Thankfully, those days are over — or at least starting to come to a close. The U.S. Government is now approving major universities, such as Johns Hopkins, to conduct research into psilocybin for medicine. And the results are very promising, indeed.

From record high sales, to becoming a potential cure for depression, here’s why psilocybin is this year’s ultimate psychedelic favourite.

Just in time for Black Friday!

Shrooms in the Stock Market

magic mushrooms on spiral background
Psychedelic stocks are on the rise. Experts say a possible “shroom boom” may arrive sooner rather than later.

Investor interest in the use of magic mushrooms and magic truffles has picked up over the past five years, led largely by their potential to treat issues with mental health. And we’re just getting started… More clinical trials for psilocybin and other psychedelics are being approved and completed as we speak! You get what this means, right? Racking up solid scientific evidence: the only thing that helps to create confidence in big-ticket investors. 

As of November 2021, there are more than 50 psychedelic health treatment makers listed in the U.S. Stock exchange. Take “psychedelic pharma” company Atai Life Science, for example, which boasts a market capitalization of $US 2.5 billion.

Monash University’s Professor Arthur Christopoulos thinks psychedelic-based medicine is the next big Wall Street “boom” to prepare for:

“This is going to explode as a commercial area. We are in a bit of a gold rush right now.”

So Easy, Even Moms are Microdosing

Unlike costly antidepressants, microdosing psilocybin is easy, cheap, and inspires creativity in the workday.

Psilocybin is changing the lives of many. Now more than ever. 

From tech geniuses in Silicon Valley, to artists, writers, and poets looking for creative inspiration, to working-class parents simply trying their best to survive. 

Take Dana Phillips, for example — a Seattle mom who now grows her own magic mushrooms in her apartment.

In an interview with KIRO 7 News, the 32-year-old mom to two girls said that she microdoses psilocybin every few days to cope with stress and anxiety:

“We powder our mushrooms and put [them] in a little capsule. If I’m feeling stressed out or anxious that day, I take a little microdose.”

When asked by KIRO 7 News if a lot of people are shocked to hear a mom microdosing on mushrooms, Dana replied:

“Yes, oh definitely. And that’s part of the reason why I haven’t really shared my story. There’s a lot of stigma behind psychedelics in general.”

This comes after the Seattle City Council decriminalised the personal use, growing, and sharing of magic mushrooms and magic truffles, among other natural psychedelics. 

Genuine Relief from Depression

Dana’s story wasn’t always the cosy Seattle dream she’s living today. For the past ten years, the mom of two kids fought with depression. It got much worse during a traumatic relationship, she told KIRO 7 News:

shrooma is surprised
Psilocybin, the active compound in shrooms and magic truffles, helps to relieve symptoms of depression in a lasting way.

“My first major boyfriend sexually abused me. It was pretty intense. A lot of mental abuse.”

Things calmed down after Dana broke up with that boyfriend and met her loving husband. However, the sadness came back in waves after she gave birth to their eldest child — and the next. Therapy helped but only to a certain point. 

“I actually got to a point where I was having really, really hard thoughts about not wanting to exist. So it was really tough for me to even move throughout my day, and see that the people who loved me actually…cared for me.”

After a while, Dana and her husband started to look into magic mushrooms and magic truffles as a way to treat depression. Did it work?

“I was really afraid of what I was going to find in there. Because I knew psychedelics help you open up and look at your own consciousness.” 

The healing effects of psilocybin were deep, said Dana. Her depression left a lot quicker than expected:

“I processed through all of my emotional, abusive…super traumatic relationships that I have had throughout my 20’s…I was actually able to forgive myself for putting me in those situations. 

“My life [has] completely changed. I won’t ever look at my depression in the same way ever again.”

Faster and Stronger Than Antidepressants

Psilocybin, when paired with psychotherapy, is proven effective as treatment for major depression disorder. Now, it looks like shrooms could also be the cure. 

