If you’ve ever tried a mushroom tincture or thought about it, you’ve probably seen terms like single extraction, dual extraction, triple extraction. It can get confusing fast. Which one is best? And does it really matter?
The short answer: yes, it matters a lot. The way a mushroom is extracted determines whether you’re getting a potent, full-spectrum tincture or little to none of the mushroom’s benefits.
In this article, we’ll cover: 1. What single, dual, and triple extraction really mean 2. Why dual extraction is the gold standard (and backed by science) 3. Why “triple extraction” is often more marketing than medicine 4. Why starting with 80% alcohol—not 96%+—is critical for potency 5. How we at Mogo Farm take dual extraction even further with ultrasonic-assisted methods 6. Why Mushroom Extraction Matters
Adaptogenic mushrooms like Reishi, Lion’s Mane, Chaga, and Cordyceps are full of powerful compounds that support immunity, brain health, energy, and stress resilience. But here’s the catch: they’re locked inside tough chitin cell walls (the same material that makes up lobster shells).
Your digestive system can’t break those walls down efficiently, so simply eating raw mushrooms won’t release the beneficial compounds we keep hearing about. That’s why extraction is essential, it unlocks and concentrates the mushroom’s bioactive compounds in a form your body can actually absorb.
Different solvents extract different types of compounds:
- Water (hot water extraction): Polysaccharides such as β-glucans, which are linked to immune-modulating and anti-tumour effects (Wasser, 2002).
- Alcohol (ethanol extraction): Triterpenes, sterols, phenolics, and diterpenoids like erinacines, associated with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective activity (Boh, 2007)
If your tincture only uses one solvent, you’re missing many of the benefits.
Single Extraction: Half the Benefits
A single extraction uses just one solvent either water or alcohol.
- Hot water extraction is excellent for β-glucans and immune-supporting polysaccharides (Wasser, 2002)
- Alcohol extraction is needed for triterpenes like ganoderic acids in Reishi (Boh, 2007) and erinacines in Lion’s Mane (Kawagishi et al., 1994).
Both are valuable but if you only extract once, you’re leaving behind major groups of compounds.
Dual Extraction: The Full Spectrum
A dual extraction combines water and alcohol extraction, capturing a broad spectrum of compounds:
- Alcohol phase: Triterpenes, sterols, phenolics
- Water phase: Polysaccharides, peptides, and other immune-active molecules.
This isn’t just tradition, it’s science. Reviews in pharmacognosy confirm that mushrooms contain critical compounds in both fractions, and you need both solvents to capture them (Wasser & Weis, 1999. Zhang et al., 2007).
Triple Extraction: More Marketing than Science?
Some brands push “triple extraction tinctures”, which typically means:
- An alcohol extraction
- A water extraction
- Another water extraction
It sounds impressive, but in reality most dual extracts also complete multiple water phases, however to call it a triple extraction is very misleading as technically it has only undergone extraction using 2 solvents.
Unless each stage is carefully optimised, “triple extraction” adds more marketing spin than measurable benefit. A well-executed dual extraction already achieves full-spectrum potency (Patel & Goyal, 2012).
Why 80% Alcohol Works Better Than 96%
Here’s where many companies get it wrong. Most use 96%+ ethanol for their tinctures but it’s not optimal for mushroom extraction and here’s why:
- It hardens the mushroom material. High-proof alcohol rapidly dehydrates and “fixes” the mushroom tissue. Once hardened, the cell walls are less permeable, which makes it harder for solvents to penetrate and extract compounds (Singhal, 2016)
- It narrows the profile. 96% ethanol mainly extracts fat-soluble compounds but misses polar compounds. You end up with a tincture that’s unbalanced.
- It can denature delicate compounds. Some phenolics, antioxidants, and aromatic molecules don’t survive in near-pure ethanol.
At Mogo Farm, we use 80% ethanol. The balance of alcohol and water keeps the mushroom pliable and permeable, allowing for a much more complete extraction. Research confirms that ethanol-water blends between 50–80% consistently extract a wider spectrum of compounds than absolute ethanol (Dai & Mumper, 2010).
Our Method: Potency Meets Precision
At Mogo Farm, we don’t stop at a standard dual extraction. We’ve refined it with two alcohol extractions and two water extractions, each carefully optimised for potency and balance.
Alcohol Extractions (2 passes)
We perform two separate alcohol extractions to fully dissolve lipophilic compounds like triterpenes and sterols. Running two passes prevents the maceration from becoming overly thick, ensuring maximum compound release. Both passes use ultrasonic vibrations, which disrupt fungal cell walls and boost bioactive yield (Chemat et al., 2011).
Water Extractions (2 passes)
We also complete two different water extractions at varying temperatures, since some polysaccharides and peptides dissolve better under different thermal conditions. Again, ultrasonic vibrations enhance efficiency, helping release compounds that are often lost in basic hot water decoctions (Gallo, 2018)
Technically, we perform four extractions in total, two alcohol, two water. But because there are only two solvent types, we classify it as dual extraction.
The result: a potent, bioavailable, full-spectrum mushroom tincture that balances ancient herbal wisdom with modern extraction science.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to mushroom tinctures, not all bottles are created equal. Many companies use shortcuts like 96% alcohol or “triple extraction” claims that sound good but don’t deliver the science.
At Mogo Farm, we’re proud to produce tinctures that are transparent, carefully crafted, and full-spectrum. By combining tradition with innovation, we ensure you’re getting everything the mushroom has to offer, no gimmicks, just potency. We’re proud to not make misleading claims and will continue to make the most potent and most loved UK tinctures.
