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Medicinal Mushrooms Can Transform Your Health. Here’s How

“Today, high-profile advocates like Elon Musk, Charlotte Tilbury and Benedict Cumberbatch credit regular mushroom use with enhancing their performance.”

Once confined to the kitchen, mushrooms are emerging as 2025’s defining wellness trend. Now found in gummies, powders, smoothies, broths and even shower gels, functional fungi—known as nootropics—are being credited with everything from boosting brain function to supporting immunity

 

A NATURAL ALTERNATIVE TO SYNTHETIC SUPPLEMENTS

 

Sophie Barrett, education lead at Hifas da Terra, highlights the holistic appeal of functional mushrooms, describing them as a ‘natural approach to health’. Unlike synthetic supplements that isolate nutrients, mushrooms provide bioactive compounds like beta-glucans, triterpenes and antioxidants which work synergistically to support the body’s natural balance.

“Mushrooms are whole-food compounds the body easily recognises and absorbs,” says Rachel Condon of DIRTEA. “They support longterm wellness while nourishing our natural ability to heal. They’re not just effective – they’re restorative, bringing us back to nature’s original blueprint for health.”

 

THE BRANDS BEHIND THE BOOM

 

In 2023, the mushroom market was worth more than $68 billion, and, according to Polaris Market Research, is anticipated to grow to $136.9 billion by 2032. Mud\Wtr, one of the first brands to enter the mainstream, began on a shoestring in LA’s Venice Beach in 2018. Just six months later, the coffee alternative – made up of tea, cocoa, spices and four kinds of mushroom – had six-figure revenues. Other popular players include Bristol Fungarium, known for its organic UK-grown tinctures, and OTO Wellbeing, whose multi-mushroom supplements promise 89 health benefits including focus, energy and radiant skin.

 

HOW WELL DO THEY ACTUALLY WORK?

 

Well, our ancestors certainly thought so. In fifth-century Greece, Hippocrates raved about amadou’s ability to reduce inflammation, while Ötzi the Iceman, preserved in Italy’s alps for 5,300 years, was found wearing a leather strap threaded with birch polypore, presumably to treat the parasites in his digestive tract. Today, high-profile advocates like Elon Musk, Charlotte Tilbury and Benedict Cumberbatch credit regular mushroom use with enhancing their performance.

While mushroom research is relatively new in Western medicine and some scientists remain sceptical, their medicinal use has deep roots in Asia. Chinese medical texts dating back to 206 BC describe reishi as a ‘tonic against ageing’, and over 100 varieties are still used to treat cancer across the continent. In Japan, PSK (derived from turkey tail) and lentinan (from shiitakes) are government-approved as adjuncts to more conventional cancer treatments like chemotherapy.

 

HOW TO TAKE MUSHROOMS

 

Mushrooms are classified as adaptogens, a group of bioactive compounds found in whole foods that help the body maintain its natural state regardless of external factors. Reishi is particularly useful for stress management as it contains beta-glucans and triterpene, which encourages a calm nervous system.

“Reishi has increased my sleep cycle – most notably my deep sleep,” says Condon. “I use it under any circumstances where I may fall into a sympathetic state, including public speaking or moving out of my comfort zone.”

Each mushroom possesses unique properties, often working most effectively in combination. As Barrett explains, “Mushrooms like lion’s mane are known for enhancing cognitive function, cordyceps for boosting energy, stamina and libido, and reishi for promoting relaxation and recovery. Together they offer a comprehensive toolkit for combating fatigue, inflammation and the long-term effects of chronic stress.” When put like that, it sounds pretty magic.

 

WHICH ARE THE BEST MUSHROOM SUPPLEMENTS?

 

MICO-LEO, BRAIN HEALTH, HIFAS DA TERRAMICO-LEO, BRAIN HEALTH, HIFAS DA TERRA
Harnessing the power of organic lion’s mane grown on its own site in Pontevedra, Spain, Hifas Da Terra’s capsules offer a holistic boost for cognitive and gastrointestinal wellness.

 

CALM POWDER, DIRTEA

CALM POWDER, DIRTEA

DIRTEA’s powder delivers 2,000mg of organic, dual-extracted reishi mushrooms per serving, promoting calm, restful sleep and immune support. Perfect for a calmer coffee or in smoothies.

 

PM: MUSHROOM POWDER, MOTHER MADEPM: MUSHROOM POWDER, MOTHER MADE

Featuring reishi for a relaxed nervous system, shiitake for cardiovascular and skin health and turkey’s tail for gut and immune support, Mother Made’s powder is a potent addition to savoury meals.

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