In Conversation with Milana Abensperg und Traun, Founder of Funga

1. Why did you create Funga and what is its mission?

I started Funga three years ago while living in Mexico City, in response to the growing mental health crisis. It is an educational online platform centered around psychedelics and wellbeing. It was a space born from a desire to synthesize the overwhelming amount of information out there while being deeply inspired by how Mexico relates to alternative modes of healing. Nature, plants and particularly mushrooms are so beautifully woven into the culture and that is what inspired me to build a community of those interested in these topics, serving as a bridge to connect us all.

Beyond exploring the many uses and benefits of these powerful medicines, Funga celebrates the rich cultural influence of psychedelics. We highlight art, film, design, music and architecture as part of our mission to both inform and inspire.

At its heart, Funga is about destigmatizing alternative healing practices, breaking down barriers and inspiring a return to nature. My core belief and the message at the center of Funga, is that everything is within. It’s a truth I feel deeply passionate about sharing.

2. How do you personally define wellbeing?

For me, wellbeing starts with checking in with myself every day through movement and mindfulness, mainly Transcendental Meditation. These are my non-negotiables, the practices that bring me back to my center. Once that foundation is set, everything else flows more easily: eating well, spending time in nature and surrounding myself with people who uplift me.

Psychedelics have also played a meaningful role in my wellbeing over the last decade. In moments of uncertainty or big decisions, they’ve been powerful tools for aligning with myself and clarifying the way forward. Whether it’s mescaline, LSD, or mushrooms, the core teachings are always the same, only the tone changes. This is because the wisdom doesn’t come from somewhere outside of you, it’s knowledge you already hold, brought into conscious awareness.

Lasting behavioural changes and true transformation, though, require disciplined integration work. And when you begin accessing non-ordinary states of consciousness naturally, without external inputs, that’s where the real magic lies.

3. Why mushroom chocolate, and why now for Funga?

The Funga Chocos Feel The Groove bar is an all-natural blend of cacao, cordyceps, and kanna - developed over the past year in collaboration with a herbologist. We’ve reimagined the chocolate bar: each square delivers mind- and mood-boosting benefits, uniting the power of plants, the pleasure of chocolate and the ritual of mindful indulgence. It’s designed to lift the spirit, open the heart and reconnect people with themselves and each other.

More than just chocolate, it’s a moment of intention - a way to move through the day or night with energy, vitality, connection and an elevated mood. The star ingredient, KANNA - sometimes called “Nature’s MDMA” - is a legal succulent used for centuries by the Indigenous Khoisan peoples of South Africa to cultivate a calm, joyful flow state. It’s a plant that has transformed my life and my way of socializing. Funga will be the first to bring kanna to the UK market in chocolate form, though it’s already making waves in the U.S.

With Funga Chocos, the goal is to spark curiosity, inspire conversation and raise awareness about the powerful role mushrooms and plants can play in our health and daily lives. In a time when technology dominates our attention, it’s never been more important to guide people back to nature and the wisdom it offers for collective wellbeing. Personally, I love that these chocos offer a groovy, elevated state without the downside of a hangover, perfect for those rethinking their relationship with alcohol and seeking cleaner, healthier highs. The official launch is September 2025.

4. How can plant medicine help shift mainstream narratives?

Psychedelics have a remarkable way of helping you rewrite the story you tell yourself. They strip away the mask, quiet the ego and make space for perspectives that can ripple into every part of life.

They also awaken a deep sense of oneness with people, with nature and with life itself. In reminding us we are part of the natural world, they often inspire greater care for the planet. Learning from their Indigenous roots offers profound lessons in what truly matters, inviting us to step away from the extractive, consumer-driven world and return to presence, connection and community.

What makes psychedelics so powerful is that they don’t just mask symptoms, but that they can reach the root of trauma by bringing old wounds and beliefs to the surface, where they can be transformed and released. They can catalyze profound change and offer new ways of approaching grief and mortality, reframing death as a transition rather than an ending. This holds enormous promise for compassionate, end-of-life care - something that touches us all.

Of course, psychedelics are not for everyone, nor are they a silver bullet. But for many, they can open a door and are a beautiful reminder that healing is possible, connection is real and that exploring consciousness, when approached with care and preparation, is both a birthright and one of the most profoundly human things we can do.