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Ingredient, Explained

The Super-Mushroom Blend in Transfer Factor Max: What Each Mushroom Does

Q: What is the Super-Mushroom Blend in Transfer Factor Max?

The Super-Mushroom Blend is the group of four functional mushrooms included in 4Life Transfer Factor Max alongside its 900 mg of transfer factor peptides: shiitake mushrooms sourced from Japan, cordyceps sinensis sourced from China, maitake fruiting body extract sourced from Japan, and agaricus blazei sourced from Brazil. All four are mushrooms with long traditional use and modern research interest for immune support, largely because of the beta-glucan polysaccharides in their cell walls. 4Life does not disclose the individual amount of each mushroom in the formula.

Q: Do medicinal mushrooms actually work for immune support?

The honest answer is mixed and depends heavily on the form. Mushroom beta-glucans genuinely interact with innate immune receptors such as dectin-1, and human trials of specific mushroom extracts have reported immune-marker changes: a shiitake beta-glucan extract in healthy elderly adults, whole shiitake mushrooms in healthy young adults, fermented cordyceps mycelium extracts in healthy adults, maitake extracts in older adults and in patient populations, and an agaricus blazei-based liquid extract in several patient trials. However, a 2021 systematic review of fungal beta-glucan randomized trials concluded the overall evidence is limited, with small samples and inconsistent designs, and nearly every positive trial used a specific standardized extract at a defined dose rather than a multi-mushroom capsule blend. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

Q: Is the cordyceps in supplements real cordyceps?

Almost never in the wild-harvested sense. Wild cordyceps sinensis is a caterpillar-parasitizing fungus from the Tibetan plateau that is scarce and extraordinarily expensive, so virtually all supplement cordyceps is grown by fermentation — either cultivated mycelium strains marketed as cordyceps sinensis (such as CS-4), the related species Cordyceps militaris, or related fungi like Paecilomyces hepiali. This matters for reading the research: the best human immune trials — including one where a fermented cordyceps-related mycelium extract raised natural killer cell activity about 39 percent versus placebo in healthy adults over eight weeks — used those cultivated forms, and results from one form do not automatically transfer to another. 4Life lists China as the source of its cordyceps sinensis and does not specify the cultivation form.

Q: What is agaricus blazei?

Agaricus blazei (also written Agaricus blazei Murill, or AbM) is a mushroom associated with Brazil, sometimes called the almond mushroom, that is rich in immunologically active polysaccharides. Its human evidence comes almost entirely from one preparation: AndoSan, a liquid extract based mainly on agaricus blazei that Norwegian researchers have tested in randomized trials in multiple myeloma patients, Crohn's disease patients, and birch-pollen-allergic adults, reporting various immune-marker and symptom changes. We found no randomized trial of capsule-form agaricus blazei measuring immune outcomes in healthy adults. As with the other mushrooms, the amount in Transfer Factor Max is not disclosed.

Q: How much of each mushroom is in Transfer Factor Max?

4Life does not publish individual amounts. The four mushrooms appear in the formula without per-ingredient milligram disclosures, so the amounts cannot be independently verified by a customer or compared against the doses used in research — which ranged from 2.5 milligrams of a concentrated shiitake beta-glucan extract to 5-10 grams of whole dried mushroom per day, depending on the study. Proprietary formulas are legal and common across the supplement industry; 4Life is not unusual here. But if matching research doses matters to you, this is a fair limitation to weigh.

Q: Are the mushroom claims on the 4Life label clinically proven?

4Life itself answers this one, and deserves credit for doing so: on its own product page, every specific claim it makes about the individual mushrooms — shiitake increasing NK cell activity and B cell count, cordyceps increasing T cells, maitake stimulating cellular and humoral immune reactions, agaricus activating macrophages, neutrophils and lymphocytes — carries a caret symbol that 4Life's footnote defines as 'in a preclinical study.' In other words, the manufacturer classifies its per-mushroom claims as preclinical, not clinical. Human trials of these mushrooms exist, but they tested specific extracts at defined doses, mostly in specific populations, not this blend. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

Q: What are beta-glucans?

