https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/ Empire State Cannabis Discussion Board en-US Fri, 24 Apr 2026 14:41:15 +0000 wpForo 60 https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/maryland-knows-whats-up/ Fri, 26 Jan 2024 17:11:57 +0000 Maryland Bill Would Create Psychedelics Task Force To Recommend Online Sales And Delivery Systems For Psilocybin, DMT And Mescaline

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/maryland-bill-would-create-psychedelics-task-force-to-recommend-online-sales-and-delivery-systems-for-psilocybin-dmt-and-mescaline./]]> Shrooms BurnMan https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/maryland-knows-whats-up/ https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/psilocybin-may-help-treat-alcohol-addiction-study-shows/ Wed, 24 Aug 2022 20:53:15 +0000
By the time Jon Kostas was 25, he was desperate to beat his alcohol addiction. He had started drinking at age 13 and had cycled through different treatments—going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, taking pharmaceutical medications, and trying in-patient rehab—but nothing worked. Ever since 2015, however, when he took part in a clinical trial that combined talk therapy and psilocybin—the psychedelic active ingredient in magic mushrooms—Kostas has quit drinking. “I’m forever grateful and indebted,” he says. “This saved my life.”

A randomized clinical trial, published Aug. 24 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, found that in combination with psychotherapy, psilocybin helped treat people’s alcohol use disorder. Analyzing a group of 93 patients with the condition—Kostas among them— for 32 weeks, researchers found that patients who had received psilocybin plus psychotherapy (48 in total) reduced their drinking by 83% within eight months of their first dose, compared to 51% among those who had received a placebo. Nearly half of people treated with psilocybin stopped drinking completely, compared to less than a quarter of those who’d only received the placebo.

“If these effects are replicated, I think this really would represent a breakthrough,” says Dr. Michael Bogenschutz, director of the New York University Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine and the senior author of the study. “The effects seem to persist. And the effects are larger than those of any of the treatments that are currently available,” which includes methods like in-patient rehab, talk therapy, and medications.

A more effective treatment for alcohol addiction could have profound, society-wide effects. About 95,000 Americans die from alcohol-related causes each year, including alcoholic liver disease and car accidents, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A 2021 federal analysis of Americans pre-pandemic found that while about 5% of U.S. adults—about 14.1 million people—had alcohol use disorder in the last year, only 7% of them received any treatment, and just under 3% were treated with medication. Even when people receive treatment, however, approved medications such as naltrexone have been shown to only have limited effectiveness.

The new research adds the strongest evidence yet that psilocybin may be a promising treatment for substance use disorders. Another preliminary study by Bogenschutz and other researchers in 2015 found that psilocybin-assisted therapy seemed to treat alcohol addiction in a small test group of patients. And a small study published in 2014 by Bogenschutz and some of the same researchers found that psilocybin combined with talk therapy can help people stop smoking. Last year, the team received the first federal grant for a psychedelic treatment in over 50 years to expand that research with a three-year, multisite study.

Psilocybin’s effectiveness may have to do with how it affects the brain, says Bogenschutz. Research suggests that psilocybin promotes neuroplasticity, which allows people to change the way they think and behave. Researchers have also found that psilocybin helps treat depression—which often occurs alongside substance use disorder. One of the things that makes psilocybin such a promising treatment, says Bogenschutz, is that unlike medications that must be taken over and over again, psilocybin has a long-lasting, powerful effect after just a few doses. “It really suggests that we’re treating the underlying disorder, rather than simply treating the symptoms,” says Bogenschutz.

While the results of this study are encouraging, there’s still a long way to go before psilocybin can be used to treat a wider population. Fewer than 50 patients received psilocybin during the clinical trial, which means more research must be conducted on a larger, diverse population. Plus, the placebo used in the trial, diphenhydramine—an antihistamine—isn’t a perfect substitute for psilocybin, as psychedelic drugs produce unique hallucinogenic effects. Bogenschutz adds that people shouldn’t experiment with psilocybin outside of clinical settings, because it may be more risky in an uncontrolled environment, in part because patients’ experiences can feel extreme. For instance, some patients feel severe anxiety while under the drug’s influence.

The study also didn’t include the full range of people who could benefit from psilocybin-assisted treatment. Bogenschutz noted that on average, participants tended to have less severe drinking intensity than people who typically join clinical trials for the condition. (According to Bogenschutz, that’s likely because the trial may have appealed to people who were already coping with their disorder.) The researchers also intentionally excluded patients with other mental health disorders, such as depression, to ensure they could determine whether psilocybin-assisted therapy treats alcohol addiction, and not some other underlying condition.

