You'll Definitely Want to Try These Shrooms

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Mushrooms are going mainstream. We’re not talking about the sort you’ll find on your pizza ai funghi, or the magical kind. Nope, the type that have TikTokers all hot under the collar are called functional mushrooms: Think mushroom face creams at Ulta Beauty or chaga lattes at your local coffee shop. “These are mushrooms that have a medicinal or therapeutic effect in the body,” says Kate Denniston, a Los Angeles–based licensed naturopathic doctor trained in both conventional and functional medicine. “Even though they’ve been used medicinally in ancient cultures for thousands of years, we’re still learning about how they work. Really, most people can find a mushroom they can benefit from.”

These functional fungi are big business, too–the industry is on track to be worth $19 billion by 2030. But are the benefits real? While some of the social media claims around these mushrooms are outlandish, there are also many high-quality studies that credit them with a host of therapeutic benefits when ingested, from promoting gut health and blood sugar regulation to reducing inflammation and exercise fatigue. Denniston notes that it’s worth checking in with your doctor before making changes to your supplement routine: “Make sure to work with a healthcare provider trained in functional or herbal medicine if you are on medications, are pregnant, or have any medical conditions. The doses are significant enough to have a therapeutic effect, even in products like chocolate and shakes.”

Functional mushrooms are also spreading in skincare, thanks to their potential adaptogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects on the skin, which may translate to brighter, firmer skin and fewer fine lines and wrinkles. The reality check? “Extracting these phytochemicals and formulating them into topicals while maintaining their efficacy is the challenge,” says Kiran Mian, a dermatologist in New York City. Still, “if using natural ingredients is important to you, then products that contain mushroom extracts are a great choice.” Tremella (or snow fungus) is a skincare darling, with beauty brands touting that it may hold up to 500 times its weight in water and research showing that its moisturizing ability exceeds that of glycerin. Other common players are reishi, a hydrator that can decrease pigment formation, and chaga, which may stimulate collagen production.

The main types

There are dozens of varieties of functional mushrooms, but these are the most studied:

Lion’s mane: “These are really great for supporting brain health,” says Denniston. “Research shows that they contain neurotrophic factors, which promote the growth of neurons, so this is a good one to help with focus and memory.” This spongy, frilly mushroom also has an anti-inflammatory effect on the brain and is associated with neuroprotective benefits.

Reishi: These are one of the most popular functional mushrooms out there. “Reishi is also a great mushroom for supporting hormonal balance, helping to keep our stress hormones, like cortisol, and our sex hormones, like estrogen and progesterone, balanced,” says Denniston.

Chaga: Experts warn that this mushroom should be consumed only in small amounts because high levels of oxalate (a naturally occurring compound found in plants) can be taxing on the kidneys. Stick to a max of two grams of chaga powder a day to reap the benefits, of which there are many: Chaga has been shown to have antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and cholesterol-lowering properties.

Cordyceps: Call it the sporty mushroom. “These mushrooms help increase energy production at a cellular level, as well as increasing our VO2 max (our ability to use oxygen more efficiently during intense workouts or exercise),” explains Denniston. “During the 1993 Olympics, the Chinese women’s running team performed so well that people thought they must be taking steroids. When it was investigated, they’d actually been taking Cordyceps.”

Below, some of the most popular ways to work these functional mushrooms into your wellness routine.

Functional Lion's Mane Mushroom Dark Chocolate for Focus

These 85 percent cacao bars are sweetened with coconut sugar and come in lion’s mane, Cordyceps, and turkey tail varieties. Each serving contains 500 milligrams of extract and is paleo, organic, and fair trade.

Sweet Vanilla Plant-Based Protein

With 18 grams of organic protein and five types of functional mushrooms per serving, this powder will level up your smoothie. It features five types of mushroom—and it’s Oprah Daily deputy health editor Rosie Hopegood’s new favorite smoothie ingredient.

Chaga Matcha

This pick-me-up drink combines wild foraged chaga, ceremonial grade matcha, organic cacao, and monkfruit sweetener. Tastes like matcha ice cream!

Mushroom Mocha Milk

Chocolatey goodness (we swear) to whip into hot cocoa or stir into pancakes. It contains seven varieties, including lion’s mane, reishi, chaga, and Cordyceps.

Native Mind

Lion’s mane combines with rose hips and peppermint for a tasty, caffeine-free hot drink. Naturally sweetened with stevia and certified organic.

Sparkling Mushroom Elixir

Passion fruit, orange, and guava mask the mushroom taste in this fizzy energy drink. With 2,750 milligrams of lion’s mane and Cordyceps extracts and a buzzy 85 milligram of caffeine, it’s a powerhouse on days when you’re dragging.

Super Luxe Face Oil

This potent oil boasts seven mushroom extracts, from skincare go-tos (tremella and reishi) to more unique varieties (like turkey tail and coprinus). All are cultivated for skincare at the brand’s partner farm in Oregon and when combined calm and brighten skin.

Alpine Rich Cream

To create a formula for the driest of the dry, this brand turned to the tremella mushroom (as well as moss stem cells, cloudberry, skullcap, and ceramides).

Mega-Mushroom Relief & Resilience Fortifying Emulsion

This extra-lightweight formula packs in plenty of hydration thanks to reishi and fermented chaga, and delivers antioxidant protection via sea buckthorn.

Cloud Cushion Airy Brightening Moisturizer

This BIPOC-founded brand formulated this silky, lightweight cream for skin of color. Peptides help prevent hyperpigmentation and snow mushroom (or tremella) repairs the skin barrier to address any ashiness.

Good Clean Fungi

Oyster, reishi, chaga, and tremella mushrooms come together in a scrubby cleanser that removes makeup, exfoliates, and hydrates.

Hydrating Milky Toner

Alcohol-free with snow mushroom, hyaluronic acid, and elderflower to hydrate, not dry out, skin; apply it before serum or moisturizer.

Plump Jelly

Reishi and silver ear mushroom boost the hydrating and barrier-strengthening powers of this hyaluronic acid serum.

Cloud Cushion Airy Brightening Moisturizer

This BIPOC-founded brand formulated this silky, lightweight cream for skin of color. Peptides help prevent hyperpigmentation and snow mushroom (or tremella) repairs the skin barrier to address any ashiness.

Plump Jelly

Reishi and silver ear mushroom boost the hydrating and barrier-strengthening powers of this hyaluronic acid serum.

Alpine Rich Cream

To create a formula for the driest of the dry, this brand turned to the tremella mushroom (as well as moss stem cells, cloudberry, skullcap, and ceramides).

Calendula & Tremella Nourishing Body Butter

This rich butter is especially moisturizing thanks to the addition of tremella mushroom, which makes skin feel softer and smoother.

Mega-Mushroom Relief & Resilience Fortifying Emulsion

This extra-lightweight formula packs in plenty of hydration thanks to reishi and fermented chaga, and delivers antioxidant protection via sea buckthorn.

Hydrating Milky Toner

Alcohol-free with snow mushroom, hyaluronic acid, and elderflower to hydrate, not dry out, skin; apply it before serum or moisturizer.

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