Beta-glucans are chains of glucose molecules found in the cell walls of fungi, yeast, oats and barley. Fungal and yeast beta-glucans have a particular branching structure (beta-1,3 with beta-1,6 branches) that innate immune cells recognize through receptors such as dectin-1 — which is why they can genuinely engage the immune system rather than simply being digested as fiber. Different sources produce differently structured beta-glucans with different activity, which is one reason results from one mushroom or extract don't automatically apply to another. Transfer Factor Max contains beta-glucan sources beyond the mushroom blend too: oats and baker's yeast.

TransferFactorMax.com Editorial Updated August 7, 2026 10-min read

TL;DR

Four mushrooms: shiitake (Japan), cordyceps sinensis (China), maitake fruiting-body extract (Japan), and agaricus blazei (Brazil) — plus beta-glucans from oats and baker's yeast elsewhere in the formula.
Unlike IP-6, real human trials exist here — including randomized trials of shiitake in healthy adults and cordyceps-related extracts that raised NK-cell activity ~39% vs placebo.*
Almost every trial used a specific extract at a defined dose — not a multi-mushroom capsule blend. That gap matters.
4Life's own label flags its per-mushroom claims as preclinical — every one carries the "^ in a preclinical study" footnote.
Amounts aren't disclosed. Buy Max for its 900 mg of transfer factors; treat the mushrooms as a supporting cast.
Companion piece: the formula's other beta-glucan sources — oats and baker's yeast — have a different (and in yeast's case, stronger) human trial record.

The Super-Mushroom Blend is the group of four functional mushrooms — shiitake (Lentinula edodes), cordyceps sinensis, maitake (Grifola frondosa) fruiting body extract, and agaricus blazei — included in 4Life Transfer Factor® Max alongside its 900 mg of transfer factor peptides.¹ All four have long histories of traditional use and a modern research literature built largely on their beta-glucan polysaccharides, which innate immune cells genuinely recognize and respond to. This article walks through each mushroom in turn: what it is, what the human research actually shows, what remains preclinical, and — because this site does its ingredient homework in the open — the gap between the forms and doses used in that research and what a multi-ingredient capsule formula can be assumed to deliver.*

If you read our IP-6 breakdown, you know how these pieces work: name the real evidence, label how much weight it can carry, and say plainly where the record runs out. Here's the twist this time — the mushroom literature is genuinely better than IP-6's. There are real randomized human trials, some in healthy adults, with immune endpoints. The honest complication isn't the absence of evidence. It's that nearly all of it is attached to specific extracts and doses that aren't the ones in this bottle.

Super-Mushroom Blend — key facts

The four mushrooms: Shiitake · cordyceps sinensis · maitake fruiting body extract · agaricus blazei
Sources (per 4Life): Japan (shiitake, maitake) · China (cordyceps) · Brazil (agaricus)
Active compounds: β-1,3/1,6-glucan polysaccharides (lentinan, D-fraction, and related complexes)
Mechanism: Beta-glucans engage innate immune receptors (e.g., dectin-1) on macrophages, neutrophils and NK cells
Human trials: Yes — for specific extracts of each species, mostly at defined gram- or milligram-level doses
In this blend: Individual amounts not disclosed
Label classification: 4Life marks its per-mushroom claims "^ in a preclinical study"
Also in Max: Beta-glucans from oats and baker's yeast; IP-6; zinc; vitamins C and D3

Why mushrooms keep showing up in immune formulas

There's a real mechanism here, and it's worth stating before the caveats. The cell walls of fungi are built partly from beta-glucans — long glucose chains with a particular branching pattern (β-1,3 backbone, β-1,6 branches) that mammalian immune systems treat as a microbial fingerprint. Innate immune cells carry receptors, most famously dectin-1, that bind these structures directly. That's why fungal beta-glucans can genuinely engage macrophages, neutrophils and natural killer cells rather than passing through as ordinary fiber.²

So the premise of a mushroom blend isn't hand-waving. The open questions are the practical ones: which mushroom, which preparation, what dose, taken how, by whom — and whether marker changes translate into anything you'd notice. A 2021 systematic review of randomized controlled trials of fungal beta-glucans concluded that while individual trials report immune effects, the overall evidence base is limited: small samples, short durations, heterogeneous preparations and endpoints.² Keep that frame as we go mushroom by mushroom.