However, Bogenschutz says it’s possible that patients with more severe disease might benefit even more from the treatment, especially if psilocybin can address the problems that underlie not only alcohol use disorder, but also mental-health issues like depression and anxiety, and even other kinds of substance use disorders. “People with co-occurring disorders and addictions might be an ideal population for this kind of treatment, because they might be able to benefit simultaneously for both disorders,” he says. Their hope is that “this more flexible pattern of brain function allows people to change their thoughts and behaviors in ways that allow them to be happier, healthier, people.”]]> Shrooms orthene https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/psilocybin-may-help-treat-alcohol-addiction-study-shows/ https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/with-magic-mushrooms-small-businesses-lead-hoping-laws-will-follow/ Sun, 14 Aug 2022 00:01:06 +0000 It’s hard to miss the bright green banner draped over Vancouver’s Coca Leaf Café that declares: MUSHROOM DISPENSARY. Inside, aging hippies, solitary businessmen, and streetwear-clad youth peruse glass cases filled with a dozen strains of “magic” mushrooms with names such as Penis Envy and Jedi Mind Trick. Also on the menu at the little shop in the city’s rapidly gentrifying Chinatown are mushroom chocolates and microdosing capsules, as well as more advanced offerings including LSD tinctures and vape cartridges containing DMT (the active ingredient in ayahuasca). To make a purchase, flash an ID, sign a health form, buy a product, and—if inclined—leave a Google review.

Magic mushrooms are moving from the margins to the mainstream. In the past two years, at least six ’shroom dispensaries have opened in Vancouver, which has become a key testing ground for broader policy reform and where hard drugs will soon be decriminalized. Similar—albeit more discreet—shops are opening in US cities where mushrooms have been decriminalized, such as Oakland, Calif., and Portland, Ore.

Commercial sales are still illegal in the US and Canada, but these black-market businesses operate through loopholes including religious freedom exemptions, gifting programs, and pop-up events. Digital sellers proliferate on social media, where anonymous accounts openly hawk heavily branded wares.

“Drug dealers always win,” declares Coca Leaf Café owner Dana Larsen, a cannabis activist who says dispensaries such as his are key to advancing mushroom legalization by normalizing recreational use; the dispensary had a court date over licensing issues in June. “We’re putting pressure on the legal system to improve.”

Magic mushrooms are the breakout star of the burgeoning psychedelic revolution around mental health and wellness. Psilocybin—the main hallucinogenic compound in more than 180 mushroom strains—has shown impressive results for conditions such as depression, anxiety, and drug and alcohol addiction that have long been resistant to established medical treatments.

Full article link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-21/shrooms-psilocybin-psychedelics-black-market-business-moves-to-mainstream]]> Shrooms orthene https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/with-magic-mushrooms-small-businesses-lead-hoping-laws-will-follow/ https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/magic-mushrooms-will-be-legal-in-oregon-next-year-only-one-fast-growing-speci/ Thu, 21 Apr 2022 10:34:20 +0000
'Magic' mushrooms will be legal in Oregon next year. Only one fast-growing species is likely to make the cut.

Oregon is on track to become the first US state to role out legal psilocybin, the psychoactive substance found in "magic" mushrooms. Officials are now tentatively planning to green-light one particular species of "magic" mushroom for therapeutic use in the state starting in 2023.

Lab-made psilocybin, alongside therapy, has shown promise in clinical trials for the treatment of severe
depression
.

Jessie K. Uehling, a mycologist and member of Oregon's Psilocybin Advisory Board, told Insider that Oregon is focusing on a species called Psilocybe cubensis because it's widely cultivated and easy to grow.

While almost any species of magic mushroom can be grown, Psilocybe cubensis in particular grow very fast with "pretty good yields," said Alan Rockefeller, a mycologist based in Oakland, California.

Unlike a handful of other "magic" mushroom species, including those that grow in the Pacific Northwest, Psilocybe cubensis isn't associated with wood-lover's paralysis, according to Uehling.

Wood-lover's paralysis is the name of an anecdotal condition in which people say they have been temporarily paralyzed after eating certain "magic" mushrooms that tend to grow on wood.

Not every mushroom expert agrees with Oregon's decision to hone in on one "magic" mushroom species.

