News
Psilocybin: Calls to ease restrictions on magic mushroom drug
An MP has called on the government to ease restrictions on a drug found in magic mushrooms to allow it to be used to treat mental health conditions. Charlotte Nichols spoke about her own experience of PTSD as she urged ministers to make it easier to research potential...
Can psychedelics aid Canada’s mental health crisis? One expert says yes
A Burnaby, B.C. company is forging ahead to give patients access to psychedelics hoping the substances can be used to help people with severe mental health issues. Filament Health co-founder Ben Lightburn believes working with Health Canada to understand the potential...
Film explores B.C. woman’s experience with magic mushrooms to ease cancer anxiety
Laurie Brooks never thought she'd one day use magic mushrooms and advocate for the ability of others to do the same. The 55-year-old B.C. resident also never imagined having colon cancer and feared the impact her imminent death would have on her husband and four...
New mushroom species named after Paul Stamets: Psilocybe Stametsii
It's always impressive to see great minds being honored for their contributions - and Paul Stamets is no exception. For over four decades, mycologist Paul Stamets has revolutionized the world of fungus. Now, his legacy will forever be remembered with a species bearing...
‘Magic mushroom’ trial in WA could be the key to treating depression
The first legally grown batch of pharmaceutical-grade mushroom-derived psilocybin will soon be planted in south-west Western Australia after an alternative-drug company received ethics approval to carry out the state's first clinical trial using psilocybin to treat...
Hallucinogen in ‘magic mushrooms’ relieves depression in largest clinical trial to date
Psilocybin, the hallucinogen found in "magic mushrooms," helped to relieve symptoms in people with hard-to-treat depression in the largest clinical trial of its kind to date, the trial's organizers announced Tuesday (Nov. 9). Earlier this year, a small study suggested...
Psilocybin and Mental Health: The Magic in the Mushrooms
Humans have long capitalized on the metabolic products of fungi for medical purposes (e.g., penicillin). Psilocybin is a fungal metabolite that has attracted increased attention from media outlets, clinicians and researchers in recent years. Naturally found in a...
The ‘gnarly and painful’ therapeutic potential of ‘magic mushrooms’
In the span of 15 years, psychedelics have transformed dramatically in the public eye, from the consciousness-expanding darlings of the counterculture to what could be the most significant breakthrough in psychiatric treatment in many decades. Given that reality, it’s...
The Zombie Fungi That Inspired ‘The Last of Us’ Is Actually Edible—And Super Common
Not to spook you, but zombie fungus is real. Cordyceps, an orangey tendriled fungus, can indeed infect and control the bodies of certain bugs like ants, spiders, and millipedes, among others, effectively turning them into zombies. But it can’t do that to humans, and...