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Tag: Mushrooms

  • Colorado legalizes medicinal psychedelics

    Colorado legalizes medicinal psychedelics

    Olivia Goldhill writes for Stat NewsStat News on Colorado’s legalization of psychedelics, otherwise known as “magic mushrooms,” in a ballot measure that passed last week with more than 52 percent support. Adults 21 and older will have legal access to a healing center that supervises people taking magic mushrooms.

    Oregon passed similar legislation in 2020 through a ballot measure. Legalization of medicinal psychedelics is a big deal. More experts find that psychedelics, psilocybin in particular, can be effective at treating people who are depressed and anxious, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, or otherwise faced with mental health challenges.

    A recent study of psilocybin found that it works for some patients at reducing depression when other treatments fail. But, there remain a lot of unknown risks.

    Natural Medicine Colorado, a business seeking to promote psilocybin in Colorado, spent $4.5 million to support the ballot measure. Other companies, such as Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap, also supported the initiative. Whether psilocybin is good for you, it’s good for them.

    While psilocybin will be legal in Colorado, you will not be able to buy it at a shop, as you can with cannabis. You will need to go to a venue where you will be supervised after you take the drug. Access to psilocybin at these venues is still likely more than a year away.

    The Colorado regulatory agency in charge of overseeing the use of psychedelics in licensed settings has until January 1, 2024 to establish the standards for how and where psilocybin is dispensed.

    In addition to permitting people to use psilocybin at healing centers, the Colorado law permits people to legally grow and share psilocybin with their friends and family.

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  • Eat more mushrooms!

    Eat more mushrooms!

    As scientists look to evidence of what might help treat people with COVID-19 or, at the very least, bolster their immune systems, quacks are proposing all sorts of things we should eat and do to protect ourselves. There is no evidence that mushrooms will protect us from the novel coronavirus, but there is evidence aplenty that eating mushrooms is a smart way to go to promote good health.

    There are more than 10,000 types of mushrooms. Some are poisonous. But, overall, mushrooms are low in both calories and fat and present no health risks and many benefits.

    Harvard Health reports on one recent cross-sectional study showing that people who eat more than two servings (one and a half cups total) of mushrooms each week, compared with people who eat less than one serving a week, had a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment.

    Another recent observational study of 36,000 men, over 13 to 25 years, shows a link between eating mushrooms and reducing the risk of prostate cancer. The study found that men who ate one or two three-ounce servings of mushrooms a week had an eight percent lower risk of prostate cancer than men who ate no mushrooms. And, men who ate three or four servings of mushrooms a week had a 17 percent lower risk of prostate cancer.

    Arden Fanning Andrews reports for The New York Times that one mycologist–a biologist who studies mushrooms or fungi–Paul Stamets–calls mushrooms “nature’s miniature pharmaceutical factories.” You can watch his TED Talk on six ways mushrooms can save the world, here.

    Another mushroom expert says that mushrooms can soak up and chaperone waste from our cells. Their digestive system is much like our digestive system.

    Experts say that we have yet to find most of the mushrooms in the world. And, there’s lots more to discover about their benefits. For now, here’s more on what we know:

    In Japan, families often treat themselves with mushroom drinks instead of Tylenol or Advil. Mushrooms are thought to boost people’s immune systems. Some types of mushrooms also have high antioxidant content.

    Some mushrooms are also thought to help you focus and clear your mind. Some are thought to help you concentrate. Some mushrooms might help with memory. Other mushrooms apparently improve the health of your gut and skin.

    Shitake mushrooms, which are relatively easy to find, have a lot of vitamin D, selenium and zinc. All of these ingredients are also good for the health of your skin.

    Reishi mushrooms allegedly lower people’s stress levels and keep them from feeling sleepy. They make you chill.

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  • Can eating more mushrooms prevent cognitive decline?

    Can eating more mushrooms prevent cognitive decline?

    There are hundreds of studies on the benefits of different foods and vitamins for your heart, your brain, your muscles and more. More often than not, these studies recommend eating more green leafy vegetables and nuts. The latest study, out of the National University of Singapore (NUS), finds that eating more mushrooms may prevent cognitive decline in older adults.

    Did you even know that mushrooms could have special health benefits? According to this new study, older adults who eat a half plate (300g) of mushrooms each week could reduce their risk of mild cognitive impairment–memory loss or forgetfulness or attention deficits–by half. The senior research fellow on the NUS study suggests this benefit may stem from the compound ergothioneine (ET), which is found in most mushrooms.

    ET (ergothioneine) is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. People cannot synthesize ET on their own. But, you can find ET in a variety of mushrooms, including golden, oyster, shiitake, white button mushrooms, dried and canned mushrooms. Keep in mind that there is no evidence that taking supplements containing ergothioneine is beneficial; it is not the same as eating mushrooms, and supplements have risks.

    Moreover, there is not enough evidence to say definitively that eating mushrooms forestalls cognitive decline. Still, there’s no harm in eating more mushrooms. If you don’t like mushrooms, there are other evidence-based ways to forestall cognitive decline.

    Keeping mentally and physically healthy may prevent cognitive decline and dementia, according to other research. Managing high blood pressure, having a social network , exercising, keeping a healthy weight, managing hearing loss, not smoking and drinking only small amounts of alcohol all may help.

    The NUS study was conducted between 2011 to 2017.

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