Do Mushroom Drinks Get You High? A Straight Answer
Do mushroom drinks get you high? The ones made with lion's mane, cordyceps and reishi don't. None of those mushrooms contains psilocybin, the compound behind "magic mushrooms," and they aren't the same species. The question is still a fair one. "Mushroom" on a label now covers mushroom coffee, sparkling cans and, in a few corners of the internet, products made with mushrooms that are a different story entirely.
Here's how to tell them apart, and what to look for on the label.
Why People Ask If Mushroom Drinks Get You High
People ask because, for a lot of shoppers, "mushrooms" in a drink still means psychedelics. The functional mushrooms in most cans and coffee blends have been around far longer than the current trend, but the word on the front of the pack is the same one people associate with a very different experience.
We hear this hesitation from our own customers. One reviewer of our Mango Mimosa flavor put it plainly: "I was a lil scared because it was made with mushrooms but it was really good, tastes like a carbonated mango drink."
Which Mushrooms Are in Functional Mushroom Drinks?
Most functional mushroom drinks use lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus), cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris) and reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), sometimes alongside chaga or turkey tail. None of these is a psilocybin mushroom. Lion's mane is also sold as a cooking mushroom, and reishi has a long history in traditional teas.
Psilocybin comes from a different group. The DEA's psilocybin drug fact sheet says it "comes from certain types of psilocybe mushrooms" (DEA Psilocybin Drug Fact Sheet). Different genus, different compounds, different shelf. Whether a mushroom drink can get you high comes down to which species is in it, and the label tells you that.
The part of the mushroom matters for quality too, though not for this question. We cover that on our fruiting body vs. mycelium page.
Can Any Mushroom Drink Get You High?
A few products can, and they aren't the ones in a grocery cooler. Two kinds of mushroom are behind almost every "mushroom high" story: psilocybin mushrooms and Amanita muscaria, the red-and-white toadstool from storybooks.
Psilocybin. Psilocybin is a Schedule I substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act, according to the DEA (DEA Psilocybin Drug Fact Sheet). A drink that contains it is not a functional mushroom drink with a twist. It's a controlled substance in a can.
Amanita muscaria. This mushroom contains muscimol and ibotenic acid, and it showed up in some edibles sold online before regulators stepped in (NPR, 2024). On December 18, 2024, the FDA said A. muscaria, its extracts and constituents including muscimol and ibotenic acid are "not authorized for use as ingredients in conventional food," and recommended that people avoid foods containing them (FDA, 2024).
So "mushroom" alone tells you nothing. The species does.
Functional Mushrooms vs. Magic Mushrooms vs. Amanita
The fastest way to answer "will this get me high?" is to sort mushroom products by species. Functional mushroom drinks and magic mushrooms share a word, not an ingredient.
| Product type | Mushrooms used | Gets you high? | Legal status (U.S.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional mushroom drinks | Lion's mane, cordyceps, reishi, chaga | No: no psilocybin or muscimol | Sold widely as everyday drinks |
| Mushroom coffee | Same functional mushrooms, plus coffee | No (it does contain caffeine) | Sold widely |
| Psilocybin products | Certain Psilocybe mushrooms | Yes | Schedule I federally (DEA) |
| Amanita muscaria products | Amanita muscaria | Can be intoxicating | FDA: not authorized in conventional food (2024) |
How to Tell What's in a Mushroom Drink
Read the ingredient list, not the front of the can. A reputable mushroom drink names each mushroom it uses, usually by common name and sometimes by Latin name. If you can't tell which species is inside, treat that as your answer.
Four things to check:
- Named species. Lion's mane, cordyceps, reishi, chaga and turkey tail are functional mushrooms. "Proprietary mushroom blend" with no species named tells you nothing.
- Red-flag ingredients. Amanita muscaria, "fly agaric," muscimol, psilocybin or Psilocybe on a label means it isn't a functional mushroom drink.
- Red-flag language. Words like "trip," "microdose" or "euphoric" on the pack are a signal the product is selling something other than a drink.
- The rest of the label. Caffeine source, sugar and calories are where everyday mushroom drinks actually differ from one another.
Where Happie Fungi Fusion Fits
Happie Fungi Fusion is a caffeine-free, alcohol-free sparkling mushroom drink. Every can contains lion's mane, cordyceps and reishi, plus ocean-sourced trace minerals. There's no psilocybin and no Amanita in it, and lion's mane, cordyceps and reishi are listed by name on the can.
Each can is 40 calories with 9g of sugar, and it's vegan, non-GMO and gluten-free. It comes in three flavors: Watermelon, Mango Mimosa and Blue Raspberry. Customers tend to talk about it the way they'd talk about any good soda. One Amazon reviewer wrote, "The mango flavor is light and refreshing, and it's not too sweet."
It's built for the moments when you want something better than a soda in your hand: a lunch can, a 3pm swap, or the drink you hold at the holiday table when you're skipping the wine. Shop Fungi Fusion, or start with our complete guide to functional mushroom drinks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do mushroom drinks get you high?
No, not functional mushroom drinks. Drinks made with lion's mane, cordyceps, reishi or chaga contain no psilocybin, the compound in magic mushrooms. Only products made with psilocybin mushrooms or Amanita muscaria can be intoxicating, and those ingredients should be named on the label.
Is lion's mane a magic mushroom?
No. Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) is a different species from psilocybin mushrooms, which belong to the Psilocybe group. Lion's mane contains no psilocybin and is also sold as a cooking mushroom.
Are mushroom drinks legal?
Functional mushroom drinks made with species like lion's mane, cordyceps and reishi are sold widely in the U.S. Psilocybin is a Schedule I substance under federal law, and in December 2024 the FDA said Amanita muscaria and its constituents are not authorized as ingredients in conventional food.
How can I tell if a mushroom drink contains psilocybin or Amanita?
Check the ingredient list for named species. Psilocybin, Psilocybe, Amanita muscaria, "fly agaric" or muscimol are red flags. A label that hides its mushrooms behind a "proprietary blend" without naming species doesn't give you enough to know.
Does Happie Fungi Fusion contain psilocybin?
No. Happie Fungi Fusion contains lion's mane, cordyceps and reishi, with no psilocybin and no Amanita muscaria. It's a caffeine-free, alcohol-free sparkling drink at 40 calories and 9g of sugar per can.
The Bottom Line
Mushroom drinks made with lion's mane, cordyceps and reishi won't get you high, because they don't contain psilocybin. The mushrooms that can are different species, and they belong on the label where you can see them. Read the ingredient list, and if a can names its mushrooms, you know what you're drinking. Feel Good. Feel Happie.
Pete Olander is the founder and CEO of Happie Fungi Fusion, which he started in 2019 in Wheaton, Illinois. Before Happie he worked as an analyst at J.P. Morgan and First Western Trust Bank, and on product formulation at Nutrition53.
