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Real Mushrooms 5 Defenders Organic Mushroom Blend Capsules

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Real Mushrooms 5 Defenders Organic Mushroom Blend Capsules

A five-mushroom extract capsule with 180 mg of beta-glucan a serving, an NSF Certified for Sport listing and two SGS Canada reports. The label does not split out each mushroom, and no trial has tested the blend as a whole.

Best for People who want one general mushroom capsule from a maker that posts lab reports, and who do not take blood thinners or have kidney-stone concerns.

Our rating
Fair (3.2 of 5)
Price range
Mid-range
Verified marks
NSF Certified for Sport (capsule, 90 count, lot 051226225), Purity-IQ Certified Authentic (all five species; identity by NMR)
Size
90 capsules, 2 capsules (1,000 mg) a serving (200 capsules is approx. $80)
Made in
Extracts of organic mushrooms grown in China, per the maker; distributed from Calgary, Canada

approx. $40 for 90 capsules (45 servings)

See it on Real Mushrooms’s site → (opens in a new tab)

We are not affiliated with Real Mushrooms. This link goes to the maker’s own page, with no tracking code. How we're funded.

Also sold at Vitacost ($40 for 90 capsules), Amazon ($40 for 90 capsules), Walmart ($43 for 90 capsules) .

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    Reviews are personal experiences, not research, and they never change our quality ratings. Every review is read by our team before it appears.

    How we evaluated it

    How it scores Our rating, metric by metric Fair, 3.2 of 5
    1. What is in it 25% of the rating 3 of 5

      Five extracts under one 1,000 mg line (180 mg beta-glucan) with no amount for each, plus a capsule, microcrystalline cellulose, silicon dioxide and stearic acid. Our criteria mark down blends with no per-mushroom amounts.

    2. Independent testing 35% of the rating 4 of 5

      NSF Certified for Sport for the 90-count capsule, plus two published SGS reports with beta-glucan (19.1% and 19.7%), alpha-glucan (6.5%), metals and microbes. All paid for by the maker.

    3. Evidence 15% of the rating 2 of 5

      A five-mushroom blend has not been tested as a whole. Our pages give reishi, shiitake and maitake thin or animal-only evidence and chaga none, and the strong turkey tail result is for a drug-grade extract.

    4. Trust 10% of the rating 4 of 5

      No recall, FDA warning letter or Prop 65 notice. It pays affiliates 15% and its supplier was founded by a co-founder’s father.

    5. Value 15% of the rating 2 of 5

      About $0.89 a gram of extract ($0.80 in the 200-capsule bottle), among the dearest extracts here.

    The rating, 3.2 of 5, is the weighted average of these scores. See how we rank mushroom supplements and our standard.

    Where to buy Stores and the prices we saw 3 stores
    • Vitacost (opens in a new tab) approx. $40 for 90 capsules. Vitacost says it sources directly from brands or authorized distributors, with no third-party resellers. Same price as Real Mushrooms’ own site.
    • Amazon (opens in a new tab) approx. $40 for 90 capsules. The one-time offer is sold by FRONT ROW, a New York company, and shipped by Amazon; Real Mushrooms Inc. also sells on the listing. The listing text says more than 20% beta-glucan, but the label says 18% (180 mg a serving).
    • Walmart (opens in a new tab) approx. $43 for 90 capsules. Sold by iHerb through Walmart’s marketplace, at a higher price than the maker’s.

    Prices as we saw them on October 23, 2026. They change often. These links carry no tracking code and earn us nothing.

    What’s in it Every ingredient, in label order 9 ingredients
    1. Organic turkey tail (Trametes versicolor) mushroom extract
    2. Organic maitake (Grifola frondosa) mushroom extract
    3. Organic reishi (Ganoderma lingzhi) mushroom extract
    4. Organic shiitake (Lentinula edodes) mushroom extract
    5. Organic chaga (Inonotus obliquus) extract
    6. Hypromellose (vegetable capsule)
    7. Microcrystalline cellulose (flow agent)
    8. Silicon dioxide
    9. Stearic acid
    Who tested it What each test found, and who paid for it 4 tests
    • Paid certification NSF (Certified for Sport) 2026

      Listed as 5 Defenders (Real Mushrooms): capsule, 90 count, 2 capsules a serving, lot 051226225. NSF says the program verifies the label, safe contaminant levels and the absence of banned substances, and audits the plant. The listing shows no results and covers one lot. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

    • Maker’s own test SGS Canada (ordered and posted by Real Mushrooms), 90-count April 2025

      Report VR25-01992.003 for RM-5D45C (received 28 March 2025, completed 7 April 2025): beta-D-glucan 19.1% and alpha-glucan 6.5% (Megazyme K-YBGL); arsenic 0.13, cadmium 0.14, mercury below 0.05 and lead 0.09 ppm; total aerobic count below 100 CFU/g; E. coli, Salmonella and S. aureus absent in 10 g; yeast and mold below 20 CFU/g. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

    • Maker’s own test SGS Canada (ordered and posted by Real Mushrooms), 200-count July 2026

      Report VR26-03674.006 for RM-5D100C (received 18 June 2026, completed 3 July 2026): beta-D-glucan 19.7%; arsenic 0.28, cadmium 0.21, mercury below 0.05 and lead 0.14 ppm; the same clean microbe results. No alpha-glucan result. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

    • Paid certification Purity-IQ (NMR authentication) 2026

      Lists 5 Defenders as authenticated for all five species by NMR. It checks which species they are, not purity or potency. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

    Who paid, and why it matters
    • Independent The tester took no money from the maker for it: a consumer group, a journalist, a university or a regulator.
    • Paid certification An outside lab or certifier tested or listed it, and the maker paid for that.
    • Maker’s own test A lab report or certificate of analysis the maker commissioned and published.

