Psilocybin’s Brain Boost, Tumor Immunity, and Mycoremediation Wins

IN TODAY’S EDITION

• 🧬 | Immune reprogramming

• 🧠 | Brain rewiring

• 🎖️ | Veteran TBI recovery

Hi Shroomers. This week’s lineup is packed with breakthroughs in brain health, cancer immunity, and environmental cleanup. From psilocybin’s power to rewire neural connections to tea tree mushrooms flipping tumor defenses, fungi are making headlines across health, wellness, and sustainability.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Immune reprogramming 🧬 A fuco-galactoglucan from the tea tree mushroom (Agrocybe aegerita) shifted immune cells in colorectal cancer from a tumor-promoting M2 state to a tumor-fighting M1 state. 

Muscle protection 🏋️‍♂️ In rats exposed to low-oxygen, high-altitude conditions, reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) extract at 100 mg/kg restored antioxidant balance, reduced oxidative damage, and improved muscle mass. 

Dung drug discovery 💩 Fungi that thrive on animal dung produce a diverse arsenal of bioactive molecules, including promising antimicrobial, anticancer, and enzyme-inhibiting compounds. This review highlights their unique chemical diversity, ecological adaptations, and potential for yielding new therapeutics, especially in an era of rising drug resistance.

Cholesterol control 🫀 A chitin-glucan gel from the enoki mushroom (Flammulina velutipes), loaded with the flavonoid naringenin, used a dual approach to lower lipids, physically binding cholesterol and bile salts while also influencing metabolic pathways.

Gut inflammation relief 🦠 A novel protein from king oyster mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii) eased colitis in mice by lowering inflammatory cytokines, restoring oxidative balance, and boosting immune function. It reshaped gut microbiota, reducing harmful bacteria like Escherichia, Shigella, and Lachnoclostridium, and shifted lipid metabolism toward beneficial terpenoid production.

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

Psychedelic therapy model 🇨🇭 Switzerland’s limited medical use program allows MDMA, LSD, and psilocybin treatments for patients with serious, mostly incurable conditions when no effective alternatives remain. Launched in 2014 with 2 doctors, it expanded to ~100 providers by 2024, delivering 1,660 treatments to 723 patients that year. Patients typically receive 2–4 sessions within 12 months. The program’s tightly regulated framework, covering legal requirements, physician training, costs, and patient outcomes, offers lessons for other countries exploring restricted psychedelic access.

Brain rewiring 🧠 Psilocybin, the active compound in “magic mushrooms,” appears to promote synaptic plasticity—the brain’s ability to form and reorganize connections—through mechanisms involving serotonin 5-HT2A receptor activation, increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and enhanced dendritic spine growth.

Neurodegeneration link 🔄 Psilocybin and other psychedelics may boost brain health in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and related disorders by enhancing neuroplasticity through 5-HT₂A and BDNF-TrkB-mTOR signaling, while also reducing inflammation. The gut microbiome appears to shape these effects: altered microbial profiles can influence psychedelic bioavailability, receptor activity, and therapeutic outcomes. Preliminary evidence suggests psychedelics may beneficially shift gut bacteria, supporting a model where microbiome-targeted strategies (e.g., probiotics, diet) are paired with psychedelics for personalized neurodegenerative care.

Therapy time 🕒 A meta-analysis of 16 studies on psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression found large benefits in both short-term (d = 1.69) and long-term (d = 2.10) outcomes, but no clear link between the number of therapy hours (4.5–18 h) and treatment success. While all studies included some therapy, differences in methods and reporting make it hard to rule out its role, highlighting the need for more standardized, rigorous research on how therapy dose impacts psychedelic treatment results.

Veteran TBI recovery 🎖️ Veterans with a history of traumatic brain injury showed improved mental health and normalized brain activity after attending psilocybin-assisted retreats. Participants reported reductions in depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms, alongside EEG patterns returning closer to healthy norms.  

Amanita microdosing guide 🍄 The Fly Agaric: Microdosing highlights the biochemistry, safety, preparation, and potential therapeutic uses of Amanita muscaria and related fungi. The book explains key compounds like ibotenic acid and muscimol, offers foraging and preparation advice, and presents preliminary data suggesting benefits for conditions from sleep issues to PTSD. While promising, the claims often outpace current evidence, and potential conflicts of interest exist. Still, it serves as a comprehensive resource on an understudied, culturally significant, and legally distinct psychedelic mushroom.

ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

Pollutant breakdown ♻️ Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus var. Florida) degraded toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) more effectively when paired with certain natural metabolites. Indole-3-acetic acid and salicylic acid boosted breakdown by 25–70%, even making stubborn four-ring compounds like pyrene more accessible. Veratryl alcohol also improved degradation, while some flavonoids and organic acids hindered it. The process was linked to increased activity of laccase and versatile peroxidase—enzymes key to mycoremediation—showing how plant, bacterial, and fungal compounds can team up to speed pollutant cleanup.

Wastewater cleanup 💧 The white-rot fungus turkey tail (Trametes versicolor) showed over 80% efficiency in breaking down harmful textile dyes, including Disperse Red-I, Disperse Blue-I, and mixed industrial wastewater. By optimizing growth conditions (pH 6, 28 °C, nutrient-rich media), researchers boosted the fungus’s ligninolytic enzyme activity, enabling rapid dye adsorption within 12 hours and full degradation in 3 days.

Cactus-powered mushroom farming 🌵 Researchers in Ethiopia developed a low-cost culture medium from cactus pear cladodes to grow oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus). At 40 g/L, the cactus-based agar matched or outperformed standard potato dextrose agar, producing faster mycelial growth and similar density. Dried cactus slices also worked as a spawn substrate, rivaling sorghum.

Fungal allies for fruit trees 🌳 A meta-analysis of 80 studies found that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) boost fruit tree resilience to both abiotic stresses (like drought and salinity) and biotic threats (notably necrotrophic pathogens). 

Mushroom waste 📦️ Researchers transformed stipes from white button (Agaricus bisporus) and oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) into biodegradable films with built-in antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Oyster films excelled at antioxidant protection, while white button films were strongest against E. coli. Laminating these mushroom-based layers with PLA or PHBV/PCL boosted strength and barrier properties, making them suitable for trays and wraps, though with slightly reduced bioactivity.

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