Depression Tips

Mushrooms have been used for thousands of years both as food and for medicinal purposes. Mushrooms are the fruiting body and reproductive structure of a higher order fungus organism. Mushrooms are widely distributed throughout the world, and thousands of species have been identified.

Mushrooms have high nutritional value. They help keep a healthy body and get away with diseases. Edible mushrooms are indeed nutritious. They are a good source of B vitamins, especially riboflavin and niacin, and rank the highest among vegetables for protein content. Mushrooms are brimming with protein, B vitamins and minerals including selenium, potassium and copper.

They’re low in calories and may have antibacterial substances to help the body. Cooked fresh mushrooms offer the most nutritional benefit versus the canned version that may have more sodium. . Mushrooms have been gaining more importance as health food and a source of valuable medicines.

I can appreciate the mention of mushrooms as a possible aid in mood change but considering that ”magic” mushrooms and their spores are illegal to own and illegal to grow, I don’t think it’s a very realistic tool. Mushrooms are incredibly intense and produce shattering experiences that could only be called mystical - but while the effects may cause one to feel more open emotionally - it is a far cry from anything that really addresses the core of the problem. It provides more questions than answers.

Scientists are to investigate a hallucinogenic chemical in “magic mushrooms” as a possible new treatment for depression, anxiety and drug dependence.

The move follows an unusual study which showed that the compound, psilocybin, can prompt long lasting positive changes in mood and behaviour.

Researchers also found that people who took the chemical experienced genuine mystical experiences, as defined by psychologists.

A third of the 36 study participants described their psilocybin experience as the “most spiritually significant” of their lives.

Some likened it to the importance of the birth of their first child or the death of a parent.

Magic mushrooms, or “shrooms”, come in several varieties, all of which contain psilocybin. Until last year a loophole in the law meant they were not illegal in their natural state in the UK.

Under the Drugs Act 2005 they are now classified as a Class A drug, like heroin or cocaine.

Possession may be punishable by several years in jail, while supplying the mushrooms could result in a life sentence.

Professor Roland Griffiths, from Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, led the study, the first rigorous investigation of the effects of “tripping” on a drug for decades.

The volunteers were all healthy, well-educated, mostly middle-aged and with no family history of psychotic illness.

Each attended two separate eight hour drug sessions at two month intervals. On one occasion they received psilocybin, on the other the drug Ritalin which was used as a placebo.

Medical professionals were on hand to act as “monitors” and observe what happened. Neither the participants nor the monitors knew when the test drug was being taken.

The trials took place in a room fitted out as a comfortable lounge, with soft music and indirect lighting.

Heart rate and blood pressure were measured, and questionnaires used to assess volunteers’ experiences.