The Agaricus Blaze Murrill mushroom was already known in the late 19th and early 20th century in the US, where it was very popular because of its excellent almond flavor and cultivated widely for the table. Colloquially known as the almond mushroom, it was officially named as Agaricus subrufescens since 1893.

After a few decades of success, the white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) took over its place as the most popular edible mushroom.

In the late 1940s the American mycologist W.A. Murrill discovered an interesting mushroom growing on the lawn of his friend R.W. Blaze in Florida. He did not recognize the species and, in honor of his friend, named it Agaricus Blazei. And now the confusion starts…

To cut a long story short, the mycologists were mixing up very similar looking mushrooms and in the end had to use DNA-profiling to put an end to all the quarrels.

Here are the mycological facts:

The mushroom that received the name ‘Agaricus blazei Murrill‘ was in fact the ‘Agaricus silvaticus Schaeffer‘. It is not a medicinal mushroom.

The ‘Agaricus brasiliensis‘ (another name given to the actual medicinal mushroom in 2002) turned out to exist already (classified in 1830) and is also not a medicinal mushroom.

The actual medicinal mushroom incorrectly named Agaricus blazei/Agaricus brasiliensis should in fact be called Agaricus subrufescens, the oldest taxonomical name. However, this medicinal mushroom and its derivatives are still researched, marketed and sold under the name Agaricus blazei Murrill (ABM) and Agaricus brasiliensis worldwide. Very confusing. 

Agaricus Blazei Murrill features a slightly sweet, nutty flavor and can be used in any dish that calls for button or portobello mushrooms.

All Agaricus mushrooms (including the button-mushroom) absorb heavy metals like cadmium and lead very easily, therefore one should always verify the levels of these toxins before purchase. Never rely on the ‘organic’ label – this label does not guarantee the product is free from heavy metals, only pesticides. And since all mushrooms accumulate heavy metals from the soil and the air, high levels are very common. Only properly tested mushrooms should be considered.

Furthermore, all Agarics contain agaritine, a carcinogenic substance. However, the chance that agaritine is found in an extract of the mushroom is zero. It oxidises very fast upon storage, and totally degrades after 48 hours in water with exposure to air. It also decomposes very fast upon cooking (up to 90% reduction) and freezing (up to 75% reduction).

Since these processes are part of the standard extraction procedures it is quite clear that no agaritine will be found in extracts. Non-extracted ABM products (powdered fruiting bodies, myceliated biomass) can be a different story, though. We recommend to request a Certificate of Analysis from the supplier (not to be confused with a ‘spec sheet !).