• Shroomer
  • Posts
  • 💡 Psilocybin for Awe, Mycelium vs. Oil, and a Supplement Wake-Up Call

💡 Psilocybin for Awe, Mycelium vs. Oil, and a Supplement Wake-Up Call

Lion’s mane vs. brain fog, oyster mushrooms vs. pollution, and how to tell if your extract is legit.

Author

Shannon Ratliff
June 06, 2025

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HAMILTON’S MUSHROOMS

IN TODAY’S EDITION

  • 🛍️ | Fungi eat plastic bags

  • ⚗️ | Toxic waste breakthrough

  • 🧺 | 7 summer mushroom recipes

Hi Shroomers. Our beloved fungi had another outstanding week in ecological studies, while exciting new findings around reishi bring more real-world applications to the forefront.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Revered again 👑 Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) has been trusted in Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 2,000 years, and for good reason. Packed with over 400 bioactive compounds, it helps boost immunity, fight inflammation, balance blood sugar, and protect the brain. New research now points to benefits for obesity and hair loss, too.

Gut healing for the brain 🧠 This narrative review breaks down how lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) tackles depression from multiple angles: boosting brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), stimulating nerve growth factor (NGF), and restoring serotonin and dopamine levels. It also lowers inflammation and heals the gut, offering a full-body route to mental wellness.

Cholesterol check 🧬 Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) extract lowered total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides in mice while increasing HDL. It also changed the expression of key genes tied to fat metabolism, helping regulate how the body stores and burns fat. If you're eyeing mushrooms for metabolic health, this one’s doing real work behind the scenes.

Immune ignition 🔥 Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) activated key immune pathways that help the body detect and fight infection, boosting levels of IL-1β, a molecule that signals immune cells into action. In mice with cryptococcosis (a fungal disease that can cause meningitis), oral reishi treatment improved survival.

Feed your gut 🧫 Polysaccharides from common mushrooms resisted digestion but were fermented by gut bacteria, boosting beneficial microbes and short-chain fatty acids like acetate and propionate. They also reduced harmful bacteria, benefiting gut health and immunity support.

Hidden power 🌲 Matsutake and other Tricholoma mushrooms are stepping beyond the gourmet world. Their polysaccharides—extracted from species like Tricholoma matsutake and Tricholoma mongolicum—show strong antioxidant, antitumor, and immune-supporting effects, with growing potential in both medicine and functional foods.

FORAGED FIND

🍄 Mushroom Supplement Brands Hide Info From YOU

Wondering what an extract actually is, and why it matters for your health?

Or why % of active compounds tells you more than vague ratios like 8:1?

Our top-seller MIND MIX checks every box. If you’ve ever questioned what’s really in your mushrooms, we’ve got you.

👉 Read our Red Flags Blog to get the facts, skip the fluff, and protect your wallet.

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

Psilocybin vs. SSRI 🎯 A direct comparison between psilocybin (from Psilocybe cubensis) and the antidepressant escitalopram found that while both improved depression symptoms, psilocybin uniquely activated emotional brain regions like the amygdala, which escitalopram suppressed. This may explain why psilocybin can produce a greater sense of emotional connection and personal insight. This suggests that psilocybin supports recovery through engagement with emotion rather than dampening it.

Inside the psilocybin brain ⚡️ This sweeping review of 81 human neuroimaging studies shows how psilocybin changes the brain: it disrupts rigid networks like the default mode network, boosts neural flexibility, and rewires how we process emotion, memory, and self-awareness. Effects are both immediate and long-lasting—offering insight into how psilocybin supports lasting improvements in mood, addiction, and cognition.  

Cluster headache relief 💥 This case series explored real-world use of psilocybin, LSD, and ketamine in treating cluster headaches, one of the most painful and treatment-resistant neurological conditions. Most patients reported dramatic reductions in headache severity and frequency. For psilocybin, sub-hallucinogenic “microdoses” were especially effective in extending remission. 

Beauty heals 🌀 This study found that the more beautiful or emotionally moving a psilocybin experience felt, the more likely it was to lead to deep insight and lasting psychological growth. Participants who rated their experience as aesthetically profound showed stronger emotional breakthroughs and reported greater therapeutic benefits weeks later. The findings suggest that the felt beauty of a trip isn’t just decoration, it may be part of the medicine.

Hallucinogenic or not 💊 In this survey of psychiatric patients, over 60% were open to both hallucinogenic and non-hallucinogenic psilocybin therapies. Preferences varied by condition: patients with depression favored the hallucinogenic route, while those with PTSD or borderline personality disorder leaned toward non-hallucinogenic options. The takeaway: patient openness is high, and gentler, non-hallucinogenic psilocybin could broaden access to psychedelic healing.

ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

Agroterror threat 🌾 Two China-based researchers were charged with smuggling Fusarium graminearum, a toxic crop fungus considered a potential agroterrorism weapon, into the U.S. for research at a University of Michigan lab. The case involves Chinese government funding, visa fraud, and CCP ties. The university says it had no knowledge or funding link, and is cooperating with federal authorities. The fungus causes major crop damage and health risks, triggering national security concerns and renewed scrutiny of foreign research access at U.S. institutions.

Plastic-eating fungi 🍽️ At a landfill site in Sumedang, Indonesia, scientists isolated four local fungi, including smoky mold (Aspergillus fumigatus), that successfully broke down polyethylene microplastics. In 30 days, the fungi reduced plastic weight by 20–30%. This natural degradation offers a promising, low-cost way to reduce plastic waste in developing regions.

Urban fungi cleanup 🏙️ A team in India created the "MushBox," an in situ bioreactor that uses reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) to degrade municipal waste. In early testing, the system significantly broke down complex compounds and reduced overall waste volume, showing strong potential for tackling urban landfill buildup directly at the source.

Heavy metal cleanup ⚗️ Common soil fungi, green mold (Trichoderma harzianum) and black mold (Aspergillus niger), were genetically fused to create a powerful new strain that removes heavy metals from industrial wastewater. This protoplast fusion method dramatically increased removal rates of cadmium, chromium, lead, and zinc. It's a major step toward safer, fungi-powered water treatment in polluted environments.

Oil spill cleanup 🛢️ A powerful team of red mold (Talaromyces spp.) and soil bacteria like Pseudomonas was supercharged with lignin to break down petroleum pollutants like pyrene and n-docosane. This fungal-bacterial combo removed up to 99.3% of contaminants in just 12 days. The lignin boosted enzyme activity and enriched microbes that specialize in oil degradation.

GROWING & GOURMET

While there wasn’t any new cultivation research this week, here are some mushroom recipes that are best served in the summertime.

MUSH MORE

How did you like today's email?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Reply

or to participate.