Psychedelic Mushrooms: Medicine and Healing
Originally posted February 21, 2017
Psychedelic mushrooms have been an integral part of healing throughout human culture for centuries. Because this species of mushrooms, known as psilocybin cubensis, shows such promise with its therapeutic properties, there have been numerous studies conducted over the years. Used for both mystical and medical reasons, psychedelic mushrooms have the power to provide deep restoration to mind, body, and soul.
It’s well known that mushrooms provide a unique journey that is unparalleled. There have been numerous studies conducted that highlight this transcendent experience when taking psychedelic mushrooms, with the most famous known as the Good Friday Experiment. This study was the first of many to come that showed the positive effects of mushrooms on the human psyche. Studies that have come after have shown this…and much more.
Mushrooms as a Means to Treat Depression
Perhaps one of the most beneficial ways mushrooms work on the human mind is the ability they have to help ease depression. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 350 million people around the world suffer from some sort of depression. And while there have been numerous studies that highlight this proficiency when it comes to treating mental health, a recent study showed just how “magic” these mushrooms really are. In the study, 12 out of 12 people experienced a major decrease in depressive symptoms, with 5 out of 12 being completely healed three months later.
Calming Cluster Headaches
Anyone who has ever experienced a migraine knows just how painful these headaches can be. Intensify that pain by about one hundred, and you might have an idea of how painful cluster headaches are. They’re so bad that they’re often dubbed as “suicide headaches” and can be so debilitating that it is all but impossible to function normally in society. Modern medicine does little to help with drugs from opiates to steroids providing little in the form of relief. Mushrooms, however, have shown to be an extremely beneficial cure for cluster headaches…so much so that just one dose provides the relief a person needs for sometimes months.
Psychedelic mushrooms show such promise for treating cluster headaches that National Geographic has even done a story about it. And the many studies that have been conducted on cluster headaches, and the ability of mushrooms to treat them, shows promising results. One of these earlier studies was published in the journal Neurology in 2006, and showed 22 out of 26 people that took psilocybin for cluster headaches found relief–and 18 out of 19 people found an extended period of remission following treatment with psilocybin mushrooms.
An Antidote for Addiction
The promise psychedelic mushrooms show for treating dependency issues is also astounding. From helping people cease their addiction to cigarettes to being a “cure” for alcoholism, psilocybin has a strong case as an antidote for addiction. In 2014, a study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology showed an alarming success rate in how psilocybin helped heavy smokers quit their habit. The study, conducted by John Hopkins University, showed 12 out of 15 longtime smokers to quit smoking for more than six months after three sessions with psychedelic mushrooms.
Although there have not been many studies showing the efficacy of psilocybin to treat alcoholism, one single-group proof-of-concept-study showed psilocybin to be beneficial in helping alcoholics overcome their substance abuse issues. With the promise psychedelic mushrooms have shown in helping with addiction, it shouldn’t be long before other studies are conducted highlighting similar results.
The use of psychedelic mushrooms is nothing new. The medicinal and spiritual benefits of psilocybin were known by the ancients and used in a variety of different healing ceremonies over many centuries. They are now reemerging as more people become aware of this sacred plant medicine. There has been a resurgence in the popularity of psychedelics over the past decade, and with new studies being conducted almost constantly, it may not be long before we see a more widespread revival when it comes to psychedelic mushroom medicine.
Organizations such as the Heffter Research Institute, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), and others stand strongly behind psychedelic research when it comes to studying the effects of psychedelic mushrooms in the modern era. These organizations understand what the ancients saw when using psychedelics as a powerful medicinal and spiritual conduit, and are working tirelessly to bring these benefits to become accepted by the modern world.
Psychedelic mushrooms promote healing at the root causes of a person’s condition…and open the channels of recovery of several different ailments on a level of which nothing else compares. Perhaps it is the understanding the offer a person of themselves that allows for such powerful healing to take place. Plant medicine is a powerful ally when it comes to healing, with psychedelic mushrooms offering health-giving attributes that are unrivaled by anything modern medicine could ever offer.