Science

…potent is that magic mushroom…

Can the [psychedelic, entheogenic,] hallucinogenic and medicinal components of mushrooms be analyzed and shared the same as cannabis? …potency tests have demonstrated that the active… compounds in magic mushrooms… vary widely across cultivars and species, and that measuring a dose by weight does not guarantee the same effect every time. Variations in growing and drying techniques, environment and…

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Science

…a drinking problem

Americans tend to drink in more dysfunctional ways than people in other societies… again and again, an era of overindulgence begets an era of renunciation: Binge, abstain. Binge, abstain… as Michael Sayette, a leading alcohol researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, recently told me, if you packaged alcohol as an anti-anxiety serum and submitted it…

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Science

…psychedelics boost brain growth factor levels?

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates neuronal development and survival and triggers adaptive neuroplasticity… animal studies have reported that acute and chronic administration of various psychedelic compounds, including LSD, psilocybin, DMT, and other ayahuasca-derived alkaloids, can increase BDNF production and neurogenesis (the formation of new neurons). Importantly, threats to our well-being such as stress, ageing and…

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Science

Spontaneous and deliberate creative cognition during and after psilocybin exposure

Following a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group design, we demonstrated that psilocybin (0.17 mg/kg) induced a time- and construct-related differentiation of effects on creative thinking. Although usually opposing neural processes, the DMN and FPN have been found to interact during creative cognition, suggesting a dynamic shift between these networks facilitates the shift between idea generation and evaluation across…

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Science

Why mental health researchers are studying psychedelics all wrong

Supposedly, we are living through a “psychedelic renaissance.” Psychedelic science portrays itself as a vanguard revolutionizing mental health care, while remaining firmly focused on developing treatments defined within these same antiquated models. As psychedelic advocates and practitioners with decades of experience, having worked with thousands of people, we believe we need a serious examination of…

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Modern Culture

The public’s perception of the harms of magic mushrooms is in line with science – but not with the law

The study, which appears in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, found that psilocybin-containing mushrooms are considered less dangerous than alcohol, tobacco, and other substances. For their study, the researchers asked 151 participants to rank the dangerousness of ten different substances: alcohol, tobacco, prescription opiates, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, magic mushrooms, cannabis, LSD, and GHB… participants considered magic…

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Science

An elusive pathogen is damaging cannabis crops…

Viroids are not viruses but, rather, a plant-specific pathogenic RNA. HpLVd was first publicly announced in cannabis in California in 2019… testing for HpLVd is still not common practice in the marijuana or hemp industries. The biggest challenge in controlling hop latent viroid is the “latent” nature of the viroid. It is possible for the…

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Science

Is hempcrete the future of construction?

Hemp insulation is a special niche in the construction market that is yet to be fully maximized. A meager 0.5% of the whopping 3.3 million tons of insulation done each year pertains to hemp. For the future of hempcrete to grow in the industry, players in the construction industry must be educated on the material.…

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Science

…study shows cannabis reduces inflammatory ‘storms’…

…offers data that some cannabis strains help reduce a specific type of inflammatory distress – called a “cytokine storm” – that proceeds severe cases of acute respiratory distress… One of the studies’ main researchers, University of Lethbridge’s Department of Biological Sciences’… team has studied the anti-inflammatory potential of cannabis for years. Were they surprised by…

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