New Study: Magic Mushroom Healthy?

Psilocybin also known as magic mushrooms, boomers, shrooms, Magic Tony's toes and mushies. Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have released a research paper with the rationale of extending research on 'previous observations showing that psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having persisting positive effects on attitudes, mood, and behavior'.

One of the human guinea pigs said "I feel that I relate better in my marriage. There is more empathy — a greater understanding of people and understanding their difficulties and less judgment...Less judging of myself, too." Another test dude pig said : "I have better interaction with close friends and family and with acquaintances and strangers. ... My alcohol use has diminished dramatically."

They may or may not have gone on a hunch from the popular 8-bit hero Mario whose dose effects were major healing. The Grateful Dead were fans of magic mushrooms, so before the conclusion lets have a drum roll of some Grateful Dead jamming!

So lets cut to the chase the conclusions in the research paper were ' Conclusions Under supportive conditions, 20 and 30 mg/ 70 kg psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences having persisting positive effects on attitudes, mood, and behavior [...]the present study shows that psilocybin can dose-dependently occasion mystical-type experiences having persisting positive effects on attitudes, mood, and behavior. The observations that episodes of extreme fear, feeling trapped, or delusions occur at the highest dose in almost 40% of volunteers, that anxiety and fear have an unpredictable time course across the session, and that an ascending sequence of dose exposure may be associated with long-lasting positive changes have implications for the design of therapeutic trials with psilocybin. Considering the rarity of spontaneous mystical experiences in the general population, the finding that more than 70% of volunteers in the current study had “complete” mystical experiences suggests that most people have the capacity for such experiences under appropriate conditions and, therefore, such experiences are biologically normal." 

Mario is happy :)

Finally let us hear what one Dr. Jerome Jaffe involved with the research, has to say:

The Hopkins psilocybin studies clearly demonstrate that this route to the mystical is not to be walked alone. But they have also demonstrated significant and lasting benefits. That raises two questions: could psilocybin-occasioned experiences prove therapeutically useful, for example in dealing with the psychological distress experienced by some terminal patients? And should properly-informed citizens, not in distress, be allowed to receive psilocybin for its possible spiritual benefits, as we now allow them to pursue other possibly risky activities such as cosmetic surgery and mountain-climbing?

 “The Smurfs are little blue people who live in magic mushrooms. Think about it.” (quote by unknown source)