Zero Alcohol Maitake

Maitake is the one mushroom in this family that Australian law gives a warfarin warning, so these are the questions our naturopaths ask in store before you take it home.

A good fit if

• Immune support is why you're buying it
• You're comfortable that the evidence comes from other mushrooms' beta-glucans, not maitake's
• You want Grifola frondosa and a beta-glucan figure on the label
• You don't take warfarin or any other blood thinner

Check with us first if

• You take a blood thinner other than warfarin. The required warning names warfarin only, and we haven't found a human interaction study for anything else. Bring the pack in and we'll look at it with you.
• You're having or have had cancer treatment. A review of case reports in people with cancer found mushroom products were behind most of the severe reactions, which were mostly allergic. This is one for your treating team.
• You take a medicine that affects your immune system, including after a transplant. We haven't found a human interaction study for maitake, so we won't guess either way.
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding. No trial in this family included pregnant or breastfeeding women, and Schedule 1 sets no pregnancy warning either way. That's not the same as evidence that it's safe.
• It's for a child. There's no established safety position for maitake in children.

• Hot-water extract. Best known for: The water-soluble beta-glucan part of the mushroom. Absorption: Ratios like 8:1 concentrate the fibre; this is the type used in beta-glucan trials. Typical use: The usual pick if immune support is your reason.
• Zero-alcohol liquid extract. Best known for: A liquid made without alcohol. Absorption: We have nothing maitake-specific comparing it with other extracts. Typical use: If you'd rather avoid alcohol in a liquid.
• Mycelium grown on grain. Best known for: Mycelium sold together with the rice or oat it grew on. Absorption: How much is beta-glucan and how much is starch hasn't been verified. Typical use: Ask for a stated beta-glucan percentage before you buy.

Reference values. There's no recommended intake for maitake or for beta-glucan. It's a mushroom, not an essential nutrient, so the NHMRC doesn't set one.

Typical supplemental range. We can't give you a maitake trial dose, because we haven't found a human trial of maitake. For beta-glucans from other mushrooms, the 34-trial review used 2.5 mg to 1,000 mg a day for up to 6.5 months. Supplements usually sit around 100 to 500 mg of beta-glucan a day. That's background, not a recommendation, so read the label and follow its directions.

Upper level. None is set. Australia's permitted ingredients list (Schedule 1) gives no daily limit for Grifola frondosa. That doesn't mean there's no limit, just that the rules don't set one.

Worth knowing. If you're comparing two products, compare the beta-glucan percentage rather than the extract ratio. What you need depends on your age, diet and health, so talk to one of our naturopaths.

Food first, where the diet allows it.

• Shiitake, oyster and enoki mushrooms: culinary sources of the same (1,3)(1,6)-beta-D-glucan fibre

If any of these sound like you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before you start.

• Warfarin. Schedule 1 item 2456 requires maitake medicines taken by mouth or under the tongue to carry the label warning 'Do not take while on warfarin therapy without medical advice.'
• Other blood thinners (anticoagulants). There's no human interaction study, so the warfarin warning isn't extended to them and nothing is claimed either way.
• A known mushroom or mould allergy. In a review of 92 case reports in cancer patients, allergy was the main cause of the severe cases, and the products involved were mostly mushroom products.
• Cancer. Talk to your treating team first; we make no cancer claim for maitake.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. No trial in this family included pregnant or breastfeeding women, and Schedule 1 sets no pregnancy warning for Grifola frondosa.
• Children. No safety position has been established for maitake in children.
• Immunosuppressants and transplant medicines. There's no human interaction study, so nothing is claimed either way.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before you start.