Why Mushrooms?

Grown in the USA

Located near the Olympic Rainforest, USA
Highest quality lab, growing environments and manufacturing methods
No co-mingling or adulteration
Purity testing batch to batch
Non-GMO

Maintain Chain of Custody

Paul Stamets and his skilled Host Defense® team grow every single mushroom in every product. From the Forest, to Our Farm, to You.™ There is no other mushroom supplement company that has such complete control over their raw materials.

Sustainably Cultivated

When sourcing Morel Mushrooms from the pristine Olympic rainforest, their team leaves the habitat and original mushroom intact and undisturbed. Only a small sample is required and taken for growing in their laboratories at the farm. Host Defense® methods protect the native habitat. Our vast culture library of rare and endangered mushroom species has been called a national treasure.

Certified Organic

Host Defense is a Certified Organic food producer and processor. Our organic certificates are always available upon request. We are the best-documented and longest-certified organic mushroom company in the U.S.1

Supervision by Paul Stamets, D.Sc.

Paul Stamets, with over 35 years of experience, is the world leader in functional food mushroom research – whose books are recognized as the standards of the mushroom cultivation industry (See page 42, Books by Dr. Paul Stamets).2

Preserved Genetic Integrity

Host Defense® mushrooms are genetic matches to species found in the wild. We are able to ensure this integrity by following a method developed by Paul called Certified P Value®. P Value is a scientific system of measuring the generational age of each species to preserve genetic strength, and is key to providing fungal strains with the greatest efficacy and vitality. The higher P Value gets, strains degenerate and die out. Utilizing extremely low P Value, Host Defense uses the “original file” to produce mushrooms of exceptional genetic strength and integrity, close to their wild origins which means the active constituents are at very high levels.

Peak Performance

Each mushroom species has a narrow window when active constituents are at their highest volume. With over 35 years of experience and knowledge, Paul knows the precise harvest time for each species for maximum activity and efficacy. At their optimal rate of growth, the mushroom-forming mycelium are flash-frozen, capturing a full spectrum of constituents at peak performance.

Prebiotics for the Microbiome™

Our products contain the active enzymes fungi have evolved to digest plants. What are the specific prebiotic compounds present in our products? Hundreds of novel enzymes are being secreted by the mycelium to break down plants. We eat plants, so do fungi. These extracellular digestive enzymes (cellulases, laccases, beta-glucanases, mannanases, etc.) are in the extracts and capsules. This is a great advantage of freeze drying. We capture those enzymes which would otherwise be lost via most other drying methods.

Proper Mushroom Life Cycle

The mushroom life cycle consists of mycelium, fruiting bodies, and spores. The mycelium is the immune system of the mushroom.™ The fruiting body is the reproductive stage. Spores represent seeds for regeneration and are in every Host Defense® product that contains fruitbodies. Depending on the species and the intended use, we utilize a unique combination of the life stages. For example, Host Defense® Cordyceps capsules contain mycelium. Host Defense MyCommunity™ Extract contains mycelium and both Maitake and Reishi fruitbodies.

Clinical & In Vitro Studies

Host Defense® Turkey Tail was chosen for NIH (National Institutes of Health) Study for supporting immune system health. Clinical studies show Host Defense® Chaga is superior in antioxidant effects, protecting DNA from free radicals (which cause oxidative stress damage).Of more than 200,000 samples submitted, Host Defense® Agarikon demonstrated the most activity of all natural products in the BioShield BioDefense Program administered by the Department of Defense and NIH. In fact, our mushrooms were the only products to show such activity.

Recommended by Experts

Host Defense® products are chosen by physicians, naturopaths and other practitioners for efficacy with their patients.

“Host Defense, owned by mycologist and author Paul Stamets, is the best all around source for immune-supporting mushroom products and information.*” -Andrew Weil, M.D.

1 No capsules available to the industry are certified organic: thus we cannot claim 100% organic, although our ingredients and processes are 100% certified organic.
2 The Mushroom Cultivator; Growing Gourmet & Medicinal Mushrooms; Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World, and MycoMedicinals, An Informational Guide to Medicinal Mushrooms.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Mushrooms Evansville Henderson Owensboro