    A certification is a floor, not a verdict: it checks what its program checks and nothing else. We weigh tests by someone with no stake in the result most.

    What people ask Worries raised online and elsewhere, and what we found 5 questions
    How much of each mushroom is in it?
    The label gives one 1,000 mg total for the blend and lists turkey tail first, then maitake, reishi, shiitake and chaga. For a blend that order normally means by weight, but the amounts are not given, so you cannot match a dose to the trials on turkey tail or reishi.
    The lab found alpha-glucan. Is there starch in it?
    The March 2025 SGS report shows 6.5% alpha-glucan beside 19.1% beta-glucan. Alpha-glucan is the marker for starch, and the label says there is no grain or starch. We cannot tell whether it comes from grain or from the mushrooms themselves; the 2026 report did not measure it.
    Are the heavy metals a problem? Mushrooms take up metals.
    The two samples read arsenic 0.13 and 0.28 ppm, cadmium 0.14 and 0.21, lead 0.09 and 0.14, and mercury below 0.05, with the newer sample higher for each. For a serving of about 1 g that is roughly 0.1 to 0.3 µg of any one metal. They are one sample each, chosen by the maker.
    Does it help? Is a blend worth it?
    No trial has tested this blend. Our mushroom guide says human evidence is limited for most species, and the pages on reishi, maitake and chaga rate theirs weak or absent. Turkey tail’s survival evidence is for the drug-grade extract PSK, not a supplement.
    Who is paid to promote it?
    Real Mushrooms runs an affiliate program (opens in a new tab) that pays 15% of referred sales with no cap, so many “best mushroom blend” lists are paid links. A July 2024 Reddit thread (opens in a new tab) says the company once declined to share third-party reports; it now posts SGS reports on this page.
    Why we chose it What put it on our list 4 points
    • Two SGS Canada reports for these capsules are posted on the page. A March 2025 sample (90-count) reads beta-glucan 19.1% and alpha-glucan 6.5% by the Megazyme method, and a June 2026 sample (200-count) reads beta-glucan 19.7%. Both show metals low and no E. coli, Salmonella or S. aureus in 10 g.
    • NSF’s Certified for Sport database lists 5 Defenders: capsule, 90 count, 2 capsules a serving, lot 051226225. NSF says the mark verifies the label, safe contaminant levels and the absence of banned substances.
    • All five mushrooms are named with Latin names, and Purity-IQ lists each as authenticated by NMR: Trametes versicolor, Grifola frondosa, Ganoderma lingzhi, Lentinula edodes and Inonotus obliquus.
    • Beta-glucan is on the label: 180 mg of beta-(1,3)(1,6)-glucans in each 1,000 mg serving (18%), and SGS’s 19.1% and 19.7% agree. The maker says every extract is hot-water extracted from organic mushrooms, with no grain or mycelium.
    Trade-offs What to weigh before you buy 4 points
    • The label shows one 1,000 mg blend total, not the amount of each mushroom. It lists turkey tail first and chaga last, which for a blend normally means by weight, but you cannot tell how much reishi or turkey tail you get.
    • The capsule adds hypromellose, microcrystalline cellulose, silicon dioxide and stearic acid. The 2025 report found 6.5% alpha-glucan, the marker for starch, next to 19.1% beta-glucan; the label says no grain or starch, and we cannot tell where it comes from.
    • Reishi and chaga may have a blood-thinning (antiplatelet) effect, and chaga is high in oxalate, which may raise kidney-stone risk. Ask a clinician first if you take blood thinners or have had stones. See our reishi and chaga pages.
    • Human evidence for these mushrooms is thin, and none is for this blend. NSF’s listing shows one lot and the 90-count bottle, not the 200-count one. Everything above is paid for by Real Mushrooms, and “organic” on the finished capsules rests on the label.
    What to know Details worth knowing first

    5 Defenders is Real Mushrooms’ all-round blend: extracts of turkey tail, maitake, reishi, shiitake and chaga. Our mushroom guide explains why we look for fruiting-body extracts with a stated beta-glucan figure, and this capsule gives one: 180 mg per serving.

    Since our last review the maker has posted two SGS Canada reports for these capsules, and the NSF Certified for Sport listing is still there. The reports show beta-glucan near 19%, metals low and no pathogens, and one of them shows 6.5% alpha-glucan, the marker for starch. All of it is paid for by Real Mushrooms, and each report is one sample.

