Trending Topic! Are "Mushroom Gummies" the New Vitamin Supplement or the Next Health Product Bubble? — What an NYT Reporter Discovered After Eating Them for a Month

Trending Topic! Are "Mushroom Gummies" the New Vitamin Supplement or the Next Health Product Bubble? — What an NYT Reporter Discovered After Eating Them for a Month

1. "Mushrooms" with a Gummy Face Take Over the Shelves

There's something oddly eye-catching in the wellness sections of U.S. stores right now. Bright packaging, candy-like ease of consumption, and slogans that seem to take on life's troubles like "mood, stress, focus, immunity"—these are mushroom (functional mushroom) gummies.


According to a post by NYT, journalist Amy X. Wang tried these types of gummies (including "WonderDay" in context) spreading across U.S. shelves for a month, sometimes consuming 2-3 times the recommended amount.

 
This "try it on yourself" style is well-suited to supplement culture. If there's a tangible effect, it spreads; even if not, the thought that "continuing might bring change" can turn it into a habit. Gummies can fully focus on "ease of continuation" more than capsules or powders.


What's important here is that the word "mushroom" accommodates completely different expectations on the same shelf.
One is the health image as "functional mushrooms" like reishi, chaga, lion's mane, and cordyceps. The other is the association with "magic mushrooms (psychedelic)." As the trend expands, the boundary between these two becomes blurred, amplifying misunderstandings and excessive expectations.


2. What Does WonderDay "Promise"?

Looking at the product description of WonderDay (by Plant People), the design prominently supports "mood, stress, energy, immunity" by combining multiple mushroom extracts.

 
The basic strategy is to capture both health and taste with phrases like "fruity and easy to eat," "zero sugar," and "○ types of functional mushrooms."

However, these products often belong to the category of "dietary supplements" rather than "pharmaceuticals." In the U.S., the responsibility for the safety and labeling of supplements lies primarily with the business operators, and there is no system where the government examines and "approves" efficacy before sale like with pharmaceuticals. The FDA also clearly states that "companies are responsible for ensuring safety and labeling before sale."


In other words, consumers are buying the "expectations" written on the package, while the certainty of the effects is not guaranteed as much as pharmaceuticals.


3. How Strong is the Evidence for "Functional Mushrooms" in the First Place?

The representatives often seen on SNS and advertisements are **Lion's Mane and Cordyceps**.
Research is increasing, but rushing to conclusions can be dangerous.

  • Lion's Mane: A 2023 review suggests potential for cognition and mood, but due to variations in trial scale and design, and lack of double-blind studies, it is considered "still in development."

  • Cordyceps: There is research on exercise performance and fatigue, with some reports showing certain improvements in meta-analyses (depending on subjects and conditions), while other short-term trials show no clear differences.


The realistic issue here is "dosage and formulation." It is repeatedly pointed out by industry insiders and enthusiast communities that gummies, while "tasty," make it difficult to include sufficient amounts of active ingredients.

 
In short, there is often a gap between the potential of the ingredients (research) and the implementation as a product (gummy formulation, content, absorption, continuation).


4. Is "Feeling Better" Real?—Breaking Down the Sensation

The NYT journalist's "1-month experiment" resonates because supplement evaluations often rely on "sensation."
However, sensations are mixed with the following elements.

  1. Expected Effects (Placebo)

  2. Lifestyle Changes (Sleep, Caffeine Intake, Exercise, Stress Factors)

  3. Interaction of Ingredients (If Non-Mushroom Ingredients Are Included)

  4. Simply Replacing Snacks (Satisfying Sweet Cravings)


This breakdown is necessary because in the supplement market, "it worked/didn't work" can easily be misunderstood. Those for whom it worked speak of it as "truth," while those for whom it didn't work call it a "scam." Both can occur simultaneously.


5. Reactions on SNS: Praise, Skepticism, and Concerns About "Safety"

From here, we categorize and introduce reactions based on online user reviews/community posts (summarized as typical expressions rather than definitive statements about specific individuals).


A) "Surprisingly Good" Camp: Expectations for Mood, Stress, "Brain Fog"

In retail review sections, comments like "I felt calmer" and "I feel stronger in stressful situations" can be seen.
Particularly, the narrative that "the foggy feeling during poor health (so-called brain fog) seems to have lightened" spreads easily across supplements in general. While difficult to prove, it is strongly felt as part of the individual's life experience.


B) "Isn't That Just Gummies?" Camp: Doubts About Content and Quality

On the other hand, in mushroom supplement communities, skeptical posts about the gummy form itself are prominent. Criticisms like "it's hard to include sufficient active ingredients" and "tends to be a mass of sweeteners" are made, with some posts strongly advising against purchasing.

 
This group tends to evaluate based on "expert points" like the standards of powders and extracts, the parts of the raw materials (such as fruiting bodies), and the presence of third-party testing, often clashing with the "ease of consumption" valued by the casual group.


C) The Deepest Rooted Concern: "What's Really in 'Mushroom Gummies'?"

This connects directly to the atmosphere of 2026.
A CDC report investigated "nootropic/mushroom" gummies claiming to be derived from A. muscaria (fly agaric) and found Schedule I substances (psilocybin/psilocin) not listed on the label, with cases of health issues leading to medical visits reported.

 
Furthermore, as a research topic, discussions are spreading about finding unlabeled ingredients (like caffeine) or psilocin in so-called "magic mushroom edible products."


The important point is that the products being targeted here are mainly those suggesting "psychedelic effects," and should not be equated with functional mushroom supplements like WonderDay.


Nevertheless, from the consumer's perspective, everything on the shelf becomes "mushroom gummies."


When the sentiment "Are the mushroom gummies sold at gas stations safe?" appears on SNS, even genuinely made products come under suspicion. As the boom grows, the **"credibility of the entire genre"** is questioned.


6. So, What's a Realistic Approach?

Finally, before jumping on or off the trend, establish a basis for judgment.

  • Focus on a Specific Purpose: Products claiming to "work for everything" often can't be verified for anything. Start with one point, like sleep, stress, or concentration.

  • Labeling and Third-Party Testing: If possible, check if there are batch tests and ingredient certificates (COA).

  • Don't Confuse Types of "Mushrooms": Functional mushrooms (health foods) and products suggesting psychedelic effects are different.

  • Record Your Sensations: Briefly note sleep time, caffeine, exercise, and mood, and don't evaluate based only on self-suggestion.

  • Be Cautious if You Have Health Conditions or Are on Medication: The possibility of interactions is not zero. The FDA also issues warnings about supplements in general.


What the NYT's "1-month experiment" symbolizes is, ultimately, the reality that modern wellness is consumed as "editing life" rather than "medicine."


Gummies are the strongest entry point as "easy editing," but the wider the entry, the more it accelerates the mix of good and bad. Behind the sweetness lies the dream of self-optimization, regulatory gaps, and the amplification device of SNS.


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