Functional Mushroom Supplement Contains So Many Adaptogens It Has Adapted Into a Different Product

A popular functional mushroom supplement has undergone so many reformulations — each adding additional adaptogenic compounds — that its current formulation bears no biochemical resemblance to its original version and has been classified by the FDA as 'a different product that happens to be in the same bottle.' BrainForest Ultra, which launched in 2022 as a lion's mane and chaga blend marketed for cognitive focus, now contains 34 adaptogenic ingredients including reishi, cordyceps, ashwagandha, rhodiola, maca, tulsi, schisandra, astragalus, eleuthero, mucuna pruriens, and what the label describes as 'four mushrooms we can't identify but that tested well in focus groups.' 'Each adaptogen was added in response to customer feedback,' said founder Mycelo Sporeborn. 'People wanted focus, so we added lion's mane. Then they wanted energy, so we added cordyceps. Then they wanted calm energy, so we added reishi to counteract the cordyceps. Then they wanted the reishi not to make them sleepy, so we added rhodiola. At a certain point the capsule became self-balancing.' The result, according to independent testing by ConsumerLab, is a capsule in which the adaptogenic ingredients 'are present in quantities too small to produce any individual effect' but which collectively create what one biochemist called 'a homeopathic Voltron — each ingredient is too dilute to matter, but there are so many of them that the consumer feels like something should be happening.' Customer reviews are uniformly positive but mutually contradictory. Users report 'incredible focus,' 'deep relaxation,' 'sustained energy,' 'improved sleep,' and 'a sense that something is different but I can't identify what.' Sporeborn is currently developing a version with 50 adaptogens, which he says will 'adapt to your adaptation to the adaptogens,' a concept his regulatory attorney has asked him to stop describing publicly.