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Because the markets for all kinds of mushrooms continue to grow, I created a primer of ten terms you should know if you want to understand the fungus business.
We’ve already covered five of these terms (fairy dusting, fruiting bodies, nootropics, neuroplasticity and functional mushrooms) in the first part of this two-part series. Read on for the final five!
6. The Pollan Effect
This term refers to the impact of Michael Pollan’s book and Netflix series How to Change Your Mind. The book was absolutely a watershed event in the psychedelic space. Pollan’s work accelerated the cultural acceptance of psychedelics by the masses, and it’s a key read if you want to understand the current psychedelic renaissance. However, some clinical researchers say the book led people’s expectations for psychedelics to balloon out of proportion to their actual real-world benefits. “Every clinical trial subject and prospective patient is going to be influenced by Michael Pollan, and is going to enter into treatment expecting spectacular results,” wrote James Kent at Psychedelic Spotlight. The Pollan Effect is a good reminder for all of us to listen to experienced clinicians, who assure us that while psilocybin does show great promise in clinical trials, there is no magic bullet for mental health.
There’s a parallel with some functional mushroom supplement brands promising consumers that a chaga-reishi tincture can cure cancer, fix ADHD or ward off all illness. These kinds of claims make the whole industry look sketchy. Across psychedelic, functional and culinary markets, people are seeking mushrooms out for health purposes. As such, we need to follow the science and guard against over-promising and under-delivering to people when it comes to their health — mental and physical.
7. Peer-To-Peer Economy
I first heard this term through Dennis Walker, journalist and host of the Mycropreneur podcast. It describes the underground market for psychedelic mushrooms, and it overlaps with the traditional, illicit, illegal or legacy market (“black market” has fallen out of favor, and for good reason).
The difference is that the peer-to-peer economy is built on informal but trusted networks. It’s the 21st-century equivalent of “I have a guy,” but that guy could be an Etsy shop, a pop-up psychedelic dispensary or even a local church. These distribution networks may not be legal, but in the absence of a legal market, consumers are relying on community members who they trust to help them acquire psychedelic mushrooms. Peer-to-peer sharing networks will be the essential drivers for the psychedelic markets of the future.
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8. Polysaccharides
This term refers to compounds primarily to medicinal and culinary mushrooms (it’s possible that psychedelic varieties also contain these compounds, but we’re all just too distracted by the psilocybin to notice). One of the many reasons mushrooms benefit human health is because they are super rich in polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are bioactive fibers with a host of beneficial properties: They are anti-tumor, antioxidant, hypoglycemic and immunomodulatory. They’re so good for the immune system that they’re used in conjunction with chemotherapy for cancer patients in Japan. According to the National Cancer Institute, “It is thought that certain chemical compounds, such as polysaccharides (beta-glucans) in turkey tail mushrooms, strengthen the immune system to fight cancer.” Polysaccharides are reported to benefit gut health and may help prevent metabolic diseases. Different types of mushrooms contain different polysaccharides, and polysaccharides are far from the only beneficial bioactive compound found in mushrooms — but they’re a good one to know If anyone asks why mushrooms are sought after.
9. Substrate
Substrate is the material that mushrooms grow in. It’s the equivalent of dirt or soil for plants (remember: mushrooms are not plants, they’re fungus). While soil can be a substrate, many mushroom types grow where plants cannot: in wood, straw, coir and manure. Pro growers often have proprietary substrate recipes that maximize yields, as well as substrate formulas geared towards specific varieties of mushrooms (like plants, they need different kinds of material if they’re going to thrive).
Substrates matter in terms of the mushroom industry because a quality substrate is far more likely to yield a superior fruit. I always caution consumers to check their supplement labels, as all too often manufacturers will grind up the substrate along with the fruiting bodies and then sell that as a mushroom product. As I mentioned in part one, I’m a fruiting body purist, and if I use a mushroom product, I want it to be made with the actual mushroom fruit, not the material it grew in. If a label includes the words “biomass,” “full spectrum,” “mycelial biomass” or “extracellular compounds,” be cautious. Don’t buy it.
10. Psilocybin
Psilocybin is the compound found in magic mushrooms that makes them psychoactive. It’s produced naturally by more than 200 species of fungi and has been in use for thousands of years by cultures around the world. Psilocybin can be made in a lab, but the effects of synthetic psilocybin are said to differ from the effects of consuming psilocybin-containing mushrooms, because (like the cannabis plant) the whole mushroom fruit is reported to have an entourage effect.
Patent law prohibits patents on naturally occurring substances, including fungi, so psilocybin cannot be patented by pharmaceutical companies. It was granted “breakthrough therapy” status by the Food and Drug Administration in 2018, which recently issued guidance for designing clinical trials for psychedelics — yet psilocybin remains federally illegal, classified as Schedule I substance alongside heroin, considered to have “a high potential for abuse and serve no legitimate medical purpose.” Several states and many cities have decriminalized psilocybin, but decriminalization is not legalization. Given that 24 states have approved recreational cannabis and yet cannabis advocates are still struggling for federal legalization, it’s safe to assume psilocybin will follow a similarly piecemeal state-by-state legalization process for at least the next five years.
