Magic Mushroom may help terminally ill patient

[Guest Nezahualcoyotl]

It seems to psilocybin containing mushrooms, also known as "Magic Mushrooms" or "'Shrooms" may help cancer patients and other terminally ill people.

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-09-07/entertainment/27074705_1_cancer-patients-pilot-study-patients-function

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=119460

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ucla-study-finds-magic-mushrooms-curb-anxiety-advanced/story?id=11568335

I hope y'all find this interesting!

[Tasso]

I think you need to take a look at the Forum Rules about promotion of psychoactives

[Guest Nezahualcoyotl]

I'm not promoting anything. I just linked to an article. Are you not allowed to talk about psychoactive mushrooms here? Please tell me that isn't true? Psychoactive mushrooms are a part of mycology and denying that is ridiculous. I'm not promoting anything, I'm just stating facts. Don't send me off to the Shroomery to be able to have open discussion, all they do is talk about drugs there and nothing else, that is why I came here! I am into mycology for many reasons not just psychoactive mushrooms, although that is a serious interest of mine.

And if anybody wants to make a comment about how I'm a stupid stoner or something then tell that to Dr.Grob who has a PHD! Psychoactives are a serious scientific subject and I don't appreciate the ridicule many people get who are interested in that subject!

Besides where is the line between psychoactive and toxic? Can we discuss Amanita muscaria but not Psilocybe cubensis? I assure you that all my posts will be factual and of a scientific nature and I will not promote recreational drug use, but if your asking me to ignore the entire subject? No way and neither should any serious mushroom enthusiast! Blame God for making them, not me for studying them! I study the entire natural world and I don't overlook bits and pieces because some people may find them disagreeable!

[Calvert]

No one is accusing you of being anything, much less a "stupid stoner". Discussing mushrooms is what we do, and I don't believe any fungi are off limits.

However, this forum is definitly not focused on the discussion of those members of "5th Kingdom" which are psychoactive. (The focus, apparently, is on those which taste good ). I don't doubt your interest in matters fungal is genuine, but as all of your posts to date focus heavily on the psychoactive variety, perhaps I can suggest you contact one of the moderators for clarification of the rules, and to see if this is the right place for you.

On the other hand, it is encouraging to see that, finally, research is being done on the possible medicinal properties of these fungi.

[Guest Nezahualcoyotl]

The 5th Kingdom? I've never heard this term, tell me more.

[Calvert]

The 5th Kingdom? I've never heard this term, tell me more.

Sorry, by the 5th Kingdom I just mean the fungi. At one point all life was divided up into five kingdoms, plants, animals, bacteria, "Eukaryotic others" and the fifth (and often ignored) one is fungi. (I believe in the modern classification, there are now 12 or so kingdoms.)

The name comes from the name of a famous Mycology textbook, "The Fifth Kingdom", by Bryce Kendrick. It is an undergraduate level mycology textbook, and well worth reading if you want to learn more about the science of mycology. Plus the author is Canadian!

[ladyflyfsh]

I am not opposed to a scientific discussion on this subject but I do not want it to be the sole focus of all your posts Nezahualcoyotl. There are very few people who post on this board who know much if anything about this subject or care, so you may find very little interest in the subject. We all help each other find what is fruiting in different parts of the country and around the world and how to identify them, what the host trees are, seasons, climates etc. and also help identifying mushrooms for newbies. This is not a subject that interests many people here, so please try and limit the amount of threads you start on this. Otherwise I hope you can find some other things to talk about and you will meet lots of very helpful people.

[Guest Nezahualcoyotl]

No problem, thanks for being nice about it!

[Feral Boy]

No problem, thanks for being nice about it!

There is a forum called The Shroomery (www.shroomery.org) that is mostly

focused on those, if you haven't found them already. We're much more into

mushrooms in general -- and edibles in particular!

We also have many members who can help out with ID questions -- with the

usual caveats that we can't be COMPLETELY sure based on a few pictures,

and that what you do with them afterwards is your responsibility.

Good hunting!

[Guest Nezahualcoyotl]

I don't like the Shroomery one bit.

[Kwilly]

I'm really fascinated by the potential health benefits of magic mushrooms! There's already some evidence that they could have therapeutic properties, particularly when it comes to treating depression and anxiety. Some studies have even suggested that they could help with addiction and PTSD.

Of course, we still have a lot to learn about the effects of magic mushrooms on our health, both positive and negative. But I'm excited to see where research in this area takes us. Who knows, maybe in the future we'll see magic mushrooms used as a mainstream treatment for a variety of mental health conditions. It's definitely an area worth keeping an eye on!

[Z-Unit22]

Shroomery is ancient technology. I don't like using it either. 

[Mark in Pittsfield MA]

On 7/7/2011 at 3:39 PM, Guest Nezahualcoyotl said:

I don't like the Shroomery one bit.

I'm here for much the same reason as Nezahualcoyotl. A general interest in identifying and eating mushrooms I  come across and equally,  an interest in their effects on brain and body. I appreciate everyone's concern lest this resource be swallowed up by the enormous psychedelic Renaissance. No one likes seeing a quiet woodland meadow turn into a McDonald's. That said, I'm a former bio research assistant who became a psychologist 43 years ago and a certified psychedelic harm reduction therapist this year. I won't promote, prescribe, recommend or go off topic here.

Mark Mellinger PhD