Health benefits of mushrooms

Janjan99 · Oct 04, 2023, 12:50 PM

Research has shown that shrooms can be used in the treatment of cancer patients but if you wanted to take it outside of a prescription how would you know what quantity or dosage ti take? How often is it recommended before it becomes a possible addiction?

MushBro · Oct 04, 2023, 01:11 PM

The research i've seen is that psilocybin mushrooms do help cancer patients but specifically with mental health in cases of life-threatening cancer:

From: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5367557/

QuoteCancer patients often develop chronic, clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety. Previous studies suggest that psilocybin may decrease depression and anxiety in cancer patients. The effects of psilocybin were studied in 51 cancer patients with life-threatening diagnoses and symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. This randomized, double-blind, cross-over trial investigated the effects of a very low (placebo-like) dose (1 or 3 mg/70 kg) vs. a high dose (22 or 30 mg/70 kg) of psilocybin administered in counterbalanced sequence with 5 weeks between sessions and a 6-month follow-up. Instructions to participants and staff minimized expectancy effects. Participants, staff, and community observers rated participant moods, attitudes, and behaviors throughout the study. High-dose psilocybin produced large decreases in clinician- and self-rated measures of depressed mood and anxiety, along with increases in quality of life, life meaning, and optimism, and decreases in death anxiety. At 6-month follow-up, these changes were sustained, with about 80% of participants continuing to show clinically significant decreases in depressed mood and anxiety. Participants attributed improvements in attitudes about life/self, mood, relationships, and spirituality to the high-dose experience, with >80% endorsing moderately or greater increased well-being/life satisfaction. Community observer ratings showed corresponding changes. Mystical-type psilocybin experience on session day mediated the effect of psilocybin dose on therapeutic outcomes.

I haven't seen any research regarding a direct effect of psychedelics on the cancer itself but as we know alot of research has been limited by prohibitive laws.

Stress reduction has already been shown to have health benefits. I would be interested to see if the positive mental health effects from psilocybin lead to an overall decrease in cancer diagnosis in the general population and/or all cause mortality. Hopefully someone, somewhere is working on this research.

MushBro · Oct 04, 2023, 01:25 PM

Also psilocybin hasn't been shown to cause addiction by physical dependence. Meaning it doesn't directly act on the dopamine system nor does it alter brain functioning so that people compulsively seek it out.

That said, it is possible to become psychologically dependent on anything. Or to use something so much that it affects normal everyday activities but this is different than physical, dopamine-mediated dependence/addiction.

It's impossible to compare psilocybin to any other classically addicting substances or activities like alcohol, gambling, opioid drugs, video games, pornography or risk taking because these all release dopamine and act on the motivation/reward centres of the brain. Psilocybin acts on serotonin and has not been shown to cause physical dependence.

vertibral · Oct 06, 2023, 07:21 PM

Quote from: Janjan99 on Oct 04, 2023, 12:50 PMResearch has shown that shrooms can be used in the treatment of cancer patients but if you wanted to take it outside of a prescription how would you know what quantity or dosage ti take? How often is it recommended before it becomes a possible addiction?

No prescription needed for mushrooms in jamaica and I hope to god they keep it that way. Alcohol is more harmful than mushrooms an dem allow yu fi drink dat till yu fool