    Know the limits. The five extracts share one 1,000 mg line, so the amount of each is unknown. Reishi and chaga carry cautions for people on blood thinners, and chaga is high in oxalate. The human evidence is thin for most of these mushrooms, and the blend has not been tested as a whole.

    What we checked Each claim, and how sure we are of it 9 checks
    How Real Mushrooms 5 Defenders Organic Mushroom Blend Capsules measures up against our mushroom supplements criteria
    What we checked What we found
    Certification (NSF Certified for Sport, paid for by the maker) Verified Listed in NSF’s Certified for Sport database as 5 Defenders, capsule, 90 count, 2 capsules a serving, lot 051226225. The listing shows one lot and no certification date. We could not open NSF’s test reports.
    Fruiting body or mycelium, stated Maker’s claim The product page says 100% hot-water-extracted mushrooms (fruiting body), with no grain or mycelium. Chaga is a hard mass of fungal tissue (a sclerotium) rather than a cap-and-stem mushroom, so “fruiting body” does not quite fit that one.
    Measured beta-glucans Verified Label: 180 mg beta-(1,3)(1,6)-glucans per 1,000 mg serving. SGS Canada reports VR25-01992.003 (19.1%) and VR26-03674.006 (19.7%) measure it by Megazyme K-YBGL.
    Starch or alpha-glucan reported Verified Alpha-glucan 6.5% in the March 2025 SGS report, none in the 2026 one. The label says no grain, no starch, no fillers, yet lists microcrystalline cellulose, silicon dioxide and stearic acid as other ingredients.
    Tested for contaminants Verified Both SGS reports: arsenic 0.13 and 0.28, cadmium 0.14 and 0.21, lead 0.09 and 0.14, mercury below 0.05 ppm; total aerobic count below 100 CFU/g; E. coli, Salmonella and S. aureus absent in 10 g; yeast and mold below 20 CFU/g.
    A named species Verified Five species named on the label. Purity-IQ’s public listing shows 5 Defenders as authenticated for all five by NMR.
    Origin and organic certification Maker’s claim The maker says its extracts come from certified organic mushrooms grown in China (supplier Nammex). The page says USDA-certified organic through QAI. No Real Mushrooms listing in the USDA Organic Integrity Database; Nammex Mushrooms Inc. is listed as certified by QAI.
    Extract or powder, stated Maker’s claim Extract blend, hot-water extracted. The label gives no extract ratio and no amount for each mushroom.
    Recalls, warning letters and Prop 65 Verified No openFDA recall record, no FDA warning letter naming Real Mushrooms or Nammex, and no Prop 65 notice naming either (searched 2026-10-23).
    What the labels mean
    • Verified We opened an independent record that confirms it: a certifier’s listing, a regulator’s list or a lab report. It is linked under Sources.
    • Maker’s claim The maker says so on its own page or label. We read it but found no independent record.
    • Not verified We looked and could not confirm it, or the maker does not say. Treat it as unknown.
    Sources Where our facts come from 13 sources
    1. Real Mushrooms 5 Defenders Organic Mushroom Blend Capsules product page. Maker’s page. Price, sizes, claims and the posted SGS reports, read 2026-10-23. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    2. Real Mushrooms 5 Defenders bottle label (back). Maker’s page. Supplement Facts: five-extract blend 1,000 mg, beta-glucans 180 mg, the five species in order, and the other ingredients. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    3. SGS Canada analysis reports VR25-01992.003 and VR26-03674.006 (5 Defenders capsules). Test report. One image holding both reports, posted on the product page. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    4. NSF Certified for Sport listing: 5 Defenders (Real Mushrooms). Certifier or regulator listing. Capsule, package size 90, lot 051226225. Check the lot on your bottle. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    5. NSF Certified for Sport: what the mark means. Certifier or regulator listing. NSF’s own description of what the program verifies. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    6. Purity-IQ Certified Authentic listing for Real Mushrooms. Certifier or regulator listing. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    7. USDA Organic Integrity Database: Nammex Mushrooms Inc. (NOP 5520030770). Certifier or regulator listing. The extract supplier, certified by QAI. Real Mushrooms itself is not listed. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    8. Real Mushrooms quality assurance page. Maker’s page. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    9. Real Mushrooms affiliate program. Maker’s page. 15% commission on referred sales, no cap, a discount code for the creator’s audience. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    10. Real Mushrooms our-story page. Maker’s page. Says Nammex was founded by Jeff Chilton, who co-founded Real Mushrooms with his son Skye. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    11. Reddit r/MushroomSupplements: Real Mushrooms and 3rd party reports (July 2024). Independent source. We read the thread’s title and opening text only; Reddit blocks automated page fetches. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    12. FDA warning letters search for “real mushrooms”. Certifier or regulator listing. No letter names Real Mushrooms or Nammex (searched 2026-10-23). Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    13. California Attorney General: 60-day notice search for “Real Mushrooms”. Certifier or regulator listing. No notice names Real Mushrooms or Nammex (searched 2026-10-23). Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
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