FDA Flags Microdose Chocolate, Reishi for Your Gums, and Robots' New Fungal Skin

IN TODAY’S EDITION

1️⃣ Reishi mushroom & gum disease 2️⃣ Mushroom chocolate warning 3️⃣ Living robot skin

Hi Shroomer. We’re trying out a new format today — news and stories from shroomer and around the web, all in one fungi-tastic Shroom Scan. Let us know what you think by replying to this email!

Shannon Ratliff, Co-Founder

EYE CANDY

Mushroom pals 🥂 What if every time you turn your back while foraging, the mushrooms start having cozy little picnics amid the foliage? Like Toy Story… but with wood blewits and pine mushrooms. Shroom Story.

Check out @annaseedart’s art on Instagram or in her shop.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Gum health 👄 Reishi mushroom extract improved oral health in lab rats and even reduced the negative impacts of gum disease. The secret? Anti-inflammatory compounds and antioxidants.

Shroom race 🏃‍♀️ In the mushroom supplement boom, product developers are urged to “just start patenting” ingredients before competitors strike first.

Fear reduction 😨 A study found that psilocybin experiences led to an average reduction in fear of death among participants — although some reported an increase in death anxiety after the experience.

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

OK, NJ 👍 New Jersey lawmakers approved an amended psilocybin legislation bill that will establish an advisory board to provide guidelines for therapeutic use — without the broad-scale decriminalization.

Trial run 🤷‍♀️ A year into Oregon’s psilocybin therapy rollout, the nation’s first market for legal psychedelic therapy has too many centers … and not enough clients. Private mushroom “trip facilitator” schools face shutdown by the Oregon Health Authority after years of operating in regulatory limbo.

Psychedelics for Vets 🍄 The U.S. House of Representatives approved research into psychedelics as treatments for veterans with PTSD.

ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

Sustainable textiles 👕 The My-Fi project is working on a new non-woven fabric material grown from soft-yet-sturdy fungal hyphae. The project is slated to finish in October 2024.

Genetic records 📚 Mycologists Mandie Quark and Alan Rockefeller are preserving fungal DNA and expanding our records of the mushroom world — one gene sequencing at a time.

Termite teamwork 🐜 Termites have a symbiotic relationship with the Termitomyces fungus, which produces nitrogen and vitamins via wood decay. In return, termites help spread fungal spores by literally creating a fungal garden out of Termitomyces hyphae.

Contaminated archives 🏛 Danish museums have developed curious cases of fungal growth due to several Aspergillus species that can thrive in low-humidity environments.

GROWING GOURMET

Beware the mean green 😡 Trichoderma mold can devastate button mushroom yields. Researchers found heat up to 120 °C and disinfectants like hydrogen peroxide and formaldehyde helped stave off trichoderma contamination.

Chicken run 🐔 30% of button mushroom weight is stem waste that can be repurposed into a nutritious chicken feed supplement, reducing production costs and food waste.

Fungi helping plants help fungi 👨‍🌾 Researchers found that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can help native plants outgrow and outcompete invasive plant species. These mutual fungi-plant relationships can also help boost guava production, where the fungi act as both a biofertilizer to enrich the soil conditions and a nematode preventative.

Legal shenanigans ⚖ Mycelium “meat” makers Meati Foods and The Better Meat Co. have battled over intellectual property patents since 2021 — and a judge just sided with The Better Meat Co. due to its rival’s “inexplicable tactics, sandbagging, and shenanigans.”

NEWS

Severe illnesses linked to Diamond Shruumz edibles

Know what you eat ⚠ The FDA and CDC are investigating severe health reactions from the Diamond Shruumz brand of chocolate bars, cones, and gummies. The “microdosing” products were sold online and in shops that sell CBD or Delta-8 THC.

• The backstory: Diamond Shruumz markets its products as “the leading form of microdosing” despite not containing psilocybin, psilocin, or Amanita analytes. The company’s proprietary mix of nootropics and functional mushrooms is not FDA-approved, and the third-party Certificates of Analysis on the company’s official website are for batches from early 2023.

• What happened: Diamond Shruumz’s products have now been linked to symptoms of seizures, abnormal heart rates, hyper/hypotension, and central nervous system depression. As of June 11, there have been 12 cases reported across eight states, with 10 hospitalizations. As the FDA and state poison controls track the illnesses, consumers are warned to avoid Diamond Shruumz products.

• The big picture: As psilocybin legislation makes uneven progress across the U.S. and Canada, the climate is ripe for companies to use the gray market to sell untested and potentially hazardous “mushroom” products to uninformed and unsuspecting consumers. You can keep up to date with the FDA’s investigation here. Stay safe, shroomers. 👉 Click here to keep reading.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Fungi give robots a living skin

Real-life Terminator 🤖Our sense of touch is critical to the human experience, from detecting heat or air movement to feeling the embrace of a loved one. Researchers have long searched for ways to equip robots with this sensory capability. Thanks to the mycelial root systems in fungi, the world’s first “fungal skin for robots” has arrived.

• The backstory: Mycelium networks exhibit electrical activity that changes in response to external stimuli like light and touch — similar to how we process sensory information. Researchers Antoni Gandia and Andrew Adamatzky from the University of West England hypothesized that mycelium-based skin could help robots harness fungal electric activity for efficient sensory feedback.

• What happened: Gandia and Adamatzky covered a scale model of the Terminator robot with nutrient-rich agar. Mycelium colonized the fertile material, forming a “skin” around the robot. The researchers subjected the robot to external stimuli and found it could process and respond to sensory information.

• The big picture: Fungal skin might one day revolutionize robot design by equipping robots with the sensory information necessary to complete delicate tasks. More immediately, merging biology and robotics brings deeper philosophical and ethical questions about the line between life and machines. 👉 Click here to keep reading.

FORAGED FINDS

👀 What to read

Psychedelics vs. anorexia? “It gave me a glimpse into an ability to love myself.”

✈ Where to stay

Rochester, NY’s famous mushroom pod house is back on the rental market.

🔍 What to check out

Minnesota’s mushroom fans are turning foraging hobbies into tasty careers.

FUNGUS OF THE WEEK

Termitomyces microcarpus

Termite shrooms: Found in Asia and Africa, Termitomyces microcarpus is an edible fungus that grows alongside termite nests and bamboo stumps. Rich in antioxidants and amino acids, these mushrooms are considered by Indigenous peoples to be the most delicious mushrooms for soups. Their crisp and tender texture makes these mushrooms difficult to transport or store.

QUESTION OF THE DAY

If you made it this far, we’d love to know your experience with foraging.

Last week, we asked whether or not you think psilocybin should be legalized. 73% of Shroomers said “Yes,” no strings attached. 14% said “Yes, but legal psilocybin therapy only.” 9% said “Yes, but decriminalization only.” 4% said “No."

SPREAD THE SPORES

Is shroomer adding some magic to your inbox? We’re so glad! If you love what you’re reading, please spread the spores and forward this email to someone who you think would dig shroomer just as much as you do. Mush appreciated!