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Deep dive · the method

Dual-extracted mushrooms. A full gram of each.

Three functional mushrooms sit at the heart of Thunder Honey Daylight: Lion's Mane, Cordyceps and Chaga. This page explains the things worth understanding before you buy any mushroom product: what dual extraction is, what "10:1" actually means, the difference between fruiting body and mycelium, and why our dose is a full 1,000 mg of each. It is a description of what is in the cup, not a claim about what it does.

1,000 mg of each mushroom Dual-extracted fruiting body Third-party tested by Eurofins
The method

What "dual extraction" means.

Mushrooms keep their interesting compounds behind a wall of chitin, the tough fibre that makes up their cell walls. You cannot get at those compounds by eating raw mushroom powder, the body cannot break chitin down efficiently. Extraction is the processing step that opens the cell wall and pulls the compounds into a usable, concentrated form.

It is called dual extraction because two different solvents are used, and each one captures a different chemical group. This is a description of a manufacturing process, the kind of factual, process-level information that is fully appropriate to share.

1

Hot-water extraction

Hot water pulls out the water-soluble compounds, the polysaccharides such as beta-glucans that hot water releases from the opened cell wall.

2

Alcohol extraction

An alcohol step pulls out the alcohol-soluble compounds, the triterpenes and other molecules that water alone leaves behind.

3

Combine and concentrate

The two extracts are combined and concentrated, so the finished powder carries both chemical families rather than only one.

A water-only or alcohol-only extract captures just half the picture. Dual extraction is the more thorough method, and it is the standard the better mushroom brands use.

The ratio

What "10:1" actually means, and where labels mislead.

A 10:1 extract means it took ten kilograms of raw mushroom to make one kilogram of finished extract. It is a measure of concentration. Cordyceps in Thunder Honey Daylight is a 10:1 dual-extract; Lion's Mane and Chaga are 5:1 dual-extracts. Higher concentration is generally a quality signal, because it reflects how much raw material was condensed into the powder.

Here is the part that trips people up. The honest number to look at is how much of the concentrated extract is actually in the scoop, not the raw weight printed on the front. Many products add roughly 100 mg of a concentrated extract, then print "1,000 mg" on the label by quoting the raw mushroom that extract was made from. Both numbers can be technically true; they describe different things. We list, and put in, a full 1,000 mg of the extract itself.

The raw material

Fruiting body vs mycelium.

A mushroom has two parts. The fruiting body is the mushroom you would recognise, the cap and stem above ground. The mycelium is the root-like network it grows from. Both are legitimate raw materials, but they are not the same thing, and a lot of the market quietly uses one while implying the other.

Fruiting body What we use

The mushroom itself. We use dual-extracted fruiting body so the concentrated compounds come from the recognisable mushroom, not from a grain-grown root mass. It is the more expensive raw material, which is part of why so few full-dose products use it.

Mycelium-on-grain Common shortcut

Mycelium is often grown on a grain substrate (rice or oats), then dried and milled with the grain still attached. The result can be largely starch from the grain, which is cheaper to produce but dilutes how much actual mushroom is in the powder.

The dose difference

Same 10:1 extract. Ten times the dose.

We use a concentrated dual-extract, the quality standard the best brands use. The difference is how much goes in. Most brands add about 100 mg of extract, then print "1,000 mg" by quoting the raw mushroom it came from. We put a full 1,000 mg of the extract itself in every scoop, for each mushroom.

Thunder Honey, per mushroom1,000 mg of extract
a full gram, in the scoop
Many "1,000 mg" brands~100 mg of extract

Quick tip. By law, ingredients are listed by weight, highest first. If a label lists a 300 mg ingredient before its mushroom, that mushroom is under 300 mg, whatever the front of the pack says. The order tells you the real dose.

The trio

The three mushrooms, described factually.

For each one: what it is, the dose and form we use, and what published human research has investigated. We name the active and state the dose. We do not attach a benefit claim to a mushroom, because in the EU no authorised health claim exists for these (see the note below).

Lion's Mane1,000 mg

Hericium erinaceus · 5:1 dual-extract, fruiting body

A white, cascading mushroom that grows on hardwood. Its fruiting body contains compounds called hericenones and erinacines. Human research has investigated it mainly in older adults; we keep our own deep page on it for the detail.

What studies investigated

Mori et al., 2009, Phytotherapy Research. 30 adults with mild cognitive impairment, 16 weeks, 3,000 mg. PMID 18844328

Note: trials are small and in impaired groups, and used a higher dose than ours. See the Lion's Mane deep dive.

Cordyceps1,000 mg

Cordyceps militaris / sinensis · 10:1 dual-extract, fruiting body

A high-altitude fungus long used in traditional preparations. Published research has studied how the body uses oxygen in athletes and older adults, generally at doses higher than ours.

What studies investigated

Shu et al., 2025, Frontiers in Nutrition. Meta-analysis of 14 RCTs / 528 athletes; effective doses 2–3 g/day. PMID 41280379

Note: the strongest effects in the literature appear at 2–3 g, and some trials in trained cyclists found nothing. We state composition, not effect.

Chaga1,000 mg

Inonotus obliquus · 5:1 dual-extract

A dark, woody growth that forms on birch trees in cold climates, traditional across the Nordics and Siberia. In laboratory measures it is among the most antioxidant-dense materials in nature.

Best available (lab, not oral)

Park et al., 2004, BioFactors. Human cells in a dish, not a supplementation trial. PMID 15630179

Note: there are no published human oral-supplementation trials of Chaga. We describe it as a traditional, antioxidant-rich mushroom and make no human benefit claim.

Why this page describes, and does not promise

In the EU, a health claim, anything that says, suggests, or implies a benefit, may only be used if it is on the authorised EFSA register. Mushrooms and fungi have no authorised health claims; their claims were frozen on an "on-hold" list and, after the Court of Justice ruling of 30 April 2025, should be treated as not usable. A citation does not change this: linking a study to a benefit is still making the claim. So for Lion's Mane, Cordyceps and Chaga we name the active, state the dose and form, describe what the research investigated, and stop there. The composition, sourcing, method and testing are the honest, usable story.

Keep reading

The rest of the Learn library, all cited the same honest way.

Deep diveLion's ManeThe single active, described factually and cited. Deep diveNAD+ & NRNR at 300 mg, and the niacin claims it unlocks. OverviewThe science behind Thunder HoneyEvery active, graded and cited, with our research summary.

Educational, not medical advice

This page describes the mushrooms in Thunder Honey Daylight and the method used to extract them. It is not medical advice. The cited studies are individual research findings, often in small or specific groups, and do not mean Thunder Honey Daylight will produce the same result for you. Thunder Honey Daylight is a food supplement, not a medicine.

Food supplement. Do not exceed the recommended daily dose. A food supplement is not a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Keep out of reach of young children. These statements have not been evaluated by a medicines regulator. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication, or managing a health condition, talk to a qualified healthcare professional first. Developed in Sweden and third-party tested by Eurofins.

A full gram of each. Nothing hidden.

Three dual-extracted mushrooms, at the dose the front of the pack should mean, in one daily ritual.

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