Products in this review
Chaga | Cordyceps | Lion’s Mane | Reishi | Shiitake | Turkey Tail
As a daily user of medicinal mushrooms, Life Cykel was one of the first brands that caught my eye, and has since grown to be one of the most well-known medicinal mushroom brands in the industry. In this review I will cover the company overview, ingredient sourcing, testing, social responsibility, how they could improve, and review some of their product range.
Medicinal mushrooms are growing in popularity as a health supplement but have been utilized in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Their history dates back to 450 BCE, when Hippocrates, a Greek physician, first classified the Amadou mushroom (Fomes fomentarius) as an anti-inflammatory for cauterizing wounds. Scientists have continued researching the the therapeutic benefits of mushrooms since then.
Although the use of medicinal mushrooms remains mysterious, there has been a rising interest in embracing their benefits and incorporating them into modern medicine and health products. Today, the medicinal mushroom industry is booming as more people are looking for medicinal mushroom tinctures online to improve their health; thus, knowing which reputable brands are essential.
Quick summary
Pros – what we like
- Environmentally sustainable growing methods
- Tinctures allow it to be the easiest and convenient method to consume medicinal mushroom products
- Socially conscious and generous to the community with their Grow and gift tree program
- Naturally flavoured with Australian Kakadu plum
- Over 13,000 satisfied customers with positive reviews
- Full-spectrum mushroom extracts
- Third-party laboratory testing for heavy metals and pesticides
- Money-back guarantee within the first 30 days of purchase
Cons – how it could improve
- Beta-glucan amounts are not specified, which is super important for medicinal mushroom products. Don’t let any brands let you think otherwise. It would be great to see beta glucan amounts standardized on the label
- The ratio of mushroom fruiting body to mycelia is not specified. It would be beneficial for customers to see the ratio
- The mushroom extracts are not organic – hopefully their next iteration of the mushroom products will be certified organic!
Despite not being organic, they do test all the products for pesticides and heavy metals, and combine their mushroom extracts with organic ingredients (organic alcohol, organic brown rice).
Alternatives To Consider
In Australia
In North America
Life Cykel Product Reviews
Life Cykel offers various full spectrum double liquid mushroom extracts, including Chaga, Lion’s mane, Cordyceps, Reishi, Turkey tail, and Shiitake. It also provides a unique combination known as the Professional Biohacker Set.
Their medicinal mushroom range is in a liquid tincture form – making it one of the most convenient ways on the market to consume medicinal mushroom extract.
1. Life Cykel Chaga Extract
Our Findings
- Ingredients: Wild harvested dried Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) (sclerotia) extract, Kakadu Plum Natural Flavour, purified water, alcohol (alcohol content by volume 20-24%%)
- Extraction Method & Extraction Ratio: Dual Extract 1:2 (1kg of mushroom material is used to make 2L of liquid extract)
- Polysaccharides: less than 1% of starch
- Non GMO: Yes
- Vegan: Yes
- Country + Location Grown: USA
- Price: From $51.95
- Number of servings: 60
- Contains Mycelium or Grain? Yes
- Contains Fruiting Bodies? Yes
- Serving suggestion: Add your liquid double extracts directly to your coffee, smoothie, tea or water.
- Serving Size: 2 ml – 1/2 a dropper full is approximately 1ml,
What we like:
- Life Cykel Chaga is rich in bioactive compounds, including inotodiol and betulin, that have various health benefits. Research suggests that it has potent antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties and may protect the body cells from destruction by free radicals
- Life Cykel’s Chaga mushroom extract combines Chaga extract with flavored with Australian Kakadu plum, a fruit containing high levels of Vitamin C. The product also comes in a new package with a scannable QR code for laboratory analysis results.
Alternatives:
2. Life Cykel Cordyceps Extract
Our Findings
- Ingredients: Distilled Water, Organic Alcohol (20-24%), Cordyceps militaris (Cordyceps militaris, Mycelia and Fruiting Body), Kakadu Plum Natural Flavour
- Extraction Method & Extraction Ratio: Dual Extraction 1:2
- Polysaccharides: less than 1% of starch
- Non GMO: Yes
- Vegan: Yes
- Country + Location Grown: Australia and USA
- Price: From $34.96
- Number of servings: 60
- Contains Mycelium or Grain? Yes
- Contains Fruiting Bodies? Yes
- Serving suggestion or serving size: Add directly to your coffee, juice, smoothie, tea or water.
