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Psilocybin & Addiction, Morel Medicine, and Space Shrooms 🚀

Author

Shannon Ratliff
February 07, 2025

In partnership with

IN TODAY’S EDITION

  • 🧠 | Rewiring self-beliefs

  • 🦠 | Tackling antibiotic resistance

  • 🎟️ | Telluride Mushroom Festival tickets

Hi Shroomer. Psilocybin is powerful, but it’s not a quick fix—and the louder the hype, the more its complexity is lost.

TELLURIDE MUSHROOM FESTIVAL

Tickets to the 45th Telluride Mushroom Festival are on sale. The fungi-rich forests of Colorado are calling. From Aug. 13-17, 2025, bask in the San Juan Mountains, and attend guided forays, cultivation classes, and fungal art workshops.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Natural diabetes control 🎮️ Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) and fenugreek demonstrate benefits for type 2 diabetes by enhancing key proteins that regulate glucose levels. These ingredients boosted protein activation by up to 50%, helping to manage blood sugar levels without altering insulin production.

Natural anti-inflammatory 💢 The abalone oyster mushroom (Pleurotus cystidiosus) reduced blood sugar by 50%, boosted insulin by 25%, and increased GLP-1 by 60% in diabetic rats.

Stopping superbugs 🪲 Morel mushrooms (Morchella conica and Morchella esculenta) can fight a dangerous antibiotic-resistant superbug (CRAB) that causes hospital infections. M. conica stopped the bacteria at low doses and worked as well as tigecycline, a last-resort antibiotic. It also outperformed meropenem, an antibiotic CRAB often resists.

Respiratory relief 🫁 Edible mushrooms contain beta-glucans (β-glucans), compounds our bodies don’t produce, which are linked to a 40% improvement in immune effectiveness and a 30% reduction in respiratory symptoms.

FORAGED FIND

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PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

Glass half full 🥛 Psilocybin microdosing boosts emotional stability and reduces depression and anxiety symptoms. Studies include a comparison of 4,050 microdosers to 4,653 non-microdosers, with follow-up research over 30 days involving 953 participants, all confirming significant mood improvements and decreased mental stress.

OCD symptom reduction 🫂 Psilocybin therapy shows potential for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) by enhancing cognitive flexibility and neuroplasticity. Participants receiving psilocybin reported a 60% reduction in OCD symptoms, measured by standard clinical scales.

A tool for addiction 🔨 A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 95 participants for alcohol use disorder (AUD) also found that psilocybin reduced heavy drinking days by 13.8% and overall alcohol consumption. For tobacco addiction, a study with 15 participants reported 80% abstinence at 6 months and 60% at 30 months, far exceeding traditional treatments.

New Mexico on psilocybin 🌵 Lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 219 to create a regulated program for medicinal psilocybin use, targeting conditions like PTSD, depression, and substance use disorders.

ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

Dye pollution 🎨 Two fungi, Alternaria tenuissima and Alternaria arborescens, proved powerful in breaking down synthetic dyes using an enzyme called laccase. When grown together, they produced 2.44 times more laccase than found in synthetic conditions. The fungi removed up to 15.57% of Rimazol brilliant blue R and 13.71% of Trepan blue.

Forensic fungi 🕵️‍♀️ Scientists studied 36 decomposing bodies and found 47 fungal strains, including 17 never seen on corpses before. Different fungi appeared at various decay stages, hinting they could help estimate time of death and location. While forensic mycology is still emerging, fungi could become a useful tool.

GROWING & GOURMET

Eco-friendly boost 🌱 Using sugarcane filter cake as fertilizer made white button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) grow better and more nutritious. The best yield came from a 30% low-salinity mix, making this natural fertilizer a cheap, sustainable way to grow high-quality mushrooms.

Supercharged 💥 Adding magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄) to the growing mix made Pleurotus florida mushrooms bigger and more nutritious. At 600 mg/kg, they grew the most, while 800 mg/kg gave the highest protein boost. Plus, their antioxidant power shot up to 96.86%.

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

Paul F. Austin, co-founder of the Microdosing Collective, recently wrote that a psychedelic "overdose" could result in less mental illness—a statement that dangerously oversimplifies the effects of psychedelics. This natural medicine shows immense promise for mental health, but nuance matters.

A JAMA Psychiatry study linked ER visits for hallucinogens to a 3.5x higher risk of schizophrenia spectrum disorders within three years. Another case report detailed a tragic suicide after psilocybin-assisted therapy despite clinical oversight. A Vice investigation found that sniffer dogs at UK festivals contributed to fatal overdoses as panicked attendees consumed dangerous amounts of MDMA and ketamine to evade detection.

Overselling benefits or downplaying risks doesn’t advance the movement. These substances have been used for generations in cultures that approach them with reverence, structure, and community—not as quick fixes or personal brand fuel. Explore with open curiosity, but always with care.

MUSH MORE

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