Shruumz is a functional chocolate and candy brand. The chocolate bars are branded like psychedelics: “Each 1.6 ounce bar includes 15, trippy little squares for a little far out fun.”
But does Shruumz contain compounds that can promote psychedelic effects? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? What is “microdosing” anyway, and is it legit? And how do real users describe the effects of Shruumz chocolate?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we review the ingredients in Shruumz chocolate and the brand's lab testing results to give our take on whether or not it's likely to have a psychedelic effect.
We’ll also highlight several ingredients we consider unhealthy, feature unsponsored customer reviews and document how expensive this brand is.
Shruumz Failed Its Own Testing
When we initially published this article, the lab testing published by Shruumz proved that some of the label claims were false.
The image above was sourced from the test result document for Shroomz’s Fruity Cereal chocolate, when Shruumz claimed this product contained cannabidiol (CBD): “filled with primo CBD extract.”
However, there was no tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or CBD present according to the brand's own testing.
The only cannabinoid in this product was cannabichromene (CBC), which is non-psychoactive according to a medical review published in the British Journal of Pharmacology.
Since the initial publication of our article, it appears that Shruumz has removed marketing claims related to CBD and THC from their product pages.
Is Shruumz Unhealthy?
The ingredients shown above were sourced from the product page for Shruumz Fruity Rice Cereal at the time we initially published this article.
It appears that Shruumz has removed the ingredients list from this product page since, which is a consumer safety issue. Consumers deserve to know what's in an edible product before purchasing it.
Sugar and fructose syrup are sweeteners, and we know from decades of medical research that added sugar intake in excess is associated with increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
As we documented in our Nutrisystem reviews article, isolated fructose consumption is shown to cause insulin resistance.
Shruumz also failed to publish the sugar dose on their product page.
Fruity rice cereal is a strange ingredient listing that fails to include the component ingredients.
This appears to refer to a product containing multiple ingredients, but FDA labeling guidelines require companies to individually list every ingredient.
Based on its ingredients, we consider this flavor of Shruumz chocolate to be unhealthy.
Is Shruumz Psychedelic?
Given that Shuumz brands itself as a “microdosing” and “trippy” product, consumers are likely curious if the chocolate bars will cause psychedelic effects.
We do not believe that Shruumz is likely to have any mind-altering effects. As documented in the previous section, there are no psychoactive cannabinoids present in this product.
The only other active ingredients are Lion’s Mane mushroom, Reishi mushroom and Chaga mushroom.
None of these mushrooms are psychoactive and Shruumz fails to even publish their dose at the time of updating this article.
Without dosage information, it’s impossible to determine if an active ingredient is likely to have an effect. While these ingredients are not psychedelic, there are some clinical studies linking these mushrooms to improved cognition.
At the time of updating this article, Shruumz clarifies on their product pages that their products are not psychedelic.
Real People Try Shruumz
A YouTube creator named “Ghxst” reviewed Shruumz and described the taste and the pros and cons overall:
A TikTok creator named Log claims to have had a negative experience using Shruumz:
@logslog This is way too long of a video but please i need answers. I ate the whole bar am i just overdosing on caffeine? #shruumz #help #fyp ♬ original sound - Log
Does “Microdosing” Work?
The Shruumz site markets their products for “microdosing” but we would disagree with this description and consider it unscientific.
Microdosing refers to taking sub-clinical (small) doses of psychedelic compounds which may in some cases boost creativity and positively impact brain function.
You can microdose magic mushrooms or ketamine (we’re not recommending doing so, just giving examples of the types of compounds that the practice of microdosing refers to).
We can't find any clinical evidence to support "microdosing" non-psychoactive compounds like chocolate, nor does the description make logical sense. It would be like trying to “microdose” a banana or a a B-vitamin complex.
A WIRED video explains microdosing more in-depth and whether it can make you smarter:
Incredibly High Prices
Shruumz chocolate costs an absurd $25 per bar, or $229 for a pack of 10.
Given that the products do not contain an effective dose of any psychoactive compounds, we consider them to be in the same category as regular chocolate bars, and thus we consider them significantly overpriced.
Even luxury, organic chocolate bars typically don’t cost much over $5.
We’ve never come across a chocolate bar costing nearly this much and would consider this another reason to avoid the Shruumz brand.
Shruumz Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Shruumz chocolate in our opinion:
Pros:
- Brand removed CBD and THC claims since our initial review
Cons:
- "Microdosing" chocolate means nothing
- Currently no ingredient list on some product pages
- We don't understand brand value proposition
- Up to 5x as expensive as luxury chocolate brands
- Contains refined sugar
- Contains "fruity rice cereal" as an ingredient