- Serving Size: 2 ml – 1/2 a dropper full is approximately 1ml
What we like:
- Life Cykel Cordyceps offers you an ideal approach to tap on the mushroom’s enormous potential with its Cordyceps mushroom extract. Cordyceps is a parasitic fungus that feeds on insect larvae and is rich in cordycepin, adenosine and ergosterol. Cordyceps has been known to improve cardiovascular activity and physical performance.
- Scientific evidence suggests that cordyceps have potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Life Cykel’s cordyceps mushroom extract is non-GMO, gluten-free, and naturally flavored with Australian Kakadu Plum
Alternatives:
3. Life Cykel Lion’s Mane Extract
Our Findings
- Ingredients: Distilled Water, Organic Alcohol (20-24%), Australian Hericium coralloides (Hericium coralloides Mycelia and Fruiting Body), Kakadu Plum Natural Flavour
- Extraction Method & Extraction Ratio: Dual Extraction
- Polysaccharides: less than 1% of starch
- Non GMO: Yes
- Vegan: Yes
- Country + Location Grown: Australia
- Price: $34.95 for 60ml
- Number of servings: 60
- Contains Mycelium or Grain? Yes
- Contains Fruiting Bodies? Yes
- Serving suggestion or serving size: 2 ml – 1/2 a dropper full is approximately 1ml. Can be added directly to your coffee, juice, smoothie, tea or water.
- The Lion’s Mane Mushroom is one of the most potent fungi on the planet. It has a distinctive and lovely appearance of cascading white icicles, making it easy to spot.
What we like:
- Life Cykel Lion’s mane is rich in bioactive compounds, including Erinacines and Hericenones. Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) has the ability to activate the secretion of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and Brain-Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF) directly in the brain. This has a positive effect on the brain cells improving neurogenesis, cognition, memory, mood and aging. This is the core reason why Lion’s Mane is so popular and considered a ‘brain boosting’ supplement.
- Clinical evidence also suggests it has Antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and may lower body fats.
- Life Cykel’s lion’s mane liquid extract is full-spectrum, from a unique double extraction technique. It’s also naturally flavored with the Vitamin C-rich Australian Kakadu plum extract. The product is easy to use by adding 2mls directly to your drink.
What we like:
- It is worth noting that LifeCykel Lion’s Mane uses a different specues of Lion’s mane mushroom called Hericium Collaroides, and not Hericum Erinaceus. Majority of the studies of the health benefits of Lion’s Mane is done on Hericum Erinaceus
Alternatives:
4. Life Cykel Reishi Extract
Our Findings
- Ingredients: Distilled Water, Organic Alcohol (20-24%), Ganoderma lucidium (Ganoderma lucidium Mycelial Biomass and Fruiting Body), Natural Wild Harvested Kakadu Plum
- Extraction Method & Extraction Ratio: Dual Extraction of 1:2 (1kg of mushroom material is used to make 2L of liquid extract)
- Polysaccharides: less than 1% of starch
- Other active ingredients mentioned
- Non GMO: Yes
- Vegan: Yes
- Country + Location Grown: USA
- Price: 34.95 for 60ml
- Number of servings: 60
- Contains Mycelium or Grain? Yes
- Contains Fruiting Bodies? Yes
- Serving suggestion or serving size: Add directly to your juice, coffee, smoothie, tea or water.
- Serving Size: 2 ml – 1/2 a dropper full is approximately 1ml, you can use this as a guide for the recommended serving size.
What we like:
- The Reishi mushroom is a woody, red mushroom that grows on the sides of hardwood trees. It has been used in traditional Asian medicine for years and symbolizes vitality, health, and divine power.
- Life Cykel Reishi is rich in triterpenoids and ganoderic acid and has potential health benefits. Studies suggest Reishi may have anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune boosting, and antibacterial properties.
