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Close-up of mushrooms growing on tree trunk,Arroyo de la Luz,Spain

Source: Eduardo Estellez / 500px / Getty

This year’s wellness craze appeared to be mushroom mania. In 2022, mushrooms were the star in staple restaurant menus and health and wellness products. The trendy plant has been around for ages, but this year we learned its many health benefits.

Eater shared an interesting piece titled, “In 2022, Mushrooms Cured What Ailed Us.” The article suggests that Americans said goodbye to CBD gummies and hello to mushroom everything. You couldn’t shop without seeing a bottle of vitamins or canned drink praising the many benefits of mushrooms.

This craze is not to be mistaken with “magic” mushrooms or psilocybin, which is responsible for sending people on mindful and trippy journeys into their deepest subconscious. While magic mushrooms have their own health benefits and governments across the US are debating their legalization, there are some legal functional mushrooms that have dominated the wellness and food industries. Reishi, lion’s mane and cordyceps are a few of the functional mushrooms that are legal for consumption in the US, which writer Amy McCarthy explores in her article.

Mushrooms become fine competition in the increasingly popular roundup of functional foods that are said to improve cognition and reduce stress levels. You could visit a holistic tea house like Beverly Hills’ Dragon Herbs, where they offer several mentally stimulating, mindful herbs, roots and mushrooms. They are everywhere you turn.

Brands advertise the supposed benefits of mushrooms like reishi and cordyceps alongside other vitamins, antioxidants, and other functional ingredients like shilajit resin and ashwagandha, a shrub that has been used for thousands of years in traditional Ayurvedic medicine.

Some studies also suggest that consuming more mushrooms could reduce the risk of cancer. Don’t be surprised if you see even more mushroom-infused sparkling drinks, chocolate bars and mocktails that boasts brain-boosting benefits or claim to help you live longer.

Read more on the mushroom wave that consumed us all in 2022 here.