Science

Cannabis holds potential to prevent and reduce severity of COVID-19, while treating long-term symptoms, study finds

January 16, 2024By

Researchers at Dalhousie University in Canada carried out a comprehensive review of the scientific literature, publishing their findings about marijuana as a preventive therapeutic in the Journal of Clinical Medicine… The study found that “cannabinoids have been shown to prevent viral entry, mitigate oxidative stress, and alleviate the associated cytokine storm” of early COVID-19 infections.…

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Effects of external stimulation on psychedelic state neurodynamics

January 13, 2024By

Stronger external stimulation increases baseline entropy and reduces the drug effect. Results show that while brain entropy increases with LSD under all of the experimental conditions, it exhibits the largest changes when subjects have their eyes closed. Furthermore, brain entropy changes are consistently associated with subjective ratings of the psychedelic experience, but this relationship is…

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Psychedelic mushrooms existed millions of years before humans, largest-ever study reveals

January 13, 2024By

Dentinger and his team found that psilocybin-making in Psilocybe sprung up in evolutionary history around 65 million years ago. To put that in perspective, the earliest human species appeared on the scene roughly 2 million years ago, with modern Homo sapiens evolving 300,000 years ago. Original Article (Vice):Psychedelic mushrooms existed millions of years before humans, largest-ever study revealsArtwork Fair…

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No comparison… alcohol vs. psilocybin…

December 14, 2023By

Notably, [alcohol is] prohibited or discouraged in certain social, religious, and cultural groups for this reason. While both substances alter consciousness and can affect mood and perception, they do so through very different mechanisms and carry different risks, experiential effects, and legal statuses. Although alcohol is culturally ingrained in many social contexts, its high potential…

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…psilocybin could be powerful… for pain – without opioids’ dwindling effects over time, study says

December 9, 2023By

“Recent neuroimaging studies combined with small sample interventions with classic psychedelic agents,” authors wrote, “may point towards a possible means of improving the treatment of chronic pain on a mechanistic and experiential level.” Numerous small trials of… psilocybin for chronic pain have already shown a good safety profile, with minimal physical dependence, withdrawal syndrome, or…

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Psilocybin’s ‘efficacy and safety’ for bipolar II depression demonstrated by American medical association study

December 9, 2023By

“12 patients met both response and remission criteria” at the end of a 12-week study period, the trial found, meaning that measures of the diagnosis had dropped by more than half and fell below a minimum threshold. Results… published by the American Medical Association “suggest efficacy and safety” of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of bipolar…

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Domestication… constrained genetic diversity in magic mushrooms relative to naturalized populations

December 8, 2023By

According to a study published… in the journal Current Biology, commercially cultivated varieties (or cultivars) of psilocybin mushrooms like Psilocybe cubensis aren’t as genetically diverse as their naturally grown counterparts and show signs of inbreeding. This finding was based on a genomic analysis of 38 different Psilocybe cubensis found growing in the Australian wild compared…

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Psychedelic mushroom use linked to lower psychological distress in those with adverse childhood experiences

November 24, 2023By

…researchers have uncovered a potentially promising connection between the use of psychedelic mushrooms and a reduction in psychological distress, particularly among individuals who have experienced adverse childhood experiences. The study was published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. …study aimed to explore the relationship between psilocybin use and psychological distress, with a specific focus on individuals…

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Psilocybin dosing tips

November 12, 2023By

The conversation about how much to take is increasingly broad reaching. For a long time, Terence McKenna’s philosophy of 5 dried grams in silent darkness ruled the day. In the early 2000s, 3.5 grams was considered a dose. More recently, the advised introductory recreational dose was closer to 2.5 grams, and the museum dose around…

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Psychedelic users tended to have better mental health outcomes during the… pandemic

October 21, 2023By

A recently published study, which was conducted during the… pandemic, suggests that individuals who have used psychedelic substances experience lower psychological distress, improved well-being, and enhanced post-traumatic growth. The new findings appear in the journal Scientific Reports. …pandemic presented an unusual opportunity to investigate the relationship between hallucinogenic drug use and mental health. With much of…

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