I’m often asked about choosing the right mushroom products. Over the next few weeks, I’ll share tips to help. Today, let’s unpack the “USA grown” narrative. Mushrooms have a rich heritage of use that spans continents and centuries. From China’s 800-year-old cultivation techniques to the sacred practices of Mesoamerica’s Mazatec people and the profound medicinal applications in West Africa, mushrooms are a global legacy. Even Scandinavian countries, now known for foraging, only embraced mushrooms in the 1700s. Supporting local growers strengthens communities and much-needed cottage economies, but “Grown in the USA” doesn’t always guarantee quality. Most U.S. farms focus on culinary mushrooms like buttons, not medicinal varieties like reishi, and can’t meet the scale needed for functional powders. Western medicine is only beginning to value fungi’s healing potential, long celebrated in Eastern and Indigenous traditions that modern research now confirms. Some brands cut costs by using grain-laden mycelium fillers, diluting the beta-glucans and triterpenoids that define mushrooms’ benefits. These shortcuts mislead consumers and undermine centuries of wisdom. Your health matters. Make informed choices. Don’t let marketing that preys on fears and biases keep you from exploring the vast, borderless world of mushroom cultivation.