Over 100 illnesses tied to mushroom-infused ‘microdosing’ chocolate bars

The recalled Diamond Shruumz-branded “microdosing” candies have been tied to more than 100 illnesses, federal health officials said.

As of Aug. 2, 113 illnesses across 28 states had been linked to the Shruumz-branded chocolate bars, cones or gummies, which were recalled earlier this summer, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Of the illnesses, there have been 42 hospitalizations and potentially two deaths, the FDA reported.

That’s up from the 39 illnesses, including 23 hospitalizations, that were linked to the products in June.

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The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been investigating the series of illnesses associated with the products alongside America’s Poison Centers and state and local partners.

The FDA is warning consumers not to ingest Diamond Shruumz-branded chocolate bars. (iStock / FDA / iStock)

Prophet Premium Blends initiated the recall for all flavors of Diamond Shruumz-brand Chocolate Bars, Cones, and Gummies on June 27 after discovering that it contained muscimol.

Muscimol is a chemical found in some mushrooms that “could be a potential cause of symptoms consistent with some symptoms observed in individuals who became ill after consuming Diamond Shruumz-brand products,” according to the FDA’s notice.

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People who became ill reported a variety of severe symptoms including seizures, central nervous system depression, agitation, abnormal heart rates, nausea and vomiting, according to the FDA.

In addition to muscimol, samples of the Diamond Shruumz-branded Chocolate Bars also had other compounds, such as acetylpsilocin, psilocin, pregabalin, desmethoxyyangonin, dihydrokavain and kavain.

“Although these compounds individually have known effects when ingested, there is less research on the interactions between these compounds when ingested together,” the FDA said.

The FDA and CDC are currently evaluating these test results to understand the health risks of ingesting these chemical substances so they can determine the appropriate next steps.

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Additional testing for the Diamond Shruumz-branded chocolate bars is ongoing, the FDA said. It will also post results for the cones and gummies as they become available.