Medicinal Mushrooms – Introduction
The global herbal supplements market has demonstrated a consistently healthy rate of growth over the past decade, resulting from:
- Increased longevity of the population;
- Growing consumer awareness about health and well-being in general;
- Recognition of the beneficial value, efficacy and safety of herbal preparations which have few, if any, negative side effects. Consumers worldwide have become aware of the importance of a healthy diet and lifestyle, and remain dedicated to this, even during periods of financial crisis. In truth, escalating prices, tighter budgets and the high costs of conventional healthcare have driven consumers towards the cheaper, healthier and safer options provided by alternative medicine and dietary supplements. In the consumer’s search for relief from physical and mental disorders, medicinal mushrooms have entered the picture.
Medicinal mushrooms are therapeutic as well as being a rich source of compounds that fight disease - Cancer, Alzheimer and Diabetes, to name just a few.
Why Mushrooms?
-Vitamins, Omega-3, amino acids and many other dietary supplements that people often take can actually be found in our daily diet; this is not the case with the active beneficial ingredients that are to be found only in the Medicinal Mushroom.
-Medicinal mushrooms are a progressively expanding market. The Reishi mushroom alone has an estimated market value of $5 billion/year, almost twice that of Omega-3.
-The Medicinal mushrooms market - centered primarily in Japan, which has one of the world’s leading healthcare systems and an average lifespan of 86 years - has been estimated at $25 billion during 2012.
-Humans and mushrooms are afflicted by many of the same diseases; that is why people can benefit from the mushrooms’ natural defense strategies, which produce antibiotics to fight infection.
-Medicinal mushrooms contain all of the essential amino acids, thus are a good source of amino acids for vegans and vegetarians.
-Medicinal mushrooms contain active pharmaceutical ingredients like statins, antibiotics and alkaloids.
-Medicinal mushrooms are cultivated without pesticides or toxic chemicals, thus they are safe and have no negative side effects.
-Medicinal mushrooms are recommended by not-for-profit health organizations worldwide, such as: the Japanese Health Department, the U.K. Institute of Cancer Research, the Chinese Ministry of Health, the Australian Cancer Research Foundation, to name just a few.
-Extensive research shows that medicinal mushrooms produce anti-viral, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory compounds, thus indicating their therapeutic benefit in the fight against cancer, HIV, high cholesterol, infections as well as numerous diseases and ailments.
-Medicinal mushrooms have long been documented for use all over the world - for five thousand years the Chinese and Japanese used Shiitake, Reishi and Trametes Versicolor mushrooms for medicinal purposes; tribes in Brazil used Agaricus Brasiliensis; in Russia the Chaga mushrooms were expensive and used only by royalty.
-Medicinal mushrooms havebeen used in modern medicine since the days of ancient Greece
-Mushroom-based prescription drugs are available in Japan, Australia, South Korea and China.
The Mycolivia story
Nachshol Cohen was in the final semester of his studies when he learned that his father was suffering from Multiple Myeloma. As a Medicinal Chemist and Researcher, the family naturally turned to Nachshol for answers. Nachshol studied this ‘incurable’ disease and discovered that Western medicine offered no cure, so he turned to integrative medicine in the hope of helping his father. He started to research mushrooms since he already had experience with medicinal plants; moreover, the destructive nature of organic synthesis was discouraging. Nachshol heard of Silvia Blumenfeld, a Professor in the field of Biotechnology who specializes in Mycology. Her research was on the cultivation of mushrooms to reduce cholesterol and isolate the active ingredients. During Nachshol’s scientific review, he recognized the possibility that medicinal mushrooms may assist in treating and curing cancer. After Professor Blumenfeld confirmed this, he started treating his father with medicinal mushrooms. The research was successful, as was his father’s treatment, and Nachshol dedicated the next 3 years to researching medicinal mushrooms. Subsequently, together with his brother, they established Mycolivia Medicinal Mushrooms.
