Mushrooms
Mushrooms are food, traditional remedies, supplement ingredients, and, in a few cases, psychoactive or poisonous. This section helps you tell them apart: which mushroom is which, what research has and has not shown in people, how to read a supplement label, how to eat them, and how to stay safe.
Each mushroom has one guide. We keep tradition, laboratory findings and human studies separate, and we link a page only when it has real, sourced content.
Explore mushrooms
-
Functional & Traditionally Used Mushrooms
Mushrooms used in traditional medicine or sold as supplements.
- Lion's Mane
- Reishi
- Cordyceps
- Turkey Tail
- Chaga
- Maitake
- Shiitake
- Tremella
- Agaricus subrufescens (Agaricus blazei)
-
Edible & Culinary Mushrooms
Mushrooms eaten as food.
- Oyster
- King Oyster
- Button, Cremini & Portobello
- Enoki
- Wood Ear
- Porcini
- Chanterelle
- Morel
- Shiitake
-
Psychedelic & Other Psychoactive Mushrooms
Psilocybin and Amanita mushrooms. These are different groups.
- Psilocybin mushrooms: overview
- Psilocybe species directory
- Psilocybin truffles (sclerotia)
- Amanita muscaria (fly agaric)
- Amanita pantherina (panther cap)
Mushrooms by Wellness Goal
These pages ask what the research shows for each goal. They do not promise benefits, and different mushrooms do not share the same evidence.
- Focus & Memory
- Stress & Emotional Wellbeing
- Sleep & Relaxation
- Energy & Exercise Performance
- Immune Function
- Gut & Digestive Health
- Skin Health
- Healthy Aging
Mushroom Supplements & Product Forms
What each product format means and what its label can and cannot tell you. A format alone does not make a product work.
- Capsules & Tablets
- Mushroom Powders
- Mushroom Extracts
- Liquid Extracts & Tinctures
- Mushroom Teas
- Mushroom Coffee & Drinks
- Gummies
- Single-Mushroom Products vs. Blends
Mushroom Safety & Interactions
- Supplements can cause side effects and can interact with medicines.
- Never decide a wild mushroom is safe from a photo, a description or an app.
- Ask a pharmacist or clinician first if you take medicine, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are having surgery.
- In the US, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 after any mushroom exposure. Call 911 if someone collapses, has a seizure, has trouble breathing or cannot be woken.
- Side Effects & Allergies
- Medication Interactions
- Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
- Children & Mushroom Supplements
- Considerations for Existing Health Conditions
- Contamination, Adulteration & Mislabeling
- Wild Mushroom Identification & Poisoning
- When to Seek Medical Help
Understanding Mushroom Ingredients
Technical label terms in plain language. Lab mechanisms are not the same as benefits shown in people.
- Fruiting Body vs. Mycelium
- Mycelium Grown on Grain
- Beta-Glucans vs. Total Polysaccharides
- Hericenones & Erinacines
- Triterpenes
- Cordycepin
- Extraction Methods
- Extract Ratios & Standardization
- How to Read a Mushroom Supplement Label
- Quality Testing & Certificates of Analysis
Food & Preparation
Nutrition, cooking, storage and food safety for edible mushrooms.
- Mushroom Nutrition
- Fresh vs. Dried Mushrooms
- Cooking with Mushrooms
- Preparing Culinary Mushroom Teas
- Storage & Food Safety
- Simple Mushroom Recipes
- Food Portions vs. Supplement Doses
Comparisons & Choosing Products
Neutral comparisons and a checklist for comparing products. No rankings.
- Lion's Mane vs. Reishi
- Lion's Mane vs. Cordyceps
- Reishi vs. Chaga
- Turkey Tail vs. Reishi
- Powder vs. Extract
- Capsules vs. Liquid Extracts
- Single Species vs. Mushroom Blends
- How to Compare Mushroom Supplements
Mushroom Research & Evidence
Human studies, animal and lab research, and how to judge a health claim. 11 human studies listed so far.
- Human Clinical Studies
- Research by Mushroom
- Research by Wellness Goal
- Human Evidence vs. Animal & Laboratory Research
- Traditional Uses vs. Clinically Supported Uses
- Research Limitations & Unanswered Questions
- How to Evaluate a Mushroom Health Claim
Featured guides
Our first species guides are being written and reviewed. We publish a guide only when it is sourced and ready.
Frequently asked questions
What are functional mushrooms?
"Functional mushrooms" is a common consumer and marketing term for mushrooms people use for health reasons. It describes how they are used, not whether they work. We keep each mushroom's evidence in its own guide.
Are psilocybin mushrooms and Amanita mushrooms the same?
No. Psilocybin mushrooms contain psilocybin and psilocin. [1] Amanita muscaria and Amanita pantherina contain ibotenic acid and muscimol and cause a different kind of poisoning. [2][3] See the directory.
Can I identify wild mushrooms from a photo or app?
No. Identification apps were not reliable enough to rule out poisonous mushrooms in a study of 78 specimens, and Penn State Extension notes that cooking or drying does not destroy the toxins. [4][5] See safety.
Are mushroom supplements approved by the FDA?
No. In the US the FDA does not approve dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness before they are sold. [6]
Is lion's mane psychedelic?
No. Lion's mane is not a psilocybin mushroom, and psilocybin is not among the compounds Memorial Sloan Kettering lists for it. [7]
Is a mushroom supplement the same as eating mushrooms?
No. Supplements are concentrated, and trials use grams of powder or extract. People who eat lion's mane as food typically eat the fruiting body in portions of fresh mushroom. [8]
References
- Pellegrini M, Rotolo MC, Marchei E, et al. Magic truffles or Philosopher's stones: a legal way to sell psilocybin? Drug Test Anal. 2013. PubMed 22887928.
- Michelot D, Melendez-Howell LM. Amanita muscaria: chemistry, biology, toxicology, and ethnomycology. Mycol Res. 2003. PubMed 12747324.
- Moss MJ, Hendrickson RG. Toxicity of muscimol and ibotenic acid containing mushrooms reported to a regional poison control center from 2002-2016. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2019. PubMed 30073844.
- Hodgson SE, McKenzie C, May TW, Greene SL. A comparison of the accuracy of mushroom identification applications using digital photographs. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2023. PubMed 36794335.
- Penn State Extension. Preparing and Preserving Mushrooms. Updated November 22, 2024.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Information for Consumers on Using Dietary Supplements.
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Lion's Mane Mushroom: Purported Benefits, Side Effects & More.
- Surendran G, Saye J, Binti Mohd Jalil S, et al. Acute effects of a standardised extract of Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane mushroom) on cognition and mood in healthy younger adults. Front Nutr. 2025. PubMed 40276537.
Content last updated . This section has not been medically reviewed.