Cholesterol Flush, Death Cap Antidote, and Eating-Disorder Trials

Hi Shroomers. Today is Issue 100, and Week 155 since I sent my first newsletter ever. Thank you so much for reading every week! And for those of you who answer the polls and leave comments, I extend my gratitude even further because I excitedly check your responses. You are what makes this community special! Now, onto our fungi news…

Altitude gut fuel 🏔️ High-altitude champignon (Agaricus bitorquis) polysaccharides drove much higher production of energy-supporting short-chain fatty acids under low-oxygen conditions, where ambient oxygen is only 50–60% of sea level. These compounds help the gut make more usable fuel and anti-inflammatory signals when oxygen is scarce, supporting endurance and cellular protection at high altitude.

Cholesterol flush 🚽 Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) polysaccharides given at 400 mg/kg/day reversed high-fat-diet cholesterol damage by forcing excess cholesterol to be converted into bile and pushed out through the gut, not just suppressed in the liver. In effect, reishi didn’t just lower blood lipids, it restored the body’s primary cholesterol disposal system, turning cholesterol into waste and accelerating its elimination.

Neurodevelopment boost 🧠 Lion’s mane whole-mushroom biomass (Hericium erinaceus, full mycelium and young fruiting body, not an extract) taken daily for 6–12 months in 147 children shifted brain activity from slow, immature delta–theta waves toward higher-functioning beta1 rhythms. On standardized testing, cognitive scores rose from 30% to 64%, speech from 19% to 29%, adaptive behavior from 22% to 34%, and social–emotional function from 24% to 36%.

Iron restore complex 🩸 Honey mushroom (Armillaria mellea) polysaccharide–iron complex raised hemoglobin, serum iron, and ferritin more than standard iron salts at the same iron dose, while reducing oxidative stress and boosting antioxidant enzymes. Mushroom-bound iron was both more bioavailable and less irritating, supporting safer, more effective correction of iron-deficiency anemia.

Death cap toxin shield 🛡️ The diabetes drug rosiglitazone (a PPAR-γ activator) at 20 mg/kg protected mice from α-amanitin, the lethal toxin in death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides), cutting liver enzymes ALT and AST by >50%, lowering oxidative damage, and restoring antioxidant defenses. The result was sharply reduced liver failure and improved survival after exposure to one of the deadliest mushroom poisons.

Aspirin ulcer blocker 🥊 In mice, a polysaccharide from the edible poplar fieldcap mushroom (Agrocybe aegerita) reduced aspirin-caused stomach ulcers by about 68% and helped the stomach lining heal. It lowered inflammation and protected stomach cells from dying, making for a possible food-based way to reduce ulcer risk for people who rely on NSAIDs.

Nerve repair boost ⚡ Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus), reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), and cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris) compounds increased nerve growth factor (NGF) by ~30–200% and accelerated axon regeneration by 25–60% in peripheral nerve injury models across the studies in this systematic review. Functional recovery (grip strength, conduction velocity, and sensory response) improved by ~20–50% compared to untreated injury.

Muscle rescue 🆘 In aged mice, lentinan from shiitake (Lentinula edodes) increased muscle strength and endurance, and prevented shrinkage of muscle fibers. It raised the number and performance of mitochondria, the cell’s energy units, by activating key regulators of energy production, with effective doses in both muscle cells and orally in older animals.

Immune shift 🐭 In chronically stressed rats, psilocybin (0.6 mg/kg, two doses one week apart) changed spinal cord immune cells. One week later, repair signals went up, while inflammatory signals were also active. Psilocybin didn’t just “turn inflammation off,” it pushed the immune system into a rebuilding mode in nerve tissue.

Integration predicts sobriety 🍷 In people with alcohol use disorder and depression, one psilocybin session (25 mg) led to 55% abstinence at 3 months (11 of 20 participants). Those who stayed sober used more insight- and self-reflection language in integration sessions (56% inner dialogue, meaning-making, future planning), while those who relapsed showed more sensory and distress-focused language (44% tied to pain, disappointment, suppression). In short: the way people made sense of the experience afterward, not just the drug itself, strongly tracked who stayed sober.

Eating disorder help 💗 Psilocybin (Psilocybe spp.) is being tested in at least 6 registered clinical trials for anorexia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and body dysmorphic disorder, with therapeutic doses typically 20–30 mg in a single session combined with psychotherapy. Across early trials and related psychiatric studies, one or two sessions at 25 mg have produced large, durable shifts in cognitive rigidity, fear learning, and self-concept that persist 3–6 months after dosing, the same core circuits that drive compulsive restriction, binge cycles, and body-image fixation.

Brain reset state 🔌 Psilocybin (from Psilocybe mushrooms) increased whole-brain signal complexity and “entropy” by about 6–10%, meaning brain networks became more flexible and information-rich. This didn’t happen with stimulants like amphetamine or MDMA, which showed little change or even reduced network flexibility. The biggest shifts were in the default-mode and emotion-control networks and lasted for hours, showing psilocybin puts the brain into a highly adaptable, less rigid state rather than just a sped-up one.

Mushroom fossil 🦖 A tiny gilled mushroom (Parolactarius pilosus) was found perfectly preserved in 100-million-year-old amber from Myanmar. The fossil fruiting body is only ~2.5 mm tall, covered in fine hairs, and clearly shows modern gill structure. This proves that advanced mushroom groups like the Russulaceae and ectomycorrhizal fungi already existed in the mid-Cretaceous period when dinosaurs dominated the planet.

Toxin breakdown 🧪 Soil fungi broke down the toxic wood preservative pentachlorophenol (PCP) at 5–15 mg/L, chemically converting it into much less harmful compounds like tetrachlorophenol, hydroquinone, and maleylacetate. More than 80% of tested forest fungi (mostly Ascomycota) transformed or completely destroyed PCP within about 14 days, showing they actively strip chlorine atoms and detoxify the chemical instead of just trapping it.

Soil burnout 🌱 When reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) was grown in the same soil year after year, the soil microbiome shifted toward hostile bacteria. Antifungal species like Bacillus velezensis and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens blocked reishi growth by 53–83% in lab tests, and after 3 years, overall bacterial diversity dropped by about 30–40%. Beneficial nutrient-cycling microbes declined while inhibitory species took over, showing yield collapse is driven by microbial imbalance, not nutrient depletion.

Wine-cap yield boost 🍷 Poplar wine-cap (Stropharia rugosoannulata) grown on sawdust–cow-manure compost produced 25.8% more fresh mushrooms when topped with a non-sterile, living soil casing. The soil layer increased laccase enzyme activity and microbial diversity, showing that active microbes, not only nutrients, accelerate wood breakdown and nutrient release that drives fruiting.

Flavor unlocked 👅 Porcini (Boletus edulis) developed 2–3× higher aroma intensity when sautéed or roasted compared to raw, with strong increases in nutty pyrazines and savory sulfur compounds. Roasting produced the most Maillard compounds linked to roasted, meaty notes, while sautéing kept more sweet, buttery alcohols and aldehydes. Boiling reduced total aroma compounds by ~40–60% due to loss into water and heat-driven evaporation.