In the 2020s, people afflicted with chronic pain, be it emotional or physical, have their choice of treatments. You can either go the traditional route via your doctor or physician, who will likely prescribe a drug and/or treatment program to help ease the pain. Or you can choose an alternative route to healthcare, such as cannabis and medicinal marijuana products.
But these days, you can also seek out an Integrated Wellness Center near you that will hone in on your “overall health,” which will include your emotional, physical, social, mental, and spiritual influences.
However, now there’s a new player in the health care system that is fast gaining traction. You might think of them as magic mushrooms, but they are more functional in nature as opposed to psychedelic.
According to a new report, the recent COVID-19 pandemic is said to have initiated a new interest in natural supplements. Wellness data agency Spins has reported that sales of mushrooms inside the natural retail space spiked by close to 20 percent or $420 million in 2021 than one year earlier.
In late 2021, Allied Market Research also stated that “the global functional mushroom market” was able to generate $8 billion in 2020. That number is expected to be as high as $20 billion by 2030.
What Mushrooms are Good For
Experts say that a variety of studies have proven what Eastern medicine has known for a long, long time: that turkey tail, reishi, and maitake, along with several other types of mushrooms, can have a natural impact on the human body’s immune response system.
Mushrooms help with digestion, energy, inflammation, immunity, stress, stamina, balanced blood sugar, memory, vitality, and much more. That said, there is an expanding number of new startup companies that possess a “passion for the possibilities of fungi” and the major health benefits they can offer.
Here is a small sampling of them.
Multiverse
Back in 2020, friends Brian Friedman and Alli Schaper began Multiverse as a way to “rebrand functional mushrooms, as opposed to the psychedelic magic mushrooms, with their number one priority being mental health.
The business-oriented pair created a stunning, colorful website that features 500 products and over 65 brands, which include Popadelics mushroom chips, chai cacao truffles, and a special SuperMush that is said to be a “trio of mouth prays” that help with relaxation, energy, and also immunity.
Nooci
CEO and founder of Nooci, Stephanie Tan, is said to have reached back into her heritage for her line of plant-based, health-related mushroom products. When she was growing up, she witnessed her grandparents regularly imbibing reishi mushrooms to supplement their normal health routine.
In Asia, reishi is seen as a kind of fountain-of-youth style elixir. Therefore, it’s become a primary component of the Nooci nasal allergy supplement. The spray is said to assist with balancing vital energy, allergy symptoms, and it also boosts immunity.
Rainbo
Tonya Papanikolov decided to become a holistic nutritionist out of personal experience. Said to be diagnosed as a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), she is easily overwhelmed by the surrounding environment. She claims to have a sensitive nervous system that responds instantly to the environment and results in digestive issues, anxieties, and certain allergies.
After attending a 2011 seminar, she was introduced to functional mushrooms. The mushrooms were said to have altered her body from perpetual pain, discomfort, cramping, and worry to normal. With that very positive experience under her belt (pardon the pun), she wanted nothing more than to help others with their physical and emotional issues.
She created a Cordyceps Energy Super-Mushroom extract that attacks cramping, pain, and digestive discomfort but also is said to improve libido and athletic performance.
The HAO Life
Former publisher of Condé Nast, William Li, along with his business partner, Danielle Chang, who’s the founder of LuckyRice, introduced their own particular line of herbal supplements to the holistic health and wellness market in 2021. They accomplished this with the assistance of David Melladew, who is said to be a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who has invested in wellness resorts all around the world.
Their overall goal has been to update traditional herbs and mushrooms into an easily swallowable pill. Li claims that over the last few years, people of non-Asian descent have become more and more interested in herbal medicines. These include traditional Chinese, Native American, and Indigenous medicines.
With this in mind, the company’s HAO life Breathing Room supplement was created from an all-natural blend of reishi mushroom, astragalus root, along with ginseng, which is said to not only alleviate seasonal allergies but boost the immune system.