Scientific Reports
July 23, 2021
Alexander V. Lebedev, Kasim Acar, Benjamín Garzón et al.
19 citations
Psychedelic drug use shows only a weak association with psychosis-like symptoms, largely explained by psychiatric comorbidities and use of other psychoactive substances. In a study of 1,032 adults (701 healthy young adults aged 18–35), psychedelic users had slightly higher schizotypy scores, but the effect was small and not significant after controlling for other drug use. Experimental testing in 39 subjects found that greater lifetime psychedelic exposure was linked to better evidence integration and heightened fear responses to instructed knowledge in a learning task, suggesting possible therapeutic effects on flexibility and aversive learning in non-psychotic populations.
May 31, 2022
Predrag Petrović, Jovana Vunduk
2 citations
Mushroom-forming fungi produce a wide range of unique metabolites, including polysaccharides, terpenoids, polyketides, and amino compounds, that exhibit various biological effects. The most studied application is cancer treatment, where mushrooms provide compounds with direct antitumor effects and immunomodulating polysaccharides like β-glucans that stimulate the immune system against cancer cells. Clinically proven glucan-based products such as lentinan from Lentinula edodes and PSK from Trametes versicolor benefit certain cancer types. Mushrooms also yield potent cytotoxic compounds (illudins, clitocine, ganoderic acids) and antimicrobial agents, with pleuromutilin leading to new drugs approved for human use. Psychedelic mushrooms and psilocybin are studied as therapies for depression, and mushroom consumption is linked to improved sugar and lipid metabolism, though claims about vitamin content may be overstated; production can be manipulated to increase compounds like vitamin D.