Blue lichen

The Kinko structures were mostly transformed into farms, combining hydroponics and traditional compost-based farming depending on the altitude, crop type and season. But inside the very skeleton of the Kinkos are dark, moisture-rich capsules designed to mimic cave conditions of the one and only mountain peak on the continent, the Karakut. These capsules contain colonies of blue lichen, an endemic species found in high altitude caves of Karakut. This modest little symbiotic colony covers the cave floors like velvet, growing on plant debris carried inside by the strong mountain winds. First settlers found shelters in those caves and soon discovered that eating this modest looking lichen has very peculiar effects. Their cognitive skills increased, senses sharpened and fatigue disappeared. This was nothing like the synthetic drugs they had in the Old World. Furthermore, when cooked, blue lichen had no mind altering effects, but would provide at least some protein in the plant-based diet of the settlers. Fresh or cooked, it became popular so quickly that within a few months, hardly any was left on the cave floors.
Aware of the imminent threat of extinction of a precious natural resource, the Elders quickly banned the use of blue lichen and began researching artificial cultivation. Today the production of mushrooms is stable and there is no need for harvesting lichens as a diet enrichment, but it's still a popular recreational drug during the labor-free days and celebrations. Skygazers readily use it during the summits and during research.
Extensive use does have some consequences. It has been documented that a couple of Elders ended up in a state of irreversible coma after extensive and prolonged consumption, and many settlers are known to need a couple of days of sleep off the enormous cognitive strain that would follow. Having said that, many historians think that development and progress of the colony would have been much slower if not for the discovery of the blue lichen.