Skincare is self-care
S chaper initially fell in love with fungi through non-psychedelic functional mushrooms while searching far and wide for a gut health solution that didn't seem to be available through Western medicine. Originally, she used powder mushroom extracts to supplement her diet and was immediately blown away by how impactful functional mushrooms were to her health. She quickly points out that functional mushrooms are not part of some new-age health trend but have been used for thousands of years in Eastern medicine as a remedy for various ailments. As SuperMush states on their website, "Cavemen didn't take supplements, but they did consume mushrooms. Our hormones, our nervous system, and our immune system relied on the health
benefits of fungi for 20,000 years during some of the most vital periods of our development." Soon, Schaper began a deep dive into the history of mushrooms and became a student of the many benefits of both functional and psychedelic mushrooms. The SuperMush team, including Schaper's co-founder Brian Friedman, has positioned itself as a mental wellness lifestyle brand, using the power and magic of (legal) mushrooms to create highly potent supplements. The SuperMush branding oozes with inspiration from the 1960s and '70s, when colors and love flowed freely, creating a welcoming and inclusive message for any and all who care to dabble in self-betterment through fungi. Schaper states, "Mental health is the
biggest problem that the world is facing by far…We're so not in tune with nature in our fast-paced, modern lives. Functional mushrooms are one of the things you can do to put your brain and body back into balance." Schaper calls attention to the fact that functional mushrooms have been part of the human diet for millennia. They've only recently been removed from modern diets, and we're paying the price for it. Experts identify six main functional mushrooms that have proven to have significant benefits for both mental and physical health: reishi, lion's mane, cordyceps, turkey tail, chaga, and shiitake. Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) is known as the mushroom of immortality and has been used across Asia for its immune support benefits. In 2012, a study published in
282
283
Powered by FlippingBook