Alternatives:
5. Life Cykel Turkey Tail Extract
Our Findings
- Ingredients: Distilled Water, Organic Alcohol (20-24%), Australian Trametes versicolor (Trametes versicolor Mycelia and Fruiting Body), Natural Wild Harvested Kakadu Plum
- Extraction Method & Extraction Ratio: Dual Extraction of 1:2 (1kg of mushroom material is used to make 2L of liquid extract)
- Polysaccharides: less than 1% of starch
- Other active ingredients mentioned
- Non GMO: Yes
- Vegan: Yes
- Country + Location Grown: Australia
- Price: 34.95 for 60ml
- Number of servings: 60
- Contains Mycelium or Grain? Yes
- Contains Fruiting Bodies? Yes
- Serving suggestion or serving size: Add directly to your juice, coffee, smoothie, tea or water.
- Serving Size: 2 ml – 1/2 a dropper full is approximately 1ml, you can use this as a guide for the recommended serving size.”
What we like:
- Also known as Trametes Versicolor, Turkey tail mushrooms are popular in traditional Asian medicine. Life Cykel sources these mushrooms from the Blue Mountains in Australia, and they are rich in polysaccharopeptides (PSP) and polysaccharides Krestin (PSK). Studies suggest that Turkey Tail mushroom extract has potent antioxidant properties and may help support the treatment of various cancers, including breast, lung, and colon cancer and leukemia.
Alternatives:
6. Life Cykel Shiitake Extract
Our Findings
- Ingredients: Distilled Water, Organic Alcohol (20-24%), Lentinula Edodes (Lentinula E. Mycelia abd Fruiting Body), Natural Kakadu Plum Flavour
- Extraction Method & Extraction Ratio: Dual Extraction of 1:2 (1kg of mushroom material is used to make 2L of liquid extract)
- Polysaccharides: less than 1% of starch
- Other active ingredients mentioned
- Non GMO: Yes
- Vegan: Yes
- Country + Location Grown: Australia
- Price: 34.95 for 60ml
- Number of servings: 60
- Contains Mycelium or Grain? Yes
- Contains Fruiting Bodies? Yes
- Serving suggestion or serving size: Add directly to your coffee, smoothie, tea or water.
- Serving Size: 2 ml – 1/2 a dropper full is approximately 1ml, you can use this as a guide for the recommended serving size.
What we like:
- Life Cykel Shiitake mushrooms are popular due to their tangy flavor and numerous health benefits. They are rich in Vitamins D, B6, B5, copper, zinc, manganese, selenium, and lentinan. Research suggests that Shiitake mushroom extract may lower body fat and prevent weight gain. Other studies indicate that Shiitake may improve immune function and support overall health. Life Cykel’s Shiitake mushroom extract is naturally flavored with Australian Kakadu Palm, and it comes in a new package with a scannable QR code for laboratory test results.
7. Life Cykel Professional BioHacker Set
- Life Cykel offers the professional biohacker set for mushroom lovers in the original and Chaga options. These are fantastic for anyone delving into the world of medicinal mushrooms and would like to try each of most popular mushrooms on the market.
- The Original biohacker set consists of:
- Lion’s mane
- Cordyceps
- Reishi
- Turkey Tail
- Shiitake
- The Chaga set consists of:
- Lion’s mane
- Chaga
- Reishi
- Turkey tail
- Shiitake.
- Both options come in 60 ml and 120 ml bottles in a biohacker box. They also come with a guide and daily biohacking schedule recommendations.
Other Products By Life Cykel
Life Cykel is a one-stop shop for all your mushroom product needs. Besides mushroom liquid extracts, the company also offers pet products, grow kits, and Australian superfoods.
Life Cykel Pets
Life Cykel Pets has just released a line consisting of glycerin-based liquid extracts with mushroom and hemp infusions designed to improve your pet’s general health and quality of life. The range has various options, including:
- Pets Lion’s mane extract
- Pets Chaga extract
- Pets Shiitake extract
- Pets Turkey tail extract
- Pets Reishi extract
- Pets skin and immune pack (Shiitake and Chaga)
- Pets gut and brain pack (Turkey tail and lions mane)
- Pets calm and relaxed pack (Reishi and Turkey tail)
- Pets biohacker set
Mushroom Grow Kits
- Life Cykel is a mushroom cultivation expert aiming to support a circular economy and a closed-loop system. The company encourages its customers to utilize coffee waste and single-use cups to allow them to grow food regardless of their locations. Life Cykel offers mushroom grow kits consisting of ground coffee and mycelium. The grow kits come in the following options.
