Fungi are perhaps the most underappreciated kingdom of the natural world. As billion year-old organisms they are masters of survival and integral to the development of life on Earth. Fungi are also remarkable chemists producing molecules that humans still can’t make in a lab, and scientists are only scratching the surface since there are an estimated 5,000,000 species of fungi, and we’ve only discovered about one per cent of them. One species that is attracting great attention is psilocybin mushrooms, which have been part of religious rituals for thousands of years. The Aztecs referred to these mushrooms as “God’s flesh” in homage to their believed sacred power. In 1957, Albert Hoffman, a Swiss chemist working for the pharmaceutical company Sandoz, isolated psilocybin from a mushroom and unleashed all sorts of interesting discoveries. During the 60s, Sandoz sold psilocybin and LSD for research in medical trials, but the substances were soon outlawed after they became associated with Timothy Leary and the 60’s counterculture. Well Psilocybin has been making a steady comeback within the medical community who have conducted clinical trials showing remarkable success in treating patients with severe depression, anxiety and PTSD. Many individuals speak of life-changing experiences during a single session and emerge with new-found awareness including author Michael Pollan, author of “How to Change your Mind”. ### Resources
Talk with Michael Pollan
The earth’s secret miracle worker is not a plant or an animal: it’s fungi by Giuliana Furci
Link to Guiliana’s video : Let things rot
Fungal Elders/Hongos Ancestrales
Bibliography:
The Future Is Fungi: How Fungi Feed Us, Heal Us, and Save Our World By Michael Shu Lim and Yun Shue Thames and Hudson
Fantastic Fungi: Expanding Consciousness, Alternative Healing, Environmental Impact // Official Book of Smash Hit Documentary Hardcover – Illustrated, August 27, 2019
Introduction by Paul Stamets Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World By Paul Stamets Ten Speed Press (2005)
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures By Merlin Sheldrake Random House (2021)
Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest By Suzanne Simard Allen Lane (2021)
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