About The Pure Mushroom Initiative ™

The Pure Mushroom Initiative establishes quality standards for medicinal mushrooms. Since it’s introduction in 2006, the Initiative has evolved to address each stage of medicinal mushroom health products from farm to you.

Written for both clients and industry, it is hoped the initiative educates and furthers an understanding of the stages of 100% pure medicinal mushroom extract and functional food production.

Working together with farmers, scientists, researchers, academics, extraction experts, practitioners, chefs, officials, workers, thinkers and innovators to provide the highest medicinal mushroom standards in the world.

The Pure Mushroom Initiative is a concise, standard-driven, scientifically-based model for medicinal mushrooms in the marketplace.

 

In 1999 Jayun McDowell was hired as a consultant to a Canadian supplier of mushroom supplements. Her directive included a policy report to improve medicinal mushroom quality.

Jayun prioritized three areas in her initial 2003 report.

1. End Mycelium Grown on Grain Production
First to focus on fruiting bodies and end the company’s in-house mycelia grown on grain operations, utilizing only pure mycelia – liquid fermentation grown or sclerotia cultivated on its natural substrate: what Jayun referred to as Pure Mushroom™ products.

2. Discontinue Use of Foreign Carriers in Extracts
The second priority called for the end of additives in mushroom extracts. Additives were used to bring extracts to certain weight ratios to fit the supplier’s naming convention. The additives were foreign substances and Jayun believed they compromised purity, quality and safety.

3. Create Highest Standard of Certified Organic Testing in the World
The third priority addressed was certifying the organic purity to the highest level possible and include not just the pesticides listed in the organic industry but to go beyond and include additional substances that threatened the safety of the product.

Jayun presented her “Pure Mushroom Report” and the president agreed to phase out the company’s mycelia grown on grain operations. The advisory recommendations to end adulterated extracts and the call for higher organic testing standards were not initiated.

Continuing her research under her own consultancy, Jayun conferred with industry experts regarding quality, responsibility and transparency standards for each stage of product development. In 2006 the ongoing project came to be known as The Pure Mushroom Initiative.

 

Open Source – A Proven Concept

The sharing of ideas, practices and solutions makes a person, an organization and an industry more effective, more efficient and, perhaps above all, creates community. This has been proven in the world of the internet with open source code.

The Pure Mushroom Initiative is grateful for the exchange of knowledge and expertise; and pure kindness of the those who have contributed to this information.  We look forward to continued discussions about the purity, quality and sheer magic of medicinal mushrooms. Thank you to all.