- Oyster mushroom grow kit
- Bee pollination grow kit
- Grow kit bundle pack
- Kombucha SCOBY grow kit
- Alkaline greens grow kit
- Shroom grow pack(Lion’s mane and oyster)
- Lion’s mane grow kit
- The Green kit
Australian Native Superfoods
Life Cykel superfoods collection consists of flavorful extracts from native bush edibles and nuances from around the world. They are alcohol-free, glycerine-based, and infused with Elderflower. You can add them to your tea, smoothie, and desserts. The superfoods come in the following options.
- Davidson plum and Elderflower
- Kakadu Plum and Elderflolwer
- Lemon myrtle and Elderflower
- Essense of wisdom
- My body is a temple
- Calm, happy dream
- Zesty perfection
- Fresh and free
- Strawberry gum and Elderflower
- Finger lime and Elderflower
Overview
Julian Mitchell and Ryan Creed co-founded Life Cykel in 2015 when they started growing gourmet mushrooms from the coffee waste collected from Australian cafes and restaurants. The duo established a closed-loop system by further recycling the coffee waste to make organic fertilizer. Julian and Ryan began a campaign to change people’s minds about food products, waste, and medicinal mushrooms.
Life Cykel has evolved into an evolutionary mushroom biotechnology enterprise capitalizing on the enormous potential for mushrooms. The company’s purpose is to “deliver the highest possible ethos attached to incredible, professional products to those that wish to upgrade their wellness and reach their true potential.”
The company manufactures its products in laboratories in Australia and the United States, utilizing a unique double extraction technique, and tested by in-house scientists. Life Cykel develops its extracts professionally, and its-house scientists thoroughly evaluate them before releasing them into the market.
Life Cykel Company Review – what we like
Life Cykel specializes in cultivating mushrooms and making high-quality products out of them. The company aims to inspire new perspectives in food and mushroom cultivation, as is evident in its ingredient sourcing, manufacturing, testing, quality, and brand credibility.
1. Ingredient Sourcing
Life Cykel works with Byron Bay herb nursery to grow Lion’s mane and Turkey tail mushrooms using a closed-loop system. Unlike mushrooms sourced from heavily polluted environments, Life Cykel’s mushrooms are free of chemicals, pesticides, and heavy metals. Although the mushrooms themselves are not organic, it is fantastic to see that it is free from heavy metals.
Life Cykel sources Cordyceps, Chaga, and Reishi mushrooms from organic farms in the US since they are not legal for cultivation in Australia. Their cordyceps are grown in organic brown rice, while Chaga and Reishi grow in organic hardwood sawdust.
Life Cykel infuses its mushroom products with Australian Kakadu plum to improve their taste and enhance their effectiveness. Kakadu plums have the highest recorded natural amount of vitamin C of any food in the world.
In addition, the company combines fruiting bodies with mycelium, and thus the resulting extract contains 1% starch. Life Cykel’s mushroom extracts do not contain artificial flavors or animal-based ingredients, thus making them suitable for vegans.
2. Manufacturing and Testing
Life Cykel manufactures its products from laboratories in the US and Australia using a unique double extraction technique. As a result, its liquid mushroom extract contains both water-soluble and alcohol-soluble compounds. Reishi mushrooms yield ganoderic acids, while Chaga mushrooms yield inotodiol, trametonolic and betulinic acids. Alcohol from the double extraction method acts as a preservative and does not cause intoxication.
Transparent Third party lab tested for heavy metals, microbials and pesticides
Life Cykel purifies its products using pharmaceutical-grade equipment, producing pure, palatable, and odorless compounds. The company believes in transparency and wants to educate its customers on what they consume. Thus, it tests its liquid extracts and flavors in accredited third-party laboratories for heavy metals, pesticides, aflatoxins, vitamins, and nutrition content. This type of transparency is really impressive and we hope many supplement brands follow these processes.
One exciting thing worth mentioning is that all the products have a QR code you can scan with your phone to access the test results. These results are third party lab tested, a Nata- accredited world-leading standard.
Do not confuse this with a Certificate of Analysis, which is a third party certification of the therapeutic active ingredients tested in each product. A true Certificate of Analysis of medicinal mushroom products will contain levels of beta-glucan, polyphenols, and other essential nutrients such as Betulinic acid for Chaga, or Ganoderic acid for Reishi. Here is an example of a true Certificate of Analysis.
