- The FDA is issuing a warning about an ongoing investigation of Diamond Shruumz brand mushroom chocolates and candies.
- The products have been linked to 10 reported hospitalizations due to severe symptoms including seizures and loss of consciousness.
- Consumers are urged not to eat the products and immediately discard them.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning for Diamond Shruumz brand products, which are marketed as “microdose chocolate” infused with a proprietary blend of mushrooms. Consumers are urged not to eat the products and immediately discard them.
There have been 12 reported illnesses associated with the products, the majority of them requiring hospitalization for serious symptoms including seizures, loss of consciousness, vomiting, and abnormal heart rate.
The FDA and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in conjunction with America’s Poison Centers, are currently investigating the Diamond Shruumz products, which include chocolates, gummies, and other confections. However, they say they still haven’t determined the causes of the illnesses.
Healthline contacted Diamond Shruumz regarding the FDA investigation but did not receive a response.
Mushroom-infused chocolates cause loss of consciousness
At the beginning of June, poison centers across the United States started receiving calls from individuals who consumed various Diamond Shruumz products, which are available nationwide. States reporting illnesses include Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, and more. The majority of cases, four of the 12, occurred in Arizona.
Steven Dudley, PharmD, DABAT, Director of the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, has been working closely with local area hospitals, the FDA, and CDC throughout the investigation.
“We were aware of four patients over the weekend of June 1 who were all exposed to these Diamond Shruumz products… Any time you get four of anything, you raise the alarm and ask: is there something bigger going on here?” he told Healthline.
Symptoms involving the products have been severe, with 10 out of 12 of them requiring hospitalization.
The most common symptoms associated with the Diamond Shruumz products are:
- Seizures
- Central nervous system depression (loss of consciousness, confusion)
- Agitation
- Abnormal heart rates
- Hyper- and hypotension
- Nausea
- Vomiting
“The most concerning of these are the seizures and the loss of consciousness. In some of these patients, you have a severe decrease in your consciousness, so the next question is, can you be so severely sedated that your breathing is affected?” said Dudley.
There have been no deaths associated with the products at this time. Dudley also notes that the majority of illnesses have been “quick on, quick off” so the illness is usually not long-lasting. Despite severe symptoms, patients have recovered quickly following medical intervention.
What are “microdose chocolates”?
Diamond Shruumz markets their products as “the leading form of microdosing.” Microdosing refers to the practice of small amounts of psychedelic drugs, including psilocybin mushrooms and MDMA for therapeutic benefit. Despite using the term, Diamond Shruumz products don’t actually contain psilocybin or other scheduled drugs.
The products are instead made with a “proprietary blend of nootropic and functional mushrooms,” including lion’s mane, reishi, and chaga. However, there can be other ingredients present as well, since the full list of ingredients is not disclosed on their website. Proprietary blend is a designation allowed under the FDA that allows the producers of supplements to protect their formulas.
“Typically, when we talk about microdosing, especially with mushrooms, we’re thinking more of psilocybin-containing or other hallucinogenic mushrooms. But that’s what’s so peculiar about this brand. They are marketing this microdosing type of strategy, yet they do not contain any of the psilocybin or any other type of the hallucinogenic mushrooms,” Joseph Lambson, PharmD, DABAT, Director of the New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center, and an Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, told Healthline.
Diamond Shruumz even makes the lab testing of their products freely available on their website to show that they do not contain illicit psychoactive drugs nor other mycotoxins, including those of the deadly amanita muscaria.
Despite not containing psychedelic drugs, the products are clearly intended to convey to potential consumers that they will have “an experience.”
The FDA warns that the products will likely appeal to children and teenagers.
Why are people getting sick?
It’s unclear at this time why consumers of Diamond Shruumz products are getting sick.
“Hopefully we will have some answers fairly soon,” said Dudley. “We’re working in coordination with the federal agencies to get these products tested.”
Both experts contacted by Healthline said that it is too early to tell if this is a product contamination issue or if a component of the proprietary formula is to blame.
“We just don’t know what’s inside of these products currently,” said Lambson.
What should you do if you’ve bought Diamond Shruumz products?
“At this point in time, the recommendation is to stay away from these products. Please not use these products because there’s clearly something going on here,” said Dudley.
The FDA warning encourages consumers to:
- Not consume any of the affected products
- Discard any products around the home
- Look after children and teenagers to ensure these products are not being consumed
“If anyone is having any symptoms or has any questions or concerns about one of the Diamond Shruumz products, they can call their local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. This is applicable to healthcare professionals as well, both to receive guidance on how to manage these patients, but also to help with reporting purposes to support the FDA’s current investigation,” said Lambson.
The bottom line
A variety of Diamond Shruumz mushroom-infused confections, including chocolates and gummies, have been reportedly associated with severe effects including seizure and loss of consciousness.
The FDA is urging consumers not to eat these products and to immediately discard them.
If you have consumed one of these products and are feeling ill, you should contact the poison control system at 1-800-222-1222 or a healthcare provider.