Shiitake — the best-studied of the four Human trials

Shiitake's signature compound is lentinan, a beta-glucan with a genuinely unusual résumé: in Japan it has been used for decades as a pharmaceutical immune adjuvant in hospital settings. The critical detail almost every supplement page omits: in that setting lentinan is given by injection, not by mouth. Memorial Sloan Kettering's herb database is explicit that most lentinan studies used intravenous or intramuscular administration and that it is uncertain whether eating shiitake produces similar effects.³

What does the oral record show? Two studies are worth knowing:

A placebo-controlled crossover trial in 42 healthy elderly adults tested Lentinex, a soluble shiitake-mycelium beta-glucan, at just 2.5 mg per day for six weeks. The trial reported a significant difference in B-cell numbers versus placebo, with the supplement well tolerated.⁴ A tiny dose and a modest, single-marker finding — but it is a real randomized trial in healthy people.
A University of Florida randomized trial in 52 healthy young adults had participants eat 5 or 10 grams of dried whole shiitake daily for four weeks. It reported improved proliferation of certain T-cell populations, higher secretory IgA (a mucosal antibody), and lower C-reactive protein, an inflammation marker.⁵

Notice the spread: 2.5 milligrams of a concentrated extract in one trial, 5,000–10,000 milligrams of whole mushroom in the other. Both "shiitake," two utterly different interventions. That's the recurring theme of this entire article.

Cordyceps sinensis — read the species name carefully Species caveat

Here's a piece of honesty the supplement industry rarely volunteers: wild cordyceps sinensis barely exists in commerce. The wild organism is a fungus that parasitizes caterpillars on the Tibetan plateau, and scarcity has pushed its price into precious-metal territory. Virtually everything sold as cordyceps is grown by fermentation instead — cultivated mycelium strains marketed under the sinensis name (CS-4 is the classic), the related species Cordyceps militaris, or related fungi such as Paecilomyces hepiali.

Why does that matter? Because the best human immune data belongs to specific cultivated forms:

A randomized, double-blind trial in 79 healthy adults gave 1.68 g/day of CBG-CS-2, a fermented Paecilomyces hepiali mycelium extract sold as cordyceps, for eight weeks — and reported NK-cell cytotoxic activity roughly 39% higher than placebo.⁶
Cordyceps militaris trials in healthy adults — including a 2015 Korean study in healthy men and a 2024 randomized trial of a militaris beverage — reported enhanced cell-mediated immunity and increased NK-cell activity respectively.^7,8
The classic CS-4 randomized trial in healthy elderly volunteers (3 g/day, six weeks) measured exercise capacity, not immunity.⁹

So cordyceps-family extracts have real healthy-adult NK-cell data — arguably the strongest single finding in this article. But it's attached to particular fermented preparations at gram-level daily doses, and results from one form don't automatically transfer to another. 4Life lists China as its cordyceps source and doesn't specify the cultivation form or amount, so there's no way to map the blend onto any of these trials.

The mushroom research is real. The gap is that nearly every trial tested a named extract at a named dose — and a blend discloses neither.

Maitake — dose-dependent, in both directions Human trials

Maitake's studied preparation is D-fraction, a beta-glucan–protein complex extracted from the fruiting body. Max specifies a fruiting body extract, which deserves a small credit: the fruiting body is what most of the research used, and fruiting-body extracts are generally richer in beta-glucans than mycelium grown on grain.

The best-known human study is a dose-ranging trial of oral maitake extract in breast cancer survivors at Memorial Sloan Kettering. It reported statistically significant, dose-dependent immunological effects — with a finding every supplement buyer should sit with: more was not better. Some immune measures rose at intermediate doses and fell at higher ones; the authors described a complex mix of stimulatory and inhibitory effects rather than a simple boost.¹⁰ More recently, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in healthy older Japanese adults reported significantly increased NK-cell activity over 18 weeks of daily maitake consumption.¹¹

Two human signals, then: real immunological activity, and a dose-response curve that isn't a straight line. Without a disclosed maitake amount in the blend, there's no way to say where on that curve Max sits — in either direction.

