Science

Alleged magic mushrooms (Psilocybe cubensis) test as ergosterol, a compound present in ergot and many other fungi

“We’re not sure what to say about this result. Plant-based and fungal materials pose special challenges. Ergosterol is a substance that is present in the cell membranes of fungi.” EcstasyData entry shows a brown, yellow and off-white dried fungal matter that was sourced in Dallas, TX as “Psilocybe cubensis grown with DiPT,” but which tested as nothing more…

READ MORE
Science

Scientists identify [difference between oral doses vs. IV doses of whole plant botanical kratom and two active constituents]

This particular study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (NOTE : led by graduate student Lauren Smith ofThe Scripps Research Institute​) produced results that join another study in the same journal, Journal of the American Chemical Society) (NOTE : led by a Dr. Andrew Kruegel Ph.D. of Columbia University).   [The Scripps study reported]… None of the mice died…

READ MORE
Science

What is kratom…?

“Importantly, as commonly used in raw plant form, it does not appear to produce the… lethal respiratory depressing effects of classical opioids.” The group included researchers and scientists from Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University and the University of Florida. “It is our collective judgment that placing kratom into Schedule I will potentially increase the number…

READ MORE
Science

FDA recognizes psilocybin as ‘breakthrough therapy’ for depression

The only reference to psilocybin on the Food and Drug Administration’s website appears in the agency’s Bad Bug Book: Handbook of Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins, where the psychedelic compound is described as a “neurotoxin” found in mushrooms.  The FDA’s dueling portrayals of psilocybin as a scary fungal neurotoxin and a promising treatment for depression…

READ MORE
Science

‘Magic mushroom’ chemicals could be legal sooner than you think, if scientists have their way

*mushroom picture not for identification purposes So if the called-for reclassification does indeed take place, psilocybin would go from being treated like an outlawed narcotic to – basically – a prescription sleeping pill. “We should be clear that psilocybin is not without risks of harm, which are greater in recreational than medical settings,” Johnson says.…

READ MORE
Science

This parasite drugs its hosts with the psychedelic chemical in shrooms [and a crystal meth-like amphetamine]

*”the cicadas walk around as if nothing’s wrong even though a third of their body has fallen off (and they are in the process of dying, while infecting those around them” *warning : using psilocybin in combination with amphetamines is NOT recommended. Potential negative side-effects are extreme. The team took great pains to check that Massospora [pictured above] really does contain…

READ MORE
Science

Why doctors want to reclassify psilocybin, the drug that puts the ‘magic’ in mushrooms

*note, edible mushrooms denote a wide range of species. Psilocybin is found in more than 200 varieties of mushrooms and has gained growing acceptance in the medical community in recent years for treating depression. The hallucinogenic drug has been shown to offer therapeutics benefits such as alleviating symptoms of depression and helping people to quit…

READ MORE
Science

Magic mushrooms should be less illegal, scientists argue

There is still a lot of social stigma and fear surrounding psychedelic drugs. But properly-conducted clinical trials are rapidly replacing assumptions with solid scientific knowledge, the researchers say.“This area of regulatory science has the potential to facilitate innovative therapeutic breakthroughs by replacing fear and misinformation with scientifically based conclusions and facts,” they write. Based on…

READ MORE