Our Credo
Mycolivia Medicinal Mushrooms is a global company that aspires to be at the very forefront of medicinal mushroom research. The company combines nature, centuries-old tradition, and advanced scientific research. Based on this combination, the company develops products of uncompromising quality, extracting the force of nature which is inherent in the realm of medicinal mushrooms.
The Mycolivia Medicinal Mushrooms Company is committed to constant research & development, innovation, the principles of organic cultivation and production, and the most stringentstandards of quality - all of which for the health and well-being of its customers.
Mycolivia in figures
- 500,000 m2 Organic and GAP certified planting base
- 1000 square meters of R&D facilities
- 3 research teams - in Israel, China and India
- 1 world-leading Professor of Medicinal Mushrooms Biotechnology
- Over 50 years’ of combined experience by leaders in the field
- 80-166 kg of fresh mushrooms per 1 kg. of pure extract
- 1 line of BDIH-Certified Bio Cosmetics to be released in 2013
Why, particularly, ‘Mycolivia’ Medicinal Mushrooms?
-Mycoliviaspecializes in Medicinal Mushrooms - fungi is a kingdom unto itself, and therefore requires experts who concentrate on this field alone. At Mycolivia, the scientific teams of Biotechnologists, Pharmacists, Chemists, and Biologistsfocus exclusively on Medicinal Mushrooms. The specialization starts with the selection of varieties, and continues through the development and extraction processes.
-Collaboration with world-leading Mycologist, Professor Solomon P. Wasser.
-Premium quality from Research through Branding.
-Dynamic & innovative approach.
-Production in a pharmaceutical facilitythat follows GMP guidelines, including an HACCP program - assures the highest possible standard.
-Green commitment: we are dedicated to an environmental approach. Our R&DCenter operates a 50kw solar electricity station, and mushroom cultivation takes place during the mushroom season, thus reducing energy consumption to almost nil.
-Clinical trials: as part of the Mycolivia strategy we work in collaboration with health professionals and health institutes to promote clinical trials using our products.
The Mycolivia Development and Production process:
Locating the species in nature / Natural and selective improvement / Development of extractions / drug mixing / Organic growth to enrich the ingredients / Unique processing and extraction / Quality Assurance / Capsule & BottleUnique processing technology
- The post-harvest process was designed and optimized by a specialized team of Mycologists, Food Engineers, Chemical Engineers and Pharmacists.
- Each method of extraction was designed in accordance with the specific chemical profile of each mushroom.
Quality assurance
- All products are double-tested for product safety, e.g. against heavy metals; all products undergo microbiology at extract and capsule levels.
- Produced in an FDA/GMP-registered facility, and certified by the HACCP.
Formulation and capsulation
- Formulations are prepared by a team of expert Pharmacists and Mycologists.
- Every mushroom gets full expression and synergy is well obtained.
- Designated and effective formulations.
Why chose the Mycolivia product line?
-The cultivation protocols for Medicinal Mushrooms are based on active ingredients rather than yields - we use cultivation methods that yield the best medicinal value, and not just the highest quantity (‘quality vs. quantity’).
-High value per cost.
-High biological availability.
-Effective products. Products are constantly monitored for their efficacy vis-à-vis our customers.
-Mushrooms are certified as being organically grown.
-A third round of laboratory testing guarantees the safety of the product.
-Consistent production provides uniform results. We achieve that by using our strains, GAP cultivation standards, and strict analytical quality control of the final product, thus assuring its safety and potency.
-Only pure concentrated extracts: up to 16.6 times more concentrated, Mycolivia does not stint where quality is concerned. Our extracts contain neither dextrin nor any other filler.
-Only the best quality vegetable capsules are used.
Mycolivia’s added value for distributors:
- Professional support services
- High production capabilities: quick response, always on time
- Full branding solutions
- Unique, non-generic products
- New market: few competitors who have proven themselves
- Strong financial growth
- Proved market penetration strategy
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