Ethnopharmacology relevanceCentral nervous system (CNS) diseases can be diverse and usually present with comorbidity, as in the case of depression and anxiety. Despite alternatives like Psilocybe mushrooms for mental health there is no basic research to evidence their CNS benefits.Aim of the studyTo evaluate the anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects, a...
Psilocybe "magic mushrooms" are chemically well understood for their psychotropic tryptamines. However, the diversity of their other specialized metabolites, in particular terpenoids, has largely remained an open question. Yet, knowledge on the natural product background is critical to understand if other compounds modulate the psychotropic pharmacological e...
Psilocybe zapotecorum is a strongly blue-bruising psilocybin mushroom used by indigenous groups in southeastern Mexico and beyond. While this species has a rich history of ceremonial use, research into its chemistry and genetics have been limited. Herein, we detail mushroom morphology and report on cultivation parameters, chemical profile, and the full genom...
For centuries, the hallucinogenic ‘magic’ mushroom Psilocybe mexicana has been the subject of colourful folklore as well as ongoing controversy (Nichols 2020). In 1958, Sandoz chemist Albert Hofman...
Psychedelic indolethylamines have emerged as potential medicines to treat several psychiatric pathologies. Natural sources of these compounds include ‘magic mushrooms' ( Psilocybe spp.), plants used to prepare ayahuasca, and toads. The skin and parotid glands of certain toads accumulate a variety of specialized metabolites including toxic guanidine alkaloids...
Vacuum-assisted headspace high capacity solid-phase microextraction (Vac-HS-HC-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to compare the volatile compounds that make up the volatile and semi-volatile components of five psilocybin mushrooms (Psilocybe cubensis), as well as three non-psilocybin mushroom species. Using an untargete...
The pharmacological treatment of depression consists of taking antidepressant drugs for prolonged periods; its modest therapeutic effect can often be associated with significant adverse effects, while its discontinuation can lead to relapses. Psilocybin is today a novel and breakthrough therapy for major depression. It is a natural alkaloid in Psilocybe mush...
Abstract Background Psilocybin-containing mushrooms induce antidepressant and momentary increase in blood pressure (BP) with potential risk to users with cardiovascular diseases. Irregularities in nitric oxide (NO) levels play a key role in endothelial dysfunctions leading to increases in BP. Mushrooms species show large variation in potency which may potent...
Abstract Psilocybin is the psychoactive substance contained in the psilocybe(hallucinogenic) mushroom, which has received considerable attention among the scientific community in recent years. Human studies have demonstrated that even a single-dose of psilocybin can improve debilitating physical and psychological symptoms with durable long-term effects. >136...
Psilocybin-containing mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms have antidepressant effect, however, their safety in cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure is not fully known and needs to be investigated. Cardiac hypertrophy is an independent risk factor for heart failure morbidity and mortality. Angiotensin II (Ang-II) plays a major role in the pa...
Psychedelic fungi have received considerable attention recently due to their promising treatment potential of several psychiatric disorders and medical conditions, both in clinical settings but also as a nutraceutical. Besides research, a growing number of companies are developing capacity to conduct research and clinical trials where these fungi and their p...
Psychedelic fungi have received considerable attention recently due to their promising treatment potential of several psychiatric disorders and medical conditions, both in clinical settings but also as a nutraceutical. Besides research, a growing number of companies are developing capacity to conduct research and clinical trials where these fungi and their p...
In 1970, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration passed the Controlled Substances Act. This statute classified and banned a variety of drugs including psilocybin, the psychoactive component found in Psilocybe Cubensis (also known as "Magic Mushrooms"). Though psilocybin was known to possess many medical benefits and cause no serious side effects, t...
This study is seeking to find the optimal microdose or low dose of psilocybin (magic mushrooms) that provides general enhancements to mood, memory, sleep, and other measures of general well-being without any hallucinogenic effects. Psilocybin is a natural psychoactive alkaloid component of more than 200 species of naturally growing mushrooms that can be foun...
eath is of the most certain and undeniable truths in an existence shrouded by mysteries and unknowns, yet many don't have the opportunity for a meaningful reflection on this matter until the very end of their life.Existential suffering often awaits at death's door while effective solutions remain limited.The reality is that saving lives has been a key pillar...
The therapeutic use of the substance psilocin produced by the fungi from the genus named Psilocybe has been an interesting but also controversial topic of discussion among researchers since the 1950s until now. These fungi can synthesize several alkaloids such as psilocybin, which has hallucinogenic properties, but also muscarine, which is a toxic substance ...
Psychedelics are used for various pathologies of the central nervous system and are currently the subject of much research, some of which relates to the compounds contained in various -type hallucinogenic mushrooms. It is difficult, however, to obtain and purify sufficient quantities of these compounds from fungi to carry out biological studies, hence the ne...
Psychoactive mushrooms in the genus Psilocybe have immense cultural value and have been used for centuries in Mesoamerica. Despite a recent surge in interest in these mushrooms due to emerging evidence that psilocybin, the main psychoactive compound, is a promising therapeutic for a variety of mental illnesses, their phylogeny and taxonomy remain substantial...
The genus Psilocybe of Basidiomycota includes more than two hundred species of mushroom-forming fungi, which are widely known for the production of the secondary metabolite psilocybin, a prodrug of its in vivo dephosphorylated active metabolite psilocin [1]. Psilocybin is being currently used in numerous clinical trials including the treatment of Major Depre...