Agaricus blazei — one extract carries the evidence Patient populations

Agaricus blazei (AbM, the "almond mushroom," associated with Brazil) is rich in immunologically active polysaccharides — 4Life's label credits it with activating macrophages, neutrophils and lymphocytes, tagged preclinical.¹ The human evidence is dominated by a single preparation: AndoSan, a liquid extract based mainly on AbM, which Norwegian researchers have run through a series of randomized trials — in multiple myeloma patients undergoing stem-cell transplantation (immune-marker changes in the harvested cells and cytokine shifts), in Crohn's disease (symptom, fatigue and quality-of-life endpoints), and in birch-pollen-allergic adults.^12,13

That's a legitimate research program — randomized, blinded, published. It's also entirely in patient populations, entirely with one branded liquid extract, and not one trial we could find tests capsule-form agaricus for immune outcomes in healthy adults. Of the four mushrooms, agaricus has the widest gap between the research preparation and anything a capsule blend contains.

A note on where mushroom research comes from

Like IP-6, much of the mushroom-polysaccharide literature sits in oncology — lentinan's pharmaceutical use in Japan is as an injectable adjunct in cancer care, and the maitake and agaricus trials above enrolled cancer patients. None of that research is a claim about this product. Transfer Factor Max is a dietary supplement, not a treatment for any disease, and nothing in the mushroom literature should be read as suggesting it prevents, treats or cures anything. If you are dealing with a serious illness, that is a conversation for your physician, not a supplement label.*

Where the evidence stands, mushroom by mushroom

The Super-Mushroom Blend — evidence, honestly tiered

Mushroom	Best human evidence	Form & dose in trials	Healthy-adult oral data?
Shiitake	Two randomized trials in healthy adults (elderly + young)	2.5 mg/day branded β-glucan · 5–10 g/day whole mushroom	Yes — strongest of the four
Cordyceps	NK-activity RCTs in healthy adults (~39% vs placebo in one)	Fermented mycelium extracts, ~1.7–3 g/day	Yes — but for militaris / related species, not verified sinensis
Maitake	Dose-ranging patient trial · one healthy-older-adult RCT (NK ↑)	D-fraction / fruiting-body extracts, defined doses	Limited — older adults only
Agaricus blazei	Randomized trials in myeloma, Crohn's, allergy	AndoSan liquid extract (82% AbM)	None found
This blend, as blended	—	Amounts not disclosed	No trial of the blend itself

Evidence labels are our editorial team's plain-language assessment, not formal scientific grades. "Healthy-adult oral data" means at least one randomized oral-supplementation trial with immune endpoints in generally healthy adults. 4Life's own per-mushroom label claims carry its "^ in a preclinical study" footnote.¹

The three gaps between the research and the bottle

Put the four stories side by side and the same three gaps recur:

Form. The trials tested named preparations — Lentinex, CBG-CS-2, D-fraction, AndoSan — each standardized and characterized. A blend of mushroom material is a different article of commerce, and beta-glucan content varies enormously with species, part (fruiting body vs. mycelium), and processing.
Dose. Trial doses ranged over three orders of magnitude, from 2.5 mg of concentrated extract to 10 g of whole mushroom daily. 4Life doesn't disclose the amount of any individual mushroom in Max, so no comparison to any trial dose is possible — the same disclosure limitation we flagged for IP-6.
Population. Outside the shiitake and cordyceps-family trials, much of the human data comes from older adults or patient groups, studied for reasons that have nothing to do with a healthy customer's daily immune support.

To 4Life's genuine credit, its own label doesn't overclaim here: every specific per-mushroom claim on the Max product page — shiitake and NK/B cells, cordyceps and T cells, maitake and cellular/humoral immunity, agaricus and macrophages — carries the caret footnote 4Life defines as "in a preclinical study."¹ The manufacturer classifies its own mushroom claims as preclinical. We think that's the right classification, and affiliate pages that inflate those same claims into "clinically proven" are saying more than the label does.

