Less alcohol, more exploration–that’s the theme for young adults nowadays. Euphoric herbs and legal psychedelics are making their way into the culture, and many are wondering about functional mushroom tinctures. Not magic mushroom strains, but fruiting bodies we eat as food that potentially has health benefits.

I took an intentional combination of Feral Fungi spagyric tinctures to meet a certain end. I set wellness goals that aligned with a mix of four Feral tinctures, and the experience is worth sharing.

Feral Fungi are produced using the spagyric method, a word that means “pertaining to alchemy”. Founder Jason Scott became interested in the theory after a longtime fascination with mushrooms in his home in the Pacific Northwest. Eventually, the two paths intertwined in his studies and these tinctures.

“When the Alchemical perspective came on board, to me, the question arose of how mushrooms fit into that picture both philosophically and practically,” Scott shared with GreenState. “To my surprise, there was no one I could find working with mushrooms through the spagyric method traditionally or modernly.”

What are spagyrics?

The spagyric process is an ancient alchemical method to separate active parts of plants and recombine them in a tincture, essence, or other product. Paracelsus, a Swiss alchemist, philosopher, theologian, and physician, developed the theory. We’d probably call him a thought leader these days.

Salt, mercury, and sulfur are the main constituents that alchemists seek to separate from other matter with the spagyric method. This is accomplished with calcination, dissolution, filtration, and evaporation. The main difference between this method and a long-extraction alcohol tincture is the alchemical element of calcination. This is the process of applying heat to change the form of a base material, which in this case is mushrooms.

Feral Fungi functional mushroom tinctures

Feral Fungi offers a unique product in the realm of functional mushrooms. Grab single mushrooms like Turkey Tail and Cordyceps or multiple mushy blends. These formulations are developed by studying scientific literature, anecdotal feedback, and a decade of observation and curiosity from Scott. The founder and alchemist likes to learn about each mushroom to identify where it shines.

“Each of our formulas carefully balances the scientific research we have on these mushrooms with ways that I have personally seen them work for people,” Scott shared. “I considered herbal energetics (hot, cold, wet, dry) when formulating to make each balanced and put the mushrooms in proportions that would best support the intended use.”

The Feral Fungi website has a quiz front and center so newcomers can figure out where to start. I decided to take the quiz, trying out a shroom regimen suited for areas of wellness I’ve been working on. What happened is pretty intriguing.

Choosing between spagyric mushroom tinctures

At the ripe age of 35, my body isn’t what it used to be. Blame over a decade of playing soccer like a football lineman, years of eating cheese and bread over anything else, or what I’ll refer to as my 20s. There’s some stuff going on. The “stuff” outlined how I planned my mushroom tincture lineup. Here are the goals.

First off, I can’t stomach dairy or meat. I’m not sure if I’m allergic or what; no doctors have been able to give me an answer, but one did say I sounded acidic. What did I hear? One day, you may eat cheese again.

The second issue is with my nerves. Pregnancy gave me wicked carpal tunnel that I still haven’t been able to shake. If I sleep with my hands on my chest or stomach, I wake up with them numb. Lastly, I am always looking to bolster my immune system.

Here’s what happened when I took Feral Fungi tinctures

So my three goals for this were to balance my gut microbiome, have my hands numb less often, and be generally healthy despite having a two-year-old who sometimes licks a glass door to see what will happen. The quiz recommended I take Feral Fungi’s Myco-Digest, Myco-Breathe, Lion’s Mane, and Reishi tinctures.

The first notable difference happened about five days into taking the tinctures daily. I woke up with a full feeling in my hands even though they were on my ribs. Numbing only occurred if I forgot the tinctures for a day, which felt like more anecdotal evidence worth jotting down.

Another thing was my gut health, which hasn’t been great since having a kid in 2021–and truly wasn’t before, either. I call myself a pepperoni-tarian. I don’t eat meat, but if I see pepperonis curled up into little cups, I’m going to eat them.
However, when I do, I get digestive issues on both sides of the coin. About nine days into going Feral, I dared order a pepperoni pizza. I didn’t have stomach cramping or trouble digesting it–it was kind of a miracle.

As for my general immune health, I’m sick as a dog right now. This article is late because I had to take a day off. But I also haven’t taken my tinctures in a few days because I don’t feel good. I get it, that isn’t wise, but we don’t always do what we know is best for ourselves, ok? Anyways, general immune health is that of a toddler mom, but perhaps Feral Fungi can bring some ease to that battle.

On the negative side, the taste is not my favorite. I always take tinctures sublingually and let them sit to absorb. I followed that protocol for these, but it took effort.

Scott recommends that anyone who can tolerate it follow that standard. However, like most tinctures, these can be added to smoothies, juice, water, and other beverages.

Want to try it for yourself? Consult with your physician, though the risk is low for most, according to Scott.

“Most mushrooms have very minimal drug interactions, if any, but it is always important to do your research when starting any new supplement,” he explained. “Mushrooms are known as Superior Herbs in Chinese Medicine, meaning that they are generally safe to take in larger doses over long periods of time.”

Those interested in mushrooms who don’t want to take the leap on tinctures might enjoy other Feral offerings. The brand also crafts delicious mushroom coffee alternatives, infused maple syrup, gummies, or essences which capture more subtle mushroom components compared to tinctures. No matter the product, after taking the time to try several products, they appear to be worth their weight.

Feral Fungi has a unique line of tinctures embodying the worlds of wellness and alchemy in one opaque dropper bottle. The guided quiz experience is the perfect start to finding a combination of products to accomplish a personal goal. For me, it’s to eat burrata. Maybe for you, it’s something else. The only way to know is to go find out and take some for yourself.