Each morning, Kelsey Carnes takes her breakfast with a side of fungi. That’s right — fungi.
Carnes is one of a growing number of fungi fans incorporating mushroom capsules, complexes and coffees into their daily routine, with the mushroom coffee hashtag attracting more than 42 million views on TikTok. These mushroom mixes contain a blend of non-psychedelic functional mushrooms, such as reishi, lion’s mane and chaga.
These mushrooms supposedly have nootropic and adaptogenic properties. Emerging in 1947, the term adaptogen refers to a class of natural herbs, fungi and plant extracts that, in theory, help the body adapt to stressors. The term nootropics was first used in the 1970s to describe substances that supposedly help activate cognitive functions, including memory and learning.
The adaptogens market is expected to exceed $19 billion US globally by 2032, according to a 2023 report by Global Market Insights Inc. The global nootropics market, now worth about $11 billion US, should grow by $2.93 billion US between 2022 and 2026, according to another report by ReportLinker, a tech company that delivers market data and forecasts.
Used in traditional medicine across the globe for centuries, adaptogenic and nootropic mushrooms are now rising to modern fame, thanks in part to social media. Influencers and health gurus are promoting their claimed benefits, which include improved cognitive function and reduced fatigue.
Some people, like Carnes, are using mushroom complexes as a daily alternative to prescribed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication, such as Adderall.
ADHD is a chronic neurodevelopmental disorder that can impact a person’s emotional regulation, memory, impulse control, focus and ability to prioritize, according to the Centre for ADHD Awareness, Canada (CADDAC).
After being diagnosed with ADHD while in Grade 1 and trying a variety of medications, Carnes now embraces mushrooms as an alternative.
“It’s a game changer,” she said of swapping medication for mushrooms. She said she often experienced side effects from her medications, which have disappeared since using mushroom complexes.
“Adderall […] kind of just numbs you a little bit. So, by the end of the day, I just feel fried and exhausted, and I’m just kind of a shell of myself.”
The ongoing shortage of Adderall in the United States is an additional catalyst for the popularity of functional mushrooms, with lion’s mane even being dubbed “nature’s Adderall” by some social media users.
However, while some studies suggest that these mushrooms have health benefits for those with ADHD, there is limited research on their specific effects, especially as a replacement for prescribed mental health medications.
It is precisely this lack of research that worries Robert Courteau, a self-proclaimed “humble authority on mushrooms.”
Courteau is the founder of the Ottawa Mycological Society and Think Fungi, an organization dedicated to promoting fungi education, research and protection.
He said that while more money than ever is going into fungi research, the amount is still far behind where it should be to gauge their efficacy treating mental health disorders.
“I believe the responsible thing to say is, basically, there is insufficient evidence on almost every single mushroom to provide an accurate depiction of how they act,” he said.
That’s not to say that functional mushrooms don’t have health benefits, Courteau said. In fact, he argued quite the contrary.
He added that the advantages of nootropic and adaptogenic mushrooms are well known, but benefits are mainly shared through word-of-mouth and stories passed on through generations rather than scientific research.
“Science needs to catch up a little bit,” he said.
“I think that [early studies] will only be further demonstrated going forward and not debunked.”
The functional mushrooms most commonly cited as an alternative treatment for ADHD are lion’s mane, chaga and reishi.
Lion’s mane, or Hericium erinaceus, is widely consumed in Asian countries and has historically been used to aid digestion. In traditional Chinese medicine, Lion’s mane is considered advantageous to the heart, spleen, lungs, liver and kidneys.
In modern medicine, it is under study for its potential to enhance memory, focus, concentration and stimulate the synthesis of nerve growth factor (NGF) in the brain.
NGF promotes the growth and protection of nerve cells.
Inonotus obliquus, commonly called chaga, is a mushroom which grows on trees in cold climates, including Russia and across Canada. While traditionally used to treat or prevent a variety of illnesses such as inflammation, cancer and diabetes, now it is hailed as a method to reduce stress and anxiety.
Reishi, or Ganoderma lucidum, is native to East Asia and has traditionally been used to boost the immune system. However, researchers are now exploring its potential as an antidepressant, with early studies suggesting positive results in mice.
The recent increased interest in mushrooms may help spur the research needed to scientifically back the word-of-mouth claims for functional mushrooms and their impact on mental health, Courteau said.
“I think that fungi definitely have the ability to resolve a lot of the world’s issues, whether it be mental health issues, or environmental destruction, or what have you. But we need to get there, and if the news keeps going, then the money [for research] keeps going,” he said.
Luckily, functional mushrooms, including the ones labelled as nootropics and adaptogens, are already turning a promising profit.
