Quality Brands Emerge in the Legacy Mushroom Market

As regulators waffle about at a glacial pace, and biotech companies flout their incremental progress towards widespread legal psilocybin treatment in a few years, the legacy market for magic mushrooms is exploding.  While it’s impossible to estimate the true size of the underground market, a quick survey of the cultural landscape can make it seem like everyone and their mom is consuming psilocybin mushrooms. 

It requires few resources and virtually no capital to grow large amounts of mushrooms. Ubiquitous online mushroom spore stores and all-in-one mushroom grow bag providers, community-based events, and educational platforms are ensuring that access to psilocybin mushrooms is available with minimal searching. 

Federal law stipulates that psilocybin mushroom spores be used for “microscopy use only,” so it is safe to assume that more people than ever across the North American market have become devotees of the microsciences in the years since mainstream media began hyping the “Shroom Boom.” No doubt that the platforms which have amplified the narrative that psilocybin mushrooms are the next big thing in mental health treatment also contributed to the booming demand for products that they can’t supply themselves. 

Today’s legacy cannabis market is vastly larger than the legal cannabis market. Now the mushroom business is drawing from the cannabis playbook, following the same trajectory. Years of mainstream media coverage expounding on the therapeutic potential of psilocybin mushrooms has spiked national and international interest, yet no viable legal market exists to connect people to them (with a few notable exceptions). Considering that mushrooms require far fewer resources to grow than cannabis, and that even a new-to-the-game college student can grow a year’s supply with under $100 invested, the legacy market for psilocybin mushrooms has gone gangbusters. 

The result is an expanding gray market with thousands of brands and mycopreneurs, which thrives internationally, in spite of prohibition. 

As the founder of a platform dedicated to covering the global mushroom industry in its many facets, both above ground and underground, I’ve had a chance to sample numerous legacy mushroom market products, ranging from psilocybin-infused chocolate to jerky to gummies to honey to water-soluble drink packets to liquor to marshmallows and more.

In the spirit of harm reduction, education, and providing some context for the elusive and nebulous legacy mushroom market, I’ll review a few of the many branded products now floating around.

I’m not endorsing people who break the law. Nor do I encourage the use of these products by those seeking mushrooms for the first time and who haven’t done their own research, as well as consulting trusted friends, family, and/or medical professionals. 

I should also mention that I’m an experienced psychonaut and that I’ve developed sensible guard rails and best practices to guide my own consumption of psilocybin mushrooms. For instance, I carefully prepare my set and setting in advance, make sure to have plenty of water on hand, and notify a trusted confidant beforehand that I’ll be consuming mushrooms and share my exact location. 

The One Mushroom Gummies

THE ONE mushroom gummies are a professionally produced psilocybin mushroom gummy with exact dosing and quality control. The gummies contain psilocybin mushroom extract, which suggests that they are produced in a professional and well-funded facility. The packaging also contains specific dosage information and is decidedly understated. There’s very little on the outside that would lead anyone to believe that the gummies within are capable of showing the consumer “how deep the rabbit hole goes,” as it states on the product packaging. 

I’ve used these gummies on a few occasions, in dose sizes ranging from 1 to 4 grams, and found their effects to be indistinguishable from those that come from psilocybin mushrooms in their natural state.

Products like these seem capable of meeting the widespread demand of consumers. The packaging and production suggest that they are generally predictable. They offer exact dosing measurement (via mushroom extraction) and palatable fruit flavors as opposed to the unsavory taste of actual psilocybin mushrooms. Flavors include Mango and Blue Rasberry, which can be a relief for people with sensitive stomachs.  

Woosah Mushroom Chocolate

There are likely hundreds of professionally produced and packaged brands of psilocybin mushroom chocolate on the legacy market. The quality and consistency of these products vary. For this reason, it is important to vet your source. The best way is to “know your grower,” as the saying goes, or in this case your supplier. Minimal due diligence goes a long way. 

It’s also important to note that among the many smoke shops, corner stores, online retailers, and pop up marketplaces that offer mushroom chocolates, it’s well-known that vendors will buy mass-produced packaging of a recognizable brand and sell whatever they want inside. Products claiming to be mushroom chocolates have been tested and returned zero evidence of actually containing psilocybin mushrooms, and instead registered non-mushroom related research chemicals. 

Thankfully, there are  community-focused organizations and mycopreneurs who do offer quality products in the absence of the regulatory frameworks that would guarantee a safe supply. There are numerous ethical and reputable, community-minded mushroom chocolate purveyors who operate in plain view. 

Woosah chocolate is a personal favorite. Flavor profiles such as Strawberry, Salted Caramel, and Quinoa Crunch go a long way toward ensuring a delicious route to your magic mushroom flow state. Different flavors rolled out on a seasonal basis. 

The mycopreneurs behind the brand are actively engaged with their community, involved in activism and education efforts in support of the psychedelic ecosystem. When I opened a box of their bars recently, it included a note about an education initiative that Woosah has undertaken to develop respect for the medicine, and to also explain their business model. From my perspective, this community-minded approach is directly relevant to the quality of the mushroom products. The broader arc of service and humility in a mycopreneur are transferred onto the mushroom experience themselves. 

Cruzies Psilocybin Capsules

Cruzies is a Northern California-based mushroom brand that makes an array of capsules and powdered drinks. I’ve tried a few of them, including a water-soluble mix with fruit punch flavoring. This style of microdosing is quite popular with people who don’t wish to have a full-on trip. It’s quite common to find products with individual unit dose measurements below the threshold for a full spectrum psychedelic experience, such as the 250 mg dose soft gel capsules shown here. I’ve taken a “party dose” of Cruzies, around 1.5 grams for me, and a larger dose of 4 grams in capsule form. Both experiences delivered, and I have no qualms recommending this brand, given their commitment to quality and the reputation they have in the legacy community.