So how should you think about the mushrooms in Max?

Our honest read, consistent with every ingredient piece we've written: the mushroom blend is a reasonable supporting cast, and it is not the reason to buy this product.

The case for Transfer Factor Max rests on its 900 mg of transfer factor peptides — colostrum-, egg- and plant-derived — where the strongest product-specific evidence sits, including the peer-reviewed Yu 2024 trial we walk through in our breakdown of the clinical studies behind Max.¹⁴ The mushrooms bring a genuinely richer human literature than most supplement ingredients — richer than IP-6's by a wide margin — plus a plausible, receptor-level mechanism. What they don't bring is a trial of this blend, at these (undisclosed) doses, in this format.

If you want research-matched mushroom supplementation specifically, a dedicated single-extract product at a trial dose is the closer match. If you're buying Max, buy it for the transfer factors and count the mushrooms as a thoughtful extra. And if a page tells you the mushroom blend is clinically proven, you now know what the manufacturer's own footnote says.*

For the full ingredient-by-ingredient breakdown, see what's inside Transfer Factor Max. For the proposed mechanism behind the transfer factors themselves — Recognize, Respond, Remember, Renew — see the science page, and our FAQ covers dosing and daily-use questions.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Super-Mushroom Blend in Transfer Factor Max?

It's the group of four functional mushrooms included in Max alongside its 900 mg of transfer factor peptides: shiitake (from Japan), cordyceps sinensis (from China), maitake fruiting body extract (from Japan), and agaricus blazei (from Brazil). All four have long traditional use and modern research interest for immune support, largely because of the beta-glucan polysaccharides in their cell walls. 4Life does not disclose the individual amount of each mushroom in the formula.

Which mushrooms are in Transfer Factor Max?

Four: shiitake (Lentinula edodes), cordyceps sinensis, maitake (Grifola frondosa, as a fruiting body extract), and agaricus blazei. The formula also contains oats and baker's yeast — beta-glucan sources in their own right, though not part of the mushroom blend — plus IP-6, zinc, vitamin C, and high-potency vitamin D3. These are all culinary or functional species; nothing in the product is psychoactive.

Do medicinal mushrooms actually work for immune support?

Mixed, and heavily form-dependent — that's the honest answer. Mushroom beta-glucans genuinely engage innate immune receptors like dectin-1, and human trials of specific extracts have reported immune-marker changes: shiitake beta-glucan in healthy elderly adults, whole shiitake in healthy young adults, fermented cordyceps-family mycelium in healthy adults, maitake in older adults and patient groups, and an agaricus-based liquid extract in several patient trials. But a 2021 systematic review of fungal beta-glucan RCTs concluded the overall evidence is limited — small samples, inconsistent designs — and nearly every positive trial used a standardized extract at a defined dose, not a multi-mushroom capsule blend.*

What does shiitake do for the immune system?

Shiitake is the best-studied mushroom in the blend. Its signature beta-glucan, lentinan, has been used in Japan for decades as a pharmaceutical immune adjuvant — by injection, not by mouth. For oral use, two human studies stand out: a placebo-controlled crossover trial in 42 healthy elderly adults, where 2.5 mg/day of a soluble shiitake beta-glucan produced a significant change in B-cell counts, and a University of Florida randomized trial where 52 healthy young adults ate 5–10 g of dried whole shiitake daily for four weeks, reporting improved T-cell proliferation, higher secretory IgA, and lower C-reactive protein. Memorial Sloan Kettering notes it's uncertain whether eating shiitake reproduces the effects of injected lentinan.

Is the cordyceps in supplements real cordyceps?

Almost never in the wild sense. Wild cordyceps sinensis is a caterpillar-parasitizing fungus from the Tibetan plateau, so scarce and expensive that virtually all supplement cordyceps is grown by fermentation instead — cultivated mycelium marketed as sinensis (like CS-4), the related species Cordyceps militaris, or related fungi like Paecilomyces hepiali. That matters for reading the research: the best human immune trials — including one where a fermented cordyceps-related extract raised NK-cell activity about 39% versus placebo in healthy adults — used those cultivated forms, and results don't automatically transfer between forms. 4Life lists China as its source and doesn't specify the cultivation form.