3. Brand Credibility
Life Cykel has thousands of satisfied customers around the world. The company’s official website has received over five thousand positive reviews, while the products have received more than thirteen thousand positive reviews. One customer promised to recommend Life Cykel’s mushroom products to anyone looking for a healthy natural alternative.
The company has an easy-to-navigate website, and it’s easy to complete an order and check out. Additionally, customers love the fast and efficient delivery that the company offers. Being a liquid tincture, Life Cykel’s products are the easiest medicinal mushroom products to use within the Australian medicinal mushroom industry.
4. Shipping and Returns
Life Cykel ships its products locally and internationally. It offers free Australian shipping for orders above $120, free New Zealand shipping for orders above $150, and free international shipping for orders above $249. It takes 1-3 business days to process orders and 2-6 business days to ship within Australia through post-standard shipping. Additionally, it takes 1-4 business days to ship within Australia through post express shipping. On the other hand, shipping internationally through express post takes 2-4 business days and more than six business days through standard post shipping.
Money Back Guarantee
Life Cykel offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re unsatisfied with its products. It provides a full refund for returned faulty items in their original condition. Processing takes seven days, and a refund is issued to the original payment method. The company offers exchange for damaged products, but sale items are not eligible for refunds.
5. Community and Social Responsibility
Life Cykel has partnered with John Smith Gumbula, a cultural ambassador and the founder of BURAN Australia. Together, they have developed incredible products using Australian native ingredients. The company has also partnered with Byron Bay Herb nursery to give back to the community.
Byron Bay hub nursery is a non-profit enterprise offering job opportunities to persons with disabilities. Life Cykel has a Grow and Gift program that allows its customers to add $3 to their orders which proceeds the funds to the to Byron Bay hub nursery to aid in growing seedlings for gifting to local community groups.
How LifeCykel could improve
Beta glucans on the tincture label
With all the great things about Life Cykel mentioned above, it would be remiss of us to mention one core improvement; adding beta-glucan amounts to their product labels.
Among medicinal mushrooms, beta-glucans are the potent bioactive polysaccharide that make medicinal mushrooms beneficial for health. Some of the benefits include reduced stress, a stable blood sugar level, and a strengthened immune system.
According to Skye Chilton, the founder of RealMushrooms.com, beta-glucan amounts must be third party lab tested and specified on the label of medicinal mushroom products. Skye is also the son of Jeff Chilton, the founder of Nammex – the first medicinal mushroom extract company in the United States with over 40 years of experience.
Given the importance of these beta-glucans, this may be a deciding factor people who would want to know the exact beta glucan content in their products. LifeCykel are transparent about not measuring their beta glucan levels. On their website it reads “Beta glucan and terpenes laboratory testings are in their infancy and so we do not believe in the validity of these markers currently. While we know beta glucans and terpenes are important, the science is unclear. ”
Final Thoughts – Is Life Cykel Legit?
There are two things to consider in this frequently asked question: Company credibility and product quality
Company Credibility
From a humble beginning to an evolutionary mushroom biotechnology company, Life Cykel has become a powerhouse in mushroom cultivation. The company offers full-spectrum liquid mushroom extracts with numerous health benefits and synergistic properties. It also provides a wide range of pet products, mushroom grow kits and Australian native superfoods. All of Life Cykel’s mushroom liquid extracts are naturally flavoured with Vitamin C-rich Australian Kakadu plum and are non-GMO and gluten-free. The company tests all its products in accredited third-party laboratories, and you can scan the QR code to access laboratory analysis reports on heavy-metals and pesticides.
Product Quality
The downside of this brand is that their products do not measure or state its beta-glucan amounts. They also use a mix of mycelium in the products rather than 100% fruiting bodies, and their Lion’s Mane is Hericium Collaroides, rather than the well-studied Hericum Erinaceus. It is also worth adding that their mushroom products are not organic, compared to other medicinal mushroom brands on their market which are both organic and certified organic. With that being said, many customers still feel the benefits of their products.
Try Life Cykel’s tinctures for yourself and let us know what you think!
Browse more medicinal mushrooms in Australia:
Chaga | Cordyceps | Lion’s Mane | Maitake | Reishi | Tremella | Turkey Tail
Browse more medicinal mushrooms in the United States:
Chaga | Cordyceps | Lion’s Mane | Reishi | Turkey Tail
