Science

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

“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…

READ MORE
Science

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

“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…

READ MORE
Science

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

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…

READ MORE
Science

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

…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…

READ MORE
Science

Psilocybin dosing tips

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…

READ MORE
Science

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

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…

READ MORE
Science

The magic of [natural symbiotic relationships with psilocybe] mushrooms [and other species]

Psilocybin has become a household name in the last decade. It’s been decriminalized in two states – Colorado (five natural psychedelic compounds: DMT, ibogaine, mescaline, psilocybin and psilocin) and Oregon… [psilocybin which converts to] psilocin [in the body] not only penetrates the cell membrane and binds to these very specific receptors, it binds stronger than…

READ MORE
Science

Psilocybin microdosing…

…why numerous… reports laud the positive wellbeing effects of psychedelic mushrooms. An increased resilience to stress and a reduction in compulsive behaviors among the rodent subjects. Moreover, enhanced connectivity to the brain’s thalamus, implicated in decision-making and concern filtration… In the recent study published in Nature – Molecular Psychiatry, Associate Professor Mikael Palner and PhD…

READ MORE
Science

Psychedelics can relieve chronic pain, new survey suggests

A new study published in the European Journal of Pain last month [July 2023] found that both macro and micro doses of classic psychedelics — LSD, psilocybin, DMT, mescaline — led to better pain relief compared to conventional medication in volunteers surveyed. “Participants reported that full doses seem to achieve better perceived results in pain relief than…

READ MORE
Science

Oregon is…

On a balmy… morning, a massive flush of psilocybe mushrooms popped up in a Portland, Oregon city park. This particularly gregarious bloom of Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata, or “ovoids,” stretched over a large mulched area, attracting casual pickers who filled their tote bags to the brim… Fungal evolution experts like Slot stress that many hypotheses regarding psilocybin’s…

READ MORE