What does maitake do for the immune system?

Maitake's studied fraction is D-fraction, a beta-glucan complex from the fruiting body. The best-known human study — a dose-ranging trial in breast cancer survivors — reported dose-dependent immunological effects with a twist worth remembering: more was not better, with some measures stimulated at intermediate doses and depressed at higher ones. More recently, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in healthy older Japanese adults reported significantly increased NK-cell activity over 18 weeks. Max specifies a fruiting body extract, which matches the part of the mushroom most research used.

What is agaricus blazei?

Agaricus blazei (AbM, the "almond mushroom," associated with Brazil) is a mushroom rich in immunologically active polysaccharides. Its human evidence comes almost entirely from one preparation — AndoSan, a liquid extract based mainly on AbM — which Norwegian researchers have tested in randomized trials in multiple myeloma, Crohn's disease, and birch-pollen allergy, reporting various immune-marker and symptom changes. We found no randomized trial of capsule-form agaricus measuring immune outcomes in healthy adults.

How much of each mushroom is in Transfer Factor Max?

4Life does not publish individual amounts — the mushrooms appear in the formula without per-ingredient milligram disclosures. That means the amounts can't be independently verified or compared against research doses, which ranged from 2.5 mg of concentrated shiitake extract to 5–10 g of whole dried mushroom daily depending on the study. Proprietary formulas are legal and standard across the industry; 4Life isn't unusual here. But if matching research doses matters to you, this is a fair limitation to weigh.

Are the mushroom claims on the 4Life label clinically proven?

4Life itself answers this, and deserves credit for it: on its own product page, every specific per-mushroom claim — shiitake and NK/B cells, cordyceps and T cells, maitake and cellular/humoral immunity, agaricus and macrophages, neutrophils and lymphocytes — carries a caret symbol its footnote defines as "in a preclinical study." The manufacturer classifies its own per-mushroom claims as preclinical, not clinical. Human trials of these mushrooms exist, but they tested specific extracts at defined doses in specific populations — not this blend.*

What are beta-glucans?

Beta-glucans are glucose chains found in the cell walls of fungi, yeast, oats and barley. Fungal and yeast beta-glucans have a branching structure (β-1,3 with β-1,6 branches) that innate immune cells recognize through receptors such as dectin-1 — which is why they can genuinely engage the immune system rather than simply digesting as fiber. Different sources produce differently structured beta-glucans with different activity, which is one reason results from one mushroom or extract don't automatically apply to another. Max also contains beta-glucan sources outside the mushroom blend: oats and baker's yeast.

Are the mushrooms in Transfer Factor Max safe?

All four are culinary or long-consumed functional species with generally good tolerability in studies — the shiitake trials in healthy adults reported the supplement was well tolerated. Sensible cautions still apply: avoid the product if you have a mushroom allergy; talk to your healthcare provider first if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, taking immunosuppressant medication, or managing an autoimmune condition; and note that whole undercooked shiitake can cause a distinctive skin reaction (shiitake dermatitis) in some people, though that's associated with eating raw mushrooms rather than capsule extracts. Safety at typical doses is not the same as proven benefit.

Should I buy Transfer Factor Max for the mushrooms?

No — buy it for the transfer factors, or don't buy it at all. The case for Max rests on its 900 mg of colostrum-, egg- and plant-derived transfer factor peptides, where its strongest product-specific evidence sits, including the peer-reviewed Yu 2024 trial. The mushroom blend is a supporting cast: real ingredients with a larger human literature than most supplement components, but at undisclosed doses in a form the trials didn't test. If research-matched mushroom supplementation is specifically what you want, a dedicated single-extract product at a trial dose is the closer match.

