Some are hairy and beard-like. Others look like a human brain, a turkey’s tail, or a piece of coral. They can be hot pink, buttercup yellow or sky blue. And many (more than 70 species) even glow in the dark.
Strange, mysterious and funky-looking, mushrooms are neither plant, nor animal, but somewhere in between. Found underfoot in forests, or on stumps and trees, fungi have, in recent years, come out of the woods and entered the mainstream.
Shroom products – everything from reishi hot chocolate to chaga lattes and lion’s mane face cream – have popped up everywhere. You can’t walk more than a few aisles in a grocery or specialty shop without running into a sparkling fungi-infused beverage, or snack items such as shroom gummies, mushroom jerky, fungi chips, and chocolate bars (with reishi) that promise to take the edge off.
North Spore, a company based in Portland, Me., sells kits for growing mushrooms, including the Lion’s Mane mushroom.North Spore/Supplied
We’re not talking about the edible mushrooms you find on pizza ai funghi or the magic ones that will take you on a psychedelic roller-coaster ride. These are functional mushrooms, which mycologists (people who work with fungi) say are loaded with bioactives including beta-glucans, polysaccharides and antioxidants that have been shown to have cognitive, immune system and longevity benefits.
Mushrooms have taken the wellness world by storm. Perhaps it was Netflix’s popular 2019 documentary Fantastic Fungi that helped get the word out about their purported superpowers, or it could be hordes of influencers praising mushrooms for improving their sleep, boosting their energy levels, and adding more zip to their sex lives, but they are definitely having a moment. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global functional mushroom market is expected to grow from US$33.7-billion in 2025 to $62.2-billion by 2032.
Our ancestors have used mushrooms as medicine for thousands of years. The Greek physician Hippocrates, circa 450 BC, classified the spongy part of Fomes fomentarius (better known as hoof fungus because it looks like a horse’s foot) as a potent anti-inflammatory and used it for cauterizing wounds. And while Eastern medicine has been pro-mushroom for millennia, scientists in the Western world have been far more skeptical primarily because evidence from clinical research on humans is still scarce.
Vancouver Island-based herbalist Yarrow Willard, left, says functional mushrooms are essential for ‘resilience on a polluted planet.’Yarrow Willard/Supplied
However, groundbreaking studies from institutions such as Johns Hopkins University in recent years that have shown the psychoactive ingredient (psilocybin) in mushrooms can help alleviate depression and PTSD, are helping to pave the way for more serious research into functional mushrooms.
A 2023 study from the Queensland Brain Institute found, for example, that compounds in lion’s mane have the ability to promote neuron growth and new connections between neuron cells in the brain, helping with cognition, memory, and possibly protecting against Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Yarrow Willard, a second-generation herbalist and co-founder (with wife, Angela) of plant medicine supplement company Harmonic Arts, on Vancouver Island, says the functional mushroom industry has exploded in the past five years as people search for ways to bolster their health, without leaning so heavily on pharmaceuticals.
“A new generation is saying, ‘I don’t want to end up on a cocktail of drugs when something goes wrong.’ Medicinal mushrooms offer another way.”
Turkey tail are multicoloured fungi that grow on tree trunks and look like a turkey’s plumage.AnnekeDeBlok/iStockPhoto / Getty Images
Willard says the top five functional mushrooms – and the most heavily studied – are chaga, reishi, lion’s mane, cordyceps and turkey tail.
“Extracts from lion’s mane are believed to possess myriad health benefits from boosting the immune system to promoting vitality,” he says. “Reishi has the potential to enhance longevity and promote inner peace.”
When he started selling mushrooms in 2008 at farmers’ markets in the Comox Valley, “they weren’t very popular, and certainly no one had a clue what lion’s mane was.” Today, Harmonic Arts employs 55 people and had sales of more than $10-million in 2024 for its tinctures, capsules and powders.
Willard has come to see functional mushrooms as essential for what he calls “resilience on a polluted planet.
“In a world filled with toxins and chronic illness, these mushrooms are a staple in my family’s health routine, especially during the colder months when we need extra immune support.”
Earthy, savoury and rich in umami, retired clinical herbalist Robert Rogers says functional mushrooms have barely begun to be properly understood. Based in Canmore, Alta., Rogers has written more than 64 books on mushrooms, including his latest, published in February called Medicinal Lichens: Indigenous Wisdom and Modern Pharmacology.
Often called ‘nature’s nutrient for the neurons,’ lion’s mane is known for supporting brain and nervous system health.Yarrow Willard/Supplied
“Korea, China and Japan are way ahead of us in serious scientific research into mushrooms’ healing properties,” says Rogers. “In fact, more than 80 per cent of the scientific literature is from Asia.”
That said, he is encouraged that more people in the West are starting to believe “that fungi and lichen have the capacity to heal both the body – and through the process of myco-remediation – the planet itself.”
Myco-remediation is a process where fungi is used to decontaminate the environment. And mushrooms have been proven to be a cheap, effective and environmentally sound way to remove a wide variety of contaminants from damaged environments or waste water.
Matt McInnis, a co-founder of North Spore, a company that sells mushroom growing kits and supplements from Portland, Me., believes North Americans have begun to embrace functional mushrooms for different reasons.
First, they are the “epitome of umami,” and their meaty texture makes them a great plant-based substitute for vegetarians, vegans and people trying to wean themselves off heavy meat diets, he says. Second, their popularity skyrocketed during the pandemic, when “everyone started cooking more at home, experimenting with different and more exotic ingredients, and interest in foraging and gardening grew.”
And finally, interest in research on psychedelics took off. “It gave the study of functional mushrooms more legitimacy,” says McInnis.
Matt McInnis, a co-founder of North Spore from Portland, Me., believes North Americans have begun to embrace functional mushrooms for different reasons.North Spore/Supplied
Last fall, McInnis joined several hundred other delegates, from 40 countries, in Bari, Italy for the 12th International Medicinal Mushrooms Conference. It was his first time at the international event, held every two years, and McInnis says he was blown away by how much research is now being done.
“We are just at the beginning. There is still so much that is not yet understood, so many cool leads to follow on how to incorporate mushrooms into your life.”
Top five functional mushrooms to know about for health
Called the ‘zombie fungus’ or the ‘sporty’ mushroom, cordyceps helps improve exercise performance, boost energy and fight stress and burnout.gee1999/iStockPhoto / Getty Images
Note: Willard recommends people do their homework when buying mushroom supplements to make sure they come from organic, certified sources.
Lion’s mane: Often called “nature’s nutrient for the neurons,” it is known for supporting brain and nervous system health. It helps improve focus, memory and concentration.
Cordyceps: Called the “zombie fungus” (it inspired the HBO series The Last of Us) or the “sporty” mushroom, cordyceps helps improve exercise performance, boost energy and fight stress and burnout.
Reishi: Known as the “mushroom of immortality,” reishi has been used for centuries to calm the mind, ease anxiety and improve sleep quality. Its immune-boosting compounds help your body fight colds and flu.
Chaga: It grows on birch trees and looks like burnt charcoal. It has been shown to have anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and cholesterol-lowering properties (which helps with heart health).
Turkey tail: These multicoloured fungi grow on tree trunks and look like a turkey’s plumage. Potential health benefits include immune-boosting and prebiotic properties. Turkey tail has been used in China and Japan as a complementary treatment for cancer.
