Host Defense

Host Defense

Host Defense is the #1 best-selling mushroom supplement brand! It specializes in mushroom mycelium-based supplements to support natural immunity and whole body wellness. Moreover, the Washington-based manufacturer — specifically in Olympic Rainforest — is now known as one of the most reputable, longest-standing mushroom companies in the USA. For more than a decade, it has been a direct-to-store manufacturer of mushroom supplements.

The company was founded by Paul Stamets, a speaker, author, mycologist, medical researcher, and entrepreneur. He is a thought leader in fungi, from habitat to medicinal use and production. He lectures around the world to help deepen people’s understanding and respect for the organisms that are literally under our feet, every day of our lives.

Host Defense is built on Paul Stamets’ visionary research into the power and potential of mushrooms, especially mushroom mycelium, the root-like structures found growing below ground. The power of Host Defense comes from the discovery that the mycelium is the immune system of the mushroom.

Just as mycelium helps to support the immune system of humans, it also supports the health and immunity of the natural habitats where it grows. Host Defense’s goal is to use the unique properties of mushrooms to help build a healthier world — and people too.

All of the Host Defense mushroom supplements are formulated based on scientific research, independently tested for purity, and are certified organic, non-GMO, vegan, and gluten-free.

About Paul Stamets 

In 1980, Paul Stamets launched Fungi Perfecti® with a vision to build a bridge between people and fungi. Since then, his vision has solidified around the scientifically-proven theory that mushrooms are essential for our immune function and environment. 

Paul is the author of six books (including Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save The World, Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, and Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World). In his passion for research, he has discovered and named numerous new species of psilocybin mushrooms, learned how to use mushrooms to filter water, rebuilt ecological habitats with mushrooms, and utilized mushrooms to preserve bee populations. 

He has also received numerous awards, including Invention Ambassador (2014-2015) for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the National Mycologist Award (2014) from the North American Mycological Association (NAMA), and the Gordon & Tina Wasson Award (2015) from the Mycological Society of America (MSA).

Paul funds research to save rare strains of mushrooms that dwell within the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. He is a collaborator with numerous scientific organizations and research institutes. Currently, he is testing extracts of these rare strains at the NIH (National Institutes of Health/Virology) and with Washington State University/United States Department of Agriculture against a wide panel of viruses pathogenic to humans, animals, and bees.