Rockefeller told Insider that he believes people should be able to choose which species they take.

"Out of about 200 mushrooms, there's maybe four of them that cause wood-lovers paralysis," he said.

"I think the Oregon thing is still good. But if I was in charge, I wouldn't have restricted it to just one species," Rockefeller, who is not on Oregon's advisory board, added.

No matter the species, growing "magic" mushrooms is relatively cheap.

"It costs about the same amount to grow psilocybin mushroom as it does to grow the mushrooms you see in the supermarket," Rockefeller said, referring to all "magic" mushroom species.

Poisonous look alikes
Draft rules for legalization allow people in Oregon to consume Psilocybe cubensis as whole mushroom, a powdered product, or an extract.

Mycology, the study of fungi, is a relatively young field and there isn't enough data on all psilocybin-producing fungal species to design the necessary tests to tell between different species, Uehling said. But companies will probably emerge in the state that have licenses to sell legal psilocybin-producing mushrooms.

The experts said generally people can identify 'magic' mushrooms by looking at them, unless it's in a powder form. They can also tell the difference between a poisonous mushroom and one that's safe to consume.

"When you grow a mushroom, you only put one culture in there, so you know what you're growing because you know what you put in there. It's not like you're going to accidentally grow something poisonous," Rockefeller said, adding that a poisonous mushroom would look different. "By looking at it, you can tell that it's moldy, in the same way you would look a bad apple and be like, no, I'm not eating this one."

All the experts Insider spoke with warned of poisonous lookalikes in the wild, though.

"If you do go foraging, just be careful. There are poisonous lookalike mushrooms out there in the environment. There are resources out there available online," Caine Barlow, a mycologist in Australia, said.]]> Shrooms orthene https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/magic-mushrooms-will-be-legal-in-oregon-next-year-only-one-fast-growing-speci/ https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/new-magic-mushroom-species-discovered-in-australian-wilderness/ Sun, 10 Apr 2022 19:24:26 +0000
Deep in the Australian wilderness, there lies a new species of magic mushroom — scientists just aren't sure exactly where.

The mysterious mushroom was recently discovered by Dr Alistair McTaggart, a fungal genetics researcher at the University of Queensland, while sifting through soil samples taken from Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks in Australia’s Northern Territory.

Analyzing the soil samples, he noticed DNA sequences of a Psilocybe fungus that had never been identified before. The previously unknown species belongs to the genus Psilocybe and contains genes that strongly suggest it is one of the 200-odd species of mushroom known to naturally produce psilocybin, a psychedelic compound.

However, only microbial traces of the mushroom were found in the soil, so its appearance and precise characteristics still remain a mystery. Looking at its genetic makeup, Dr McTaggart believes Kakadu’s lost magic mushroom may resemble Psilocybe brunneocystidiata, a species of psychedelic mushroom discovered deep in rainforests in Papua New Guinea in the 1970s.

The recent discovery came around through a project to study the distribution of a widely known magic mushroom, Psilocybe cubensis, also known as gold tops. Though this mushroom now grows in the wild across Australia, the Americas, and Asia, no one is sure where the species originated

Gold tops tend to grow on cow poop, so are often found on cattle ranches. Interestingly, the global distribution of the magic mushroom overlaps with the range of a bird species closely linked to cows, the Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis). Perhaps the far-reaching travels of this bird helped gold tops to colonize large parts of the world.

Another part of McTaggart's work involves creating the first living collection of Australia’s native magic mushrooms, a topic that remains remarkably little-known.

“We are not certain of magic mushroom biodiversity in Australia,” Dr McTaggart said in a statement.

“We do not even know how many species produce psilocybin.”

Closely studying the genetics of magic mushrooms could help scientists identify characteristics that might be useful for medical research into psychedelic treatments. An ever-expanding body of research has recently shown that psychedelic mushrooms could be an effective treatment for a range of mental health conditions, from treatment-resistant depression to PTSD.

So, when it comes to species of magic mushrooms, each with their own qualities and genetic quirks, the more the merrier.

]]> Shrooms orthene https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/new-magic-mushroom-species-discovered-in-australian-wilderness/ https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/microdosing-magic-mushrooms-could-spark-creativity-and-boost-cognitive-skills/ Fri, 07 Jan 2022 11:12:24 +0000
Advocates of microdosing claim that taking teeny doses of magic mushrooms and other psychedelic substances can inspire creative thought, boost your mood, and even enhance your cognitive function, all without the risk of a so-called "bad trip".