The global functional mushroom market should reach $19.33 billion US by 2030, an increase of more than $11 billion US since 2020, according to a 2021 report by Allied Market Research,
The report attributes this growth to a surge in functional and plant-based food and drink applications and an increase in health consciousness.
One businesswoman is taking advantage of the promising market forecasts by opening her own adaptogen café in Kingston.
Joanna Castles opened the TULA café on March 1, 2023. It serves plant-based food and drinks with adaptogens to help balance the body and mind.
The unique menu items include black forest chaga tea, lion’s mane macadamia latte, beetroot latte with cordyceps and mushroom matcha latte.
Castles began her journey with adaptogens during the pandemic when looking for ways to deal with her chronic pain and post-concussion syndrome. She said she discovered adaptogens through microdosing psilocybin when she found a company that was adding adaptogens to their capsules.
“I was just blown away by how much clearer I felt in the morning and how much more creative I was,” she said.
“I was able to focus, my memory was improving, and I felt like that couldn’t be just the psilocybin, so I started looking into the adaptogens like lion’s mane and reishi.”
After realizing that microdosing — which involves taking small, controlled doses of psilocybin — was not a sustainable option due to its psychedelic nature, she turned to non-hallucinogenic functional mushrooms as a way to get the same effects in safe, daily doses.
During her personal research, Castles stumbled across the Toronto-based company, Rainbo, which creates adaptogenic tinctures using functional mushrooms.
“I looked for their lion’s mane tincture and ordered it and started using it every morning in my coffee when I stopped microdosing, and the effects stayed the same. I still kept feeling more clear-headed [and] the brain fog was significantly reduced, which was just mind-blowing,” she said.
In addition to drinks and sweet treats, Castles now sells Rainbo products at TULA café. After a successful soft launch in March 2023, she is now working to build a solid customer base through special events and promotions, including live music and “Mushroom Mocktails” on Fridays.
Holistic nutritionist Tonya Papanikolov founded Rainbo in 2018. Its mushrooms are cultivated in Canada, with the Chaga mushrooms carefully sourced from the Canadian wild, according to its website.
The company is growing in popularity, having amassed more than 62,000 followers on Instagram and gained widespread exposure when model Anastasia ‘Stassie’ Karanikolaou, a social media star and best friend to Kylie Jenner, showcased the brand on her TikTok account.
On its website, Rainbo describes its facility as “FDA-compliant” However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate mushroom products like the ones sold by Rainbo.
The company is, nonetheless, licensed by Health Canada, according to Holliday Carter, the head of business development at Rainbo.
“We have our Natural Product Numbers, or NPNs, for all of our products, which means that they have been through scientific literature and researched and proven to be safe and effective,” she said.
Rainbo labels its lion’s mane tincture as helpful for “mental clarity,” such as memory and focus. It also states that lion’s mane is “known to help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression” and may provide “protection from neurodegenerative diseases.”
However, a minuscule asterisk beside these claims alerts the consumer to read the following message: “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”
Despite this warning, many people with ADHD are opting to follow the positive experiences of their peers and use mushrooms to treat their symptoms.
There are three types of ADHD: hyperactive, inattentive, as well as the most common type, combined.
Each type of ADHD will be handled with treatments or medications varying from one person to the next. This can make it difficult to declare functional mushrooms as a one-size-fits-all alternative to medication.
Some people require stimulant medication that boosts signalling in the brain, while others may require non-stimulant medication, according to Dr. Jean-Marie Ribeyre, a psychiatrist who studies ADHD in Ontario.
He said individuals must recognize that they may not receive the same effective results when using alternatives to their prescribed medications. This can cause problems if someone with severe ADHD suddenly deals with inattention and hyperactivity.
“There’s no big risk to stopping medication for ADHD,” said Dr. Ribeyre. However, he added that some situations, such as driving, may be riskier if a person stops taking their ADHD medication.
The available prescription medications, such as Adderall, have more than 50 years of scientific research to back them, according to the CADDAC.
There is not enough completed clinical evidence to support the use of nootropics without specific medical reasoning, especially for long-term usage, according to a 2022 review study published in the Nutrients journal. The study suggests speaking with a doctor before trying nootropics for cognitive enhancement, a sentiment echoed by Castles.
“While I think that these are wonderful products that can do wonderful things for certain people, I think, like anything, we just need to be mindful in our use,” she said.
“We need to do our research. We need to be cautious that because I use lion’s mane and it makes me feel better doesn’t mean that it’s a cure-all for everybody,” she said. “It’s going to affect each person very uniquely, just like any prescription drug affects everyone differently.”
Graphic by Alisha Velji.
