About MN Nice Ethnobotanicals

I’ve always been fascinated with plant teachers. When I was younger, 13-14, I had this strange draw to the Fly Agaric (Amanita Muscaria) mushroom. Something told me that they would play a large role in my life. As I developed through the years and began experimenting more with ethnobotanicals, this feeling only grew stronger. As I was building a CBD business in 2019, I was also going through a grueling benzodiazepine withdrawal. In 2020 I found some Amanita Muscaria var. Guessowii growing at my parents’ house. There was an extremely strong allure, and I decided to pick them and begin researching. That’s when I found Amanita Dreamer. Nothing has been the same since then. Amanita Muscaria changed my life, and I will forever be grateful to the mushroom and Amanita Dreamer for supplying me with the necessary information to further this curiosity.

I offer other ethnobotanical plants that have been of keen interest to me, and I hope to always be expanding my product line to offer you the most intriguing and beneficial ethnobotanicals Gaia has to offer.

I hope to share with you a little MN Nice, and to help you in your journey of reconnection and self-discovery.

-Christian Rasmussen

More about me

I went to college for physics, with the goal of becoming a quantum physicist. After a year of college, I realized the rigidity of the school system wasn't something that I was interested in, and I decided to pursue a career in business. My goal has always been to have the largest positive impact that I can on the world, and I figured that business, instead of quantum mechanics, might provide me with more of an opportunity to have the impact I wanted. I started off in Real Estate when I turned 21, flipping houses, my business partner and I doing all the work ourselves. We built up a rental portfolio over a few years at which point I decided to get my Real Estate License and begin helping investors build their Real Estate portfolios. I enjoyed it but there was something missing. In 2017 I stepped out of Real Estate and took a couple years to focus on myself and figure out what I wanted to do next, which led me to get off of benzodiazepines and to finding Amanita Muscaria. 

I have a very strong spiritual practice and spend a lot of time meditating and reading. I like to spend as much time outside as I possibly can, and enjoy hiking, camping, canoeing, climbing, you name it.

I have played music my whole life. I started with guitar and started a few punk bands in the twin cities from 16-21. At 21 I joined a metal band, playing drums, who I was for 10 years. I currently play a ton of piano and continue to write music, but much calmer music ;) 

When I was 19, I moved to Portland OR for a little while with my closest friend. We spent our times hiking mountains and playing music with someone we had met our 2nd day there at a punk show. This individual's Dad was a paranoid schizophrenic, with the most severe symptoms I've ever known. One day, he came up to me, with his eyes wide and his hair jetting off in all directions in an unkempt frenzy. He had a book in his hand, The Holographic Universe: by Michael Talbot, and with an intensity I'll never forget, he told me 'They told me you need to have this.' I didn't realize how much that moment would impact me at the time, but a few weeks later, on the top of a mountain I had just climbed, staring at the sun through the clouds (which I could actually look at without it hurting my eyes), I had an epiphany that I had gotten everything I needed out of Portland and it was time to come home to Minnesota. It wasn't until a couple months later that I read the book and realized the entire reason I needed to go to Oregon was that it was the shortest, most concise path for me to take to get this book (and my cat, Spazz). That book changed the trajectory of my entire life, and I recommend anyone that is interested in spirituality, the nature of the universe, or the human potential to read it. 

I have many more stories that I'd like to share, and I'll continue throwing stories up here from time to time. But for now, I just really am so grateful, honored, and humbled to be where I am at and to be able to provide such beautiful, beneficial medicines to you all. You all mean so much to me and I really am indebted to you for being part of my life. 

With much love, and infinite gratitude,
Christian Rasmussen

CMO - Gabriel Hardie

As the Chief Marketing Officer at Minnesota Nice Ethnobotanicals, I bring my passion for psychoactive substances and plant medicines to the forefront of our mission. My journey began in high school with a public speaking assignment that sparked my interest in cannabis legalization. That exhilaration from educating others about the potential benefits of natural substances led me to create "The Launchpad," a YouTube channel and podcast where I explore psychedelic and esoteric subjects.

My collaboration with Christian began after he discovered my content online and joined me on The Launchpad Podcast. Soon after, he invited me to help him spread the knowledge and benefits of Amanita Muscaria to as many people as possible. This role has given me a unique opportunity to blend my advocacy with my career, striving to make ethically sourced and beneficial plant medicines accessible to more people.

My personal journey took a significant turn at 20 when I faced legal challenges that ultimately reinforced my commitment to responsible advocacy and education in the psychedelic community. After a stint in jail for drug trafficking psilocybin mushrooms, I completed my business degree and intensified my efforts in creating educational content about psychedelics, which has opened up opportunities to legally sell these transformative substances.

Today, I am not only the CMO but also a proud part-owner of Minnesota Nice, where I continue to use my platform to educate and advocate for the responsible use of plant medicines like Amanita Muscaria and Blue Lotus, among others. It’s more than a job—it’s a calling that aligns with my deepest passions and values.

CNO - Erik Casano

Erik Casano is the founder of Aquarian Alchemy, a wellness brand, and a breathwork coach who specializes in lucid dreaming, auto-suggestion, conscious connected breathing and emotional trauma release. He studied under DP Mahesh in Haidakhan, India where he became certified in 5-Element Breathwork.

Erik is also a sound engineer, musician and sound therapist who uses particular frequencies in his recordings to access certain parts of the body in order to release blockages. 

When Erik first discovered that amanita can be used as a sleep aid, Erik began experimenting with different techniques at night to reprogram the subconscious mind in specific ideas using this ancient medicine. He discovered that repetition and binaural audio with amanita seemed to have a profound effect on the subconscious. 

Erik lives in Malibu, California, where he runs a retreat center where he teaches breathwork, ice baths, and concentration for lucid dreaming.