People who have eaten supposedly mushroom-infused chocolate bars from the brand Diamond Shruumz are reportedly getting sick, with some even requiring hospitalization.
The Food and Drug Administration and the Arizona Poison Control Centers are warning that consumers have reported seizures and other health issues after eating Diamond Shruumz's so-called "microdosing" nootropic chocolate bars.
As the FDA notes in its press release, at least eight people in the states of Arizona, Indiana, Nevada, and Pennsylvania have fallen ill after eating Diamond Shruumz's chocolate bars, which contain the company's blend of mushroom extracts (though none of them are actually psychedelic, but more on that later.) Of those eight who have reported serious illness with the federal agency, six have been hospitalized.
"People who became ill after eating Diamond Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars reported a variety of severe symptoms including seizures, central nervous system depression (loss of consciousness, confusion, sleepiness), agitation, abnormal heart rates, hyper/hypotension, nausea, and vomiting," the FDA explained in its foodborne illness outbreak report.
Diamond Shruumz seems pretty sketchy. Despite using the term "microdosing" and wavy psychedelic letting in its marketing, its chocolates and gummies don't actually contain the psychoactive compound psilocybin, which the active ingredient in mushroom species like Psilocybe cubensis that are commonly known as "magic mushrooms" or "shrooms."
Instead, the fine print claims that its products contain "adaptogens," a dubious moniker for an even more vague class of supplements known as "nootropics" that are supposed to enhance cognitive functioning but may just be snake oil.
Instead, as an Instagram FAQ explains, Diamond Shruumz's products include Reishi and Lion's Mane mushrooms — foodstuffs you can find at any reputable farmer's market — and other herbal supplements like Kava and Ashwagandha.
In a statement released through the local Banner Health system, Arizona's poison control pointed out that although the brand claims that its products "contain only natural ingredients and no scheduled drugs, there is clearly something toxic occurring" — and that it may be happening in more states than the FDA is letting on, too.
"We’ve seen the same phenomenon of people eating the chocolate bar then seizing, losing consciousness, and having to be intubated," Steve Dudley, the head of Arizona's Poison and Drug Information Center, said in the statement. "So far, we’re aware of similar cases in Nebraska, Utah, and Indiana, and we’re working with the FDA to hopefully prevent anyone else from becoming ill."
It remains unclear whether it was those extracts or something else in the supposedly brain-enhancing candy bars that are making people sick, but given how many people have fallen ill, it doesn't really seem worth the risk to eat the fake shroom chocolates that don't even have actual psychedelics them.
More on actual shrooms: Therapists Warn That Taking Magic Mushrooms for Treatment Can Lead to Unwanted Romantic Feelings
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