A recent study from Johns Hopkins showed that pairing therapy with two doses of psilocybin can create “rapid and large reductions in depression symptoms”. 

Co-author Dr. Alan Davis was shocked at how fast it worked in the trial:

“The magnitude of the effect we saw was about four times larger than what clinical trials have shown for traditional antidepressants on the market.

“Because most other depression treatments take weeks or months to work and may have undesirable effects, [psilocybin] could be a game changer if these findings hold up in future ‘gold-standard’ placebo-controlled clinical trials.”

Psilocybin: The Future of Mental Health

brain on lilac background
Psilocybin-assisted therapy may hold the key to unlocking the secrets of mental health, scientists say. 

Psilocybin-assisted therapy may hold the key to unlocking the secrets of mental health, scientists say. 

Today, magic mushrooms and magic truffles are more than just the casual tripper’s favourite. These shroomy delights are, in fact, well on their way to become the future of mental health treatment. 

Monash University in Australia has recently launched the Neuromedicines Discovery Centre — a drug development centre for new psychedelic-based treatments based largely on psilocybin and MDMA. It came just at the right time, too, said Professor Christopoulos, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences:

“The pandemic has clearly highlighted the mental health tsunami that is coming… It has really shone a light on the need for mental ill health therapies.”

Psilocybin from magic mushrooms and magic truffles spark the brain’s serotonin receptors, which can boost and repair broken connections in the brain. Scientists say psychedelics can help “loosen up” the patient’s ego, thus allowing them to open up (and later on, heal) during talk therapy. 

The new discovery centre will be the world’s first ‘end-to-end’ maker of new mental health medicines, using psilocybin and other psychedelics. That’s right. Everything from research, to manufacturing, to marketing — and even Silicon Valley-style startups — will be done in the same space!

“What we’re bringing [together] is formulation, drug discovery and delivery… And what we’re proposing is to do it at scale.”

The Growing Popularity of Shrooms

shrooma looking in mushroom grow kit
Even ordinary citizens, who may not be part of the “trippy counterculture”, have begun to grow their own magic mushrooms at home.

So how exactly has psilocybin captured the hearts and minds of ordinary people? You know, the ones who are not necessarily into the trippy lifestyle (aka psychonauts)?

Ben Sercombe, a Seattle resident who volunteers with the grassroots group Decrim Nature Seattle, summed it up nicely in an interview with KIRO 7:

“We see that as something that’s absolutely important because…not a lot of people can afford $2,000 treatments. And that limits the scope of who can have access to these medicines.”

Ben has now set up several magic mushroom grow kits in his home. His preferred method? Growing mushroom spores in jars of wheat berries. Easy peasy! 

“I wanted to show my face and let people know a little more about the process of growing [magic mushrooms]. Because it’s not this big, bad scary drug that I think a lot of people may associate with it.

“What I found was, antidepressants were not working for me. It was in college and it just made me feel so dull to the world…It was just like my emotions were muted.”

Enter a psilocybin trip that Ben had taken on a whim, which opened his eyes to the root of his depression. This level of deep philosophical insight is thanks to a process called ego death, which taking a macro-dose of psilocybin can help set in motion.

“Instead of shielding you from a problem, it exposes you to the problem. So you’re able to understand why I am feeling this way, what are the factors in my life that are making me depressed and bringing me down.”

Psychedelic New Wave

Can you believe there was ever a time when magic mushrooms, magic truffles, and LSD were widely believed to be party drugs that would “obliterate your mind”, or so the suits said? Even psychedelic research was banned, which kept us from having life-saving mental health treatment for decades. 

Aren’t we lucky to live in a virtual Psychedelic New Wave, in which lawmakers are voting YES to psilocybin left and right? Who knows…If this psychedelic train keeps on chugging, you’ll soon be able to purchase magic mushrooms and magic truffles everywhere!  

Now that’s cause for celebration!