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There Are Gummies to Treat Everything These Days. Do They Work?

Tasty chewables are booming, promising to treat everything from brain fog to PMS. But some experts say that deliciousness can come with an extra dose of hype.

(Top row) Sunday Scaries CBD gummies for calm, Olly probiotic and prebiotic gummies for digestion, and Trywell hair, skin, and nails supplement; (second row) Vegamour Gro biotin gummies for hair, Olly Extra Strength Elderberry for immunity, and Olly Swift Energy gummies; (third row) Olly metabolism gummy rings, Trywell omega 3 and DHA supplement for heart health, and Trywell Daily Immunity Elderberry; (fourth row) Sagely Naturals Calm & Centered CBD gummies, Vegamour Gro + Advanced gummies for hair, and Pink Stork melatonin gummies for sleep.

(Top row) Sunday Scaries CBD gummies for calm, Olly probiotic and prebiotic gummies for digestion, and Trywell hair, skin, and nails supplement; (second row) Vegamour Gro biotin gummies for hair, Olly Extra Strength Elderberry for immunity, and Olly Swift Energy gummies; (third row) Olly metabolism gummy rings, Trywell omega 3 and DHA supplement for heart health, and Trywell Daily Immunity Elderberry; (fourth row) Sagely Naturals Calm & Centered CBD gummies, Vegamour Gro + Advanced gummies for hair, and Pink Stork melatonin gummies for sleep.

Photographer: Wenting Gu
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Cousins Jake Mellman and Stephanie Moyal are on a mission to mainstream mushrooms (not the psychedelic kind) by making them sweet and chewable. The idea for their company, Troop, was conceived during the early days of Covid-19: After Mellman shattered his leg in a ski accident, Moyal was furloughed from her hotel job and the two moved in with his parents. “Stephanie had already been taking mushroom supplements, and I had not been super familiar, but I started to learn and wanted to take them,” Mellman explains. He was interested in their reported properties of enhancing energy, increasing mental clarity, boosting the immune system, and helping regulate stress response. But, he says, “I was taking so many pills from my injury that I just did not want to take any more.”

While recovering he figured others were probably ready to ditch their pills as well—so the pair decided to try gummifying mushrooms to make them “approachable and relatable.”