More Than a Topping: The Fungi Revolution

From your plate to your protein powder to your packaging — fungi are everywhere, and most people haven’t noticed yet.

A few years ago, if someone said the word “mushroom,” you probably pictured two things:

1. A slice of something rubbery on a Domino’s pizza
2. That one forest walk where you wondered if the toadstool was poisonous

But suddenly — mushrooms are cool. Really cool.

They’re showing up in your skincare. Your gym buddy’s shaker bottle. The soles of new-age sneakers. There’s mushroom coffee. Mushroom jerky. Mushroom leather. People microdosing for mental health. Fashion brands growing bags out of mycelium.

It’s not just you. It’s a thing.

So, what’s going on?

In short: mushrooms are having a moment — but not for the first time.

They’ve been used for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, Siberian shamanism, and folk kitchens everywhere from Oaxaca to Osaka. But what’s different now is that science has finally caught up to the folklore.

Mushrooms like Lion’s Mane, Reishi, and Cordyceps have been studied for their effects on the nervous system, immunity, and even oxygen uptake. Meanwhile, mycelium (the root-like networks fungi use to grow) is being turned into packaging, textiles, insulation, and even bricks.

In other words — we’re not just eating mushrooms anymore. We’re building with them, healing with them, and rethinking how they fit into our daily lives.

The mushroom people saw this coming

There’s a global network of chefs, scientists, farmers, and weirdly joyful enthusiasts who’ve been championing fungi long before it went mainstream.

• Paul Stamets, mycologist and mushroom evangelist, whose TED Talk helped launch a thousand grow kits

• Merlin Sheldrake, author of Entangled Life, who made fungi poetic, philosophical, and somehow... sexy

• Stella McCartney, who debuted a handbag made from mushroom leather on the Paris runway

• Ecovative and MycoWorks, companies turning mycelium into sustainable packaging and designer-grade materials

• And a rising wave of farmers and micro-cultivators (especially in India), growing gourmet species like pink oyster and lion’s mane in stacked rooms and backyard labs

They’re not just selling mushrooms. They’re reshaping what we think living systems can do.

So… is this a trend?

Nope. It’s a return.

Mushrooms aren’t new. We’re just finally paying attention. In a world burned out by extractive systems, fungi offer something else entirely — partnership, regeneration, and quiet intelligence.

And whether you're here for the adaptogens, the recipes, the compostable everything, or just a bit of curiosity — you’re in good company.

Curious to dig deeper?
These are some of the voices, books, and breakthroughs that helped shape the global fungi movement. Whether you're science-minded or just myco-curious, they're well worth the read.

• Entangled Life – Merlin Sheldrake

• Mycelium Running – Paul Stamets

• Scientific American (2022): "The Future Is Fungal"

• Vogue (2021): "The Rise of Mushroom-Based Fashion"

• PubMed Central: Search “Hericium erinaceus NGF” or “Ganoderma immune response”