Fungi Friday's - July 15, 2022
Issue #40
Hey there, Fungi Friday fans,
Happy Friday! We’re back with yet another feature of your favorite Fungi newsletter on the web. Hard to believe we’ve already churned out 40 issues, time flies when you’re talking fungi.
Had another big wind storm hit the farm this past week. Panels are officially shook… but we believe all to still be functional. We’ve got some work ahead though, as until we get those fully fastened and secured, there will be no mushrooms. Good news is, we don’t make the same mistakes twice here, so we’re confident we’ll get there — even if it’s not immediate. Mushrooms will be grown!
For now though, still a waiting game... So let’s get on to the articles.
How Mushroom Coffee Could Improve Your Digestion
While to the uninformed, it may seem that mushroom coffee only recently burst on scene as a popular morning beverage, mushrooms have actually been utilized as a caffeinated alternative since WWII, during a coffee shortage in Finland. Typically, this process involves combining about half coffee with half dried mushrooms, which provides not only your normal morning wake-up call, but also the many health benefits that accompany medicinal mushrooms, including, but not limited to, the digestive improvements documented from the study in this week’s feature number one!
These medicinal mushrooms contain prebiotics, which according to Mayo Clinic, help keep the microbiome in tip-top shape. In addition to it’s prebiotic properties, mushrooms also include anti-allergenic properties, reduced risk of heart disease, and even the possibility of helping with cancer symptoms and side effects. As with most studies we cover here, this one still comes with the disclaimer that more studies are needed. The preliminary results are promising though, and as a big time coffee fan, I plan to keep paying attention!
Regular tiny doses of psychedelic mushroom found to improve mood, mental health
Taking tiny amounts of psychedelic mushrooms can improve mood and mental health, according to a new study that adds to growing evidence of the therapeutic potential of micro-dosing. The study, which consisted of 953 people taking very small amounts of psilocybin found that the micro-dosing showed greater improvements in mood, mental health, and mind-body coordination over the one-month period, compared to non-microdosing peers who completed the same assessments.
This is the largest study of it’s kind to date. The micro-doses in this study were, according to scientists, so small that they minimally interfere with daily functioning, and unlike many other drugs, psilocybin is known to be non-addictive. And for each of those reasons, the findings that mood and mental health improvements associated with psilocybin micro-dosing align with previous studies of psychedelic micro-dosing, and add to them through the use of a longitudinal study design and large sample that allowed us to examine consistency of effects across age, gender and their mental healthEven with each of those things, is even more exciting. This is yet another area that we here at Fungi Friday’s plan to keep up with over the years to come (are you understanding why I started writing this rag yet?)
Want even more? Here are some other interesting, mushroom focused reads of the week:
Researchers Look to Fungi for the Future of Building Materials
More than 100 health-care professionals challenge rejection of psilocybin access
LSD and magic mushrooms could treat brain disorders without causing hallucinogenic experiences
Early clinical data on psilocybin in anorexia point Compass to potential new opportunity
As always, thank you for reading this weeks edition of Fungi Friday’s! If you enjoyed what you found, please feel free to forward to friends also interested in the Fungi Community!
And if you were forwarded this post and enjoyed what you found, please subscribe below: