In this first episode of research notes, we get details on Viraj's first 18 months with Mushroom Heaven.

By Viraj Gandhi

Mushroom Heaven profoundly transformed my mental health, which has been my greatest life struggle. 

In two periods of drastic change during the Summer of 2024 and Fall of 2025, this tonic was an invaluable tool in rising to the occasion of immense challenges and relationship to self. 

In the first 2-3 weeks, my body adapted to the potency. I began with 2 capsules per day, and over two-ish months slowly built my way to 9 per day in 2024 and 14 capsules per day this past Fall. In both experiments I noticed that my mind and body could not process more than 2 capsules at first and that’s a true testament to the potency. 

At first, two capsules felt like nervous system overstimulation. I experienced a heightened awareness that my body struggled to  harness/direct. Energy increased, and though the wave was steady without a spike/crash, I did feel like my anxiety was a little higher. My body and mind were activated, and they both seemed to be adjusting to how to navigate/manage this new energy. 

Once my body and mind adjusted to the initial energetic boost, the journey to 9 capsules a day was smoother than the first two weeks I was taking 2 capsules. I still was experiencing new levels of energy from 4 to 6 to 9 capsules, but there was a reciprocal, grounded calming force that grew in tandem to the heightened awareness and energy. I noticed an increased digestive, an authentically brightened mood, less headaches, and even better sleep / falling asleep faster. 

This second round I decided to go deeper, and have worked my way up to 14 capsules per day. I’m experiencing more motivation, discipline, and a greater willingness to seek the uncomfortable. This is such a drastic shift given where I was in September - incredibly depressed/anxious and having trouble getting out of bed/taking care of myself. I battled a complete loss of interest in things I love, and a perspective that I would never beat my mental illness. I feel like the journey to 14 capsules provided a prismatic lens that allowed me to look at my depression from so many new angles. 

Fast forward four months and I’m sleeping the most regularly I’ve ever slept in my life, waking up with energy that sustains throughout the day/night, and I have a willing, resourced network of non-binary perspective. It helps me navigate the less frequent, but still present negative thought cycles that would repeat endlessly a few months ago.  

I noticed in both loading stages that my nervous system more easily tolerated the MH powder in hot water, which I used in addition to the capsule load to expedite the adjustment stages.

There’s quite a difference in experience when taking the MH blend as a tea vs capsule form. I find that the tea has a more pronounced onset that’s almost immediate. I first notice the mind cooling down as the chatter lessens, and there’s a smooth, rounded, subtle boost to energy that feels more like an enhanced yet broader, more attentive focus. In my experience the capsules have a more subtle build with increased energy being the most obvious effect. There’s a more subtle grounding in the background that allows the heat to build without scatteredness, but while I would describe the tea as calming, I’d describe the capsules as ‘engaging.’ 

The longer-term benefits I experience from this blend are countless, but the most obvious are stable energy, clarity, reduced anxiety/depression,  and less negative thought cycles. All of these accumulate to a general ease in accessing self-love, purpose, and gray thinking vs binary black/white. 

My commitment to self-care is more readily activated and I’m more consistent with exercise, meditation, acupressure, and chanting. There’s less expectation of external relief/escape/intervention with a greater emphasis on experiencing the nuance of each session.   

Family and friends have noticed a bounce and pep to my step that was missing the past few years - especially the last few months of 2025. A friend mentioned there was an easily noticeable pattern of calmer, less overwhelmed/panic thinking. 

Before my challenges of 2025 instigated a return to SSRIs, my journey with Mushroom Heaven in 2024 led to the first period in my adult life where I was not on any mental health medication. This period lasted for approximately 7 months, and after that experience my perspective on how to use SSRIs has shifted. It’s no longer an intended life-long partnership or reliance. I now see it more as a shorter term assistant to cope with severe challenges when my nervous system is completely overloaded by depression. 

Everyone’s journey with mental health is different, so please don’t make any changes to your pharmaceutical regimen without professional medical consultation - I’m just sharing my story :)!

Last thing! It’s been really great being a part of the Mushroom Heaven family. It’s an honor to be a part of a team that is dedicated to investigating the relationship between health and spirituality to ultimately spread the wellness we’ve experienced with the Mushroom Heaven blend! Since Nov 2025, I’ve been helping out with writing and social media efforts - so be sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow our Instagram shenanigans!