References

4Life Transfer Factor Max product page and Product Information Sheet, 4life.com. Ingredient list, source countries, per-mushroom claims, and the "^ In a preclinical study" footnote. Accessed August 7, 2026.
Effects of fungal beta-glucans on health — a systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Food & Function, 2021. Reviewed the RCT evidence base for fungal β-glucans, including mechanism via dectin-1 recognition; concluded the evidence is limited by small, heterogeneous trials.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Integrative Medicine — Shiitake Mushroom and Lentinan (About Herbs database). Notes that most lentinan studies used intravenous or intramuscular administration, and that oral equivalence is uncertain.
Supplementation with a soluble β-glucan exported from shiitake medicinal mushroom, Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Singer mycelium: a crossover, placebo-controlled study in healthy elderly. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, 2011;13(4). n=42; 2.5 mg/day Lentinex for 6 weeks; significant between-group difference in B-cell numbers; well tolerated.
Dai, X., et al. (2015). Consuming Lentinula edodes (shiitake) mushrooms daily improves human immunity: a randomized dietary intervention in healthy young adults. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 34(6), 478–487. n=52; 5 or 10 g dried whole shiitake daily for 4 weeks.
Immunomodulatory effects of a mycelium extract of Cordyceps (Paecilomyces hepiali; CBG-CS-2): a randomized and double-blind clinical trial. 2019. n=79 healthy adults; 1.68 g/day for 8 weeks; NK-cell cytotoxic activity enhanced ~38.8% relative to placebo.
Kang, H.J., et al. (2015). Cordyceps militaris enhances cell-mediated immunity in healthy Korean men. Journal of Medicinal Food, 18(10).
A randomized controlled clinical trial examining the effects of Cordyceps militaris beverage on the immune response in healthy adults. Scientific Reports, 2024. Small trial (n=10 per gender per arm); increased NK-cell activity reported in the intervention groups.
Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial and assessment of fermentation product of Cordyceps sinensis (Cs-4) in enhancing aerobic capacity and respiratory function of the healthy elderly volunteers. Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine. n=37; 3 g/day for 6 weeks; exercise-performance endpoints, not immune ones.
Deng, G., et al. (2009). A phase I/II trial of a polysaccharide extract from Grifola frondosa (maitake mushroom) in breast cancer patients. Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology. Oral dose-ranging trial; dose-dependent stimulatory and inhibitory immunological effects reported.
Maitake mushroom (Grifola frondosa) enhances cognitive function in healthy older Japanese: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. 18-week RCT in 47 healthy adults aged 60+; NK-cell activity significantly augmented in the maitake group.
Tangen, J.M., et al. (2015). Immunomodulatory effects of the Agaricus blazei Murrill-based mushroom extract AndoSan in patients with multiple myeloma undergoing high dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation: a randomized, double blinded clinical study. BioMed Research International.
Therkelsen, S.P., et al. (2016). Effect of the medicinal Agaricus blazei Murill-based mushroom extract, AndoSan, on symptoms, fatigue and quality of life in patients with Crohn's disease in a randomized single-blinded placebo controlled study. PLOS ONE. See also the 2019 randomized AndoSan trial in birch-allergic blood donors.
Yu, L., Iloba, I., Cruickshank, D., & Jensen, G.S. (2024). Feasibility trial exploring immune-related biomarkers after consuming a nutraceutical supplement containing colostrum- and egg-based low-molecular-weight peptides. Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 46, 6710–6724. Peer-reviewed; concerns the transfer factor peptides, not the mushroom blend.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Transfer Factor Max is a dietary supplement and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article summarizes published third-party research on mushroom species and extracts for educational purposes; it is not medical advice and does not represent a health claim about any product. Several of the studies discussed were conducted in oncology or other patient-care contexts with specific pharmaceutical or standardized extract preparations; none of that research constitutes a claim that this or any dietary supplement prevents, treats or cures disease, and readers should not use it that way. "Evidence" labels are the editorial team's plain-language assessment, not formal scientific grades. Individual results vary. Consult your healthcare provider before beginning any new supplement program, particularly if pregnant, nursing, taking medication (including immunosuppressants), managing an autoimmune condition, or allergic to mushrooms.