It can be found in some types of mushrooms and truffles, as well as in some species of cacti and morning glory seeds. Ingesting these substances as a hot tea causes feelings of relaxation or euphoria, along with visual hallucinations. The effects occur within minutes after ingestion and can last between four and six hours.

Psilocybin has been shown to increase visual acuity and make colors brighter, which may explain why "magic mushrooms" were used by indigenous peoples for spiritual purposes in ancient times and hunting. Terrence Mckenna made several statements regarding the potential benefits of psilocybin mushrooms in this respects. He claimed that during his spiritual travels amongst other tribes, they describe having the ability to increase visual acuity when hunting. which makes sense since a written record of psilocybin mushrooms dated back to the late 15th century written by English botanist William Turner mentions how the indigenous people in South America would eat them before going hunting for rabbits or deer because it increased their mental alertness. Mckenna also believes that taking psilocybin leads to neurogenesis, which means it can help repair damage done by diseases like Alzheimer’s when methods like microdosing are taken into account.

Brief History

This compound has been used medicinally for thousands of years. The oldest known reference to psilocybin mushrooms is found in a book called the Rigveda, which dates back to 1000 BCE.

The book is a collection of sacred hymns and prayers that were written by Hindu priests in India. The Rigveda describes how people would eat the mushrooms to enter the spirit world and communicate more effectively with the deities with an unique concoction called SOMA.

Although many argue till this day of what Soma in the Rigveda really was, R. Gordon Wasson, a well-known ethnomycologist and author, spent years researching the origins of soma in order to determine its true identity. He first suspected that it was psilocybin mushrooms, but he had no way to confirm his theory until he managed to get access to the original Vedic texts.

After reading these ancient texts and comparing them with his own studies of mushrooms that have been used for their psychedelic properties, Wasson concluded that Amanita muscaria was indeed the inspiration for soma.

Some years later, around 400 BCE, Greek philosopher Plato wrote about "pharmakon" in his writing Phaedo. Pharmakon is usually translated as "drug," which acts as both a remedy and poison. Plato believed that certain plants could have both healing properties and poisonous ones. He thought that they should be used only by experienced healers who knew how to use them safely.

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Current Research

Today, the medical community is beginning to explore the potential benefits of psilocybin for all manners of treatment. 

In the 1950s, psilocybin was classified as a Schedule 1 drug by the US government, making it illegal to possess or sell. Currently in 2022, Psilocybin is still categorized as Schedule 1, a drug that the authorities claim don’t have any presently wide-spread scientific use and a excessive ability for abuse, but there are multiple arguments that state why psilocybin should be reclassified to a Schedule IV drug which would mean it is low on abuse and dependency, and it is something that Johns Hopkins Medicine has mentioned this possible change of classification since 2018.

Despite restrictions over the years, research into psilocybin’s potential medical benefits continued in practice in various controlled settings. There are several top universities leading the way in research on psilocybin and other psychedelics like Harvard University, New York University, University of California San Francisco, University of California Los Angeles and many others. Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, was awarded the first federal grant in 50 years to study psilocybin as a treatment for depression in 2021. The university's researchers are also studying its effects on anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), alcoholism, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Treating Anxiety, Depression and PTSD

Studies at UCLA Psychedelics Studies Initiative have shown that psilocybin can help people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression by reducing symptoms of both conditions. Some people also report that taking psilocybin has helped them cope with end-of-life issues, such as terminal illnesses or grief over the loss of a loved one. Anecdotal evidence, like this clinical trial led by Alan K. Davis at the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, points to psilocybin as a treatment for PTSD, addiction, suicidality, depressed mood, and more.

Michael Pollen, author of "How to Change Your Mind", calls psilocybin "nature's Prozac." He says that psilocybin can help people who are depressed by allowing them to "see their lives in a new way."

In his book How To Change Your Mind: What The New Science Of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression And Transcendence (2019), Michael Pollen explores the history of psychedelic drugs and current research on their therapeutic applications. Pollen describes a study led by psychiatrist Dr. Charles Grob, professor at UCLA, who found that psilocybin reduced anxiety and depression in cancer patients. In a follow-up study with long-term follow-up data, the researchers found that these effects persisted over time (Grob et al., 2011). They also found that psilocybin improved quality of life and spiritual well-being among participants.

Helping With Addiction

The benefits of psilocybin are many, but one of its greatest benefits is the ability to help people with addictions.

Psilocybin has been proven to help people overcome their addiction to alcohol and other drugs, including nicotine.

A proof-of-concept study into alcohol use disorder in 2015, led by Michael Bogenschutz, a professor of psychiatry at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, found that abstinence among addicts increased significantly following the use of psilocybin.

Something To Think About…

Although it has been used for millennia by indigenous cultures for spiritual and healing purposes, and is currently legal for recreational use in more than a dozen countries around the world, psilocybin is still classified as a Schedule I drug in the United States. This means that it has no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Despite this classification, researchers have been studying psilocybin's potential benefits on mental health disorders such as PTSD, depression and anxiety. They've found some promising results — so much so that some experts believe it's only a matter of time before psilocybin becomes an approved prescription medicine.

Psilocybin is illegal but you have corporations dumping billions in research and planning their commercialization. An example of this is Johnson & Johnson which already has a ketamine based drug on the market, SPRAVATO. Which is one of their newest treatments for major depressive disorder. Great thing they’re doing but did you know one month of treatment costs between $4,720 to $6,785, so who is this really helping?

How do you feel about big corporations making profits and getting ahead of the game on something so many people are desperately in need of?

Did you know Christmas might have been inspired by Amanita Muscaria?

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