powder in capsules. Simply put, extracts give you more nutrients and healing compounds faster – and a better bang for your buck.
What makes us different from other mushroom extracts?
Transparency for starters. Some companies do not reveal where or in what conditions their mushrooms/mycelium are grown, what methods of extraction are used, or where their ingredients come from. If you have questions about our process, take our medicinal mushroom workshop, or send us a message.
Mushrooms not mycelium. We use mushrooms we harvest ourselves (Reishi, Chaga, Turkey Tail, Maitake) or local mushrooms our friends grow at their organic mushroom farm (Lion's Mane). Peer-reviewed scientific studies show that mushrooms (or "fruit bodies") are more potent than mycelium (the filaments of fungi from which the mushrooms grow). It is much faster and cheaper to harvest mycelium rather than waiting 2-5 weeks to grow a mushroom but the result is a less potent mushroom and a less potent extract.
Wood grown. Not rice or grain based. We are what we eat – same for the mushrooms. Studies show that mushrooms grown on wood have higher nutrient density than those grown on grain or rice.
Locally grown and made. We harvest and grow mushrooms within the Catskill Mountains and source within 50 miles. We make the extracts in our commercial kitchen 5 minutes from our family farm. Local is not just a buzz word for us, it is a way of maintaining resilient communities. It’s hard to tell where other companies are sourcing mushrooms, how far that is from where they’re processed, where they are packaged, and finally sold. All those miles have an impact on our environment. Consuming locally-grown mushroom extracts gives you micronutrients and healing components derived from the forests and soil where you live, bringing your body into closer harmony with your environment.
Sustainable. We care about the environment. We practice and teach environmental ethics, leave-no-trace, sustainable harvesting techniques – and have been recognized as an "Environment Steward of the Catskill Mountains" by the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development.
We know mushrooms. We teach about fungi for a living. Past President of a Mycological Association, Catskill Fungi founder John Michelotti has devoted his life to learning and spreading knowledge about fungi. We are humbled to learn from some of the best mycologists in the world, and honored to call them our friends.
Personal connection to our customers. We stay in touch with our retail sellers, and farmers' markets connect us directly with the people who use our extracts. We appreciate honest feedback. Our customers frequently report feeling "a potent difference" between our products and others. We want to hear from you too! Please email us with your feedback. Info@CatskillFungi.com
Can I give this extract to pets or farm animals?
Yes but it is not good to give animals alcohol. Customers have put 1/4 to 1/2 of a daily dose of the extract in an ounce of steaming hot water so the alcohol evaporates. They wait for the water to cool and add the extract to food. There are very few published articles about the effects of medicinal mushrooms on pets.
Where can I find Catskill Fungi extracts?
Feel free to order from our website or to find us at farmers markets and stores through our Store Locator page. We do not sell on Amazon or with nationwide distributors. If you're purchasing our extracts they are direct from us. We are the foragers, growers, and makers who also package and ship to you or have direct relationships with the stores where you can find our extracts. This is how we stay connected to you and honor our values of local commerce.
We hope this page was helpful in explaining more about our extracts and mushrooms. Please contact us if you have any questions.
*Any extract should be ingested in small doses for the first time to ensure there is no allergic reaction. Consult your doctor before taking mushroom extracts if you are taking medications, especially blood thinners or drugs that treat diabetes or hypertension. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.