But aside from loose anecdotal evidence from Silicon Valley bros, what does the science say? A team of researchers from Leiden University in the Netherlands decided to find out.

While a small handful of trials have looked into microdosing LSD, the new small-scale study is the first of its kind to experimentally investigate microdosing of magic mushrooms and its cognitive-enhancing effects within a natural setting.

Reporting in the journal Psychopharmacology, the researchers looked into how a microdose of magic mushrooms, aka psilocybin or truffles, affected the cognitive brain function of 36 people at an event organized by the Psychedelic Society of the Netherlands. The participants were given a one-off dose of 0.37 grams (0.01 ounces) of dried truffles and asked to solve three puzzles. It’s worth noting that microdosing usually involves taking regular small doses in the hopes of obtaining an accumulative effect. Nevertheless, the researchers claim that they observed some subtly profound changes to their guinea pigs.

People appeared to be drifting through the puzzle-solving tasks with great ease while creating solutions that were notably more original and flexible than what they came up with before they microdosed. This is what the study authors called “changes in fluid intelligence”.

“Our results suggest that consuming a microdose of truffles allowed participants to create more out-of-the-box alternative solutions for a problem, thus providing preliminary support for the assumption that microdosing improves divergent thinking," lead author Luisa Prochazkova of Leiden University in the Netherlands explained in a statement.

"Moreover, we also observed an improvement in convergent thinking, that is, increased performance on a task that requires the convergence on one single correct or best solution."

In sum, the findings of this small study are pretty much what the anecdotal evidence has been hinting at for years.

The doors of scientific research into psychedelics have only just been opened, but there’s also been a wealth of studies looking into their potential benefits. Some of the most promising findings so far have come from studies looking at the potential to use the active ingredients of magic mushrooms to ease depression and other mental health problems. Their pros and cons are not yet crystal clear, however, many researchers are welcoming the fact that this intriguing subject is at least now out for critique and investigation.

"Apart from its benefits as a potential cognitive enhancement technique, microdosing could be further investigated for its therapeutic efficacy to help individuals who suffer from rigid thought patterns or behavior such as individuals with depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder," Prochazkova explained.]]> Shrooms orthene https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/microdosing-magic-mushrooms-could-spark-creativity-and-boost-cognitive-skills/ https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/late-night-at-the-mushroom-lab/ Thu, 07 Oct 2021 16:54:59 +0000
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJVXAALRfRo]]> Shrooms orthene https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/late-night-at-the-mushroom-lab/ https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/first-grow/ Mon, 23 Dec 2019 22:03:44 +0000 MDA was my favorite.
Anyhow everyone has been reading  about psilocybin and how it can help with depression and anxiety  and figured I would self medicate.
I am starting with spores and they arrived today.

]]> Shrooms 1954 https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/first-grow/ https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/who-likes-magic-mushrooms-or-would-like-to-try-them-chime-in-2/ Sun, 09 Apr 2017 16:31:24 +0000 Shrooms ÂçïÐ_Rëƒlü×® https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/who-likes-magic-mushrooms-or-would-like-to-try-them-chime-in-2/ https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/growing-again-pes-hawaiians-and-b/ Thu, 03 Sep 2015 14:53:03 +0000
So I decided why not start growing again? Some nice people I know helped me out with some spores.

Check out the attached images. The first is of one of my 1/2 pint BRF cake PES Hawaiian cakes. The second is an in vitro B+ cubensis grow inside of a pint PP5 plastic container.

I've got a bit more going than just this, but it's all just very very small and stealthy for personal use.

Now that I have a stable paycheck I'm going to be getting a nice pressure cooker so I can expand my mushroom growing hobbies. I plan to cultivate edible and medicinal mushrooms. Magic mushrooms are fun, but I'd rather grow the stuff I can sell/supply to local high-end restaurants and whatnot. You need a good pressure cooker to get into edible and medicinals, but I've got some nice friends in the mushroom community who are willing to help me get started!

MAYBE one day in the future I will be able to share some of what I can grow.

Just so happy I have on-the-books legitimate stable employment again where I get to work in air conditioning and don't have to slave away doing under the table manual labor all the time!

:hand-heart:]]> Shrooms niemandgeist https://empirestatecannabis.org/community/shrooms/growing-again-pes-hawaiians-and-b/