About 100 species of mushrooms are used for therapeutic purposes. They contain vitamins, minerals, proteins, amino acids and multiple active substances that provide antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immuno-stimulating properties.
Mushrooms are considered superfoods. Some of them balance the intestinal flora, others have antiallergic, antiparasitic effects, strengthen immunity or are recommended in diabetes, colds and flu, liver diseases etc.
The most famous and valuable mushrooms grow in Japan and China. Thousands of years ago they were considered true “gifts of the gods” or “elixirs of life”. Medicine developed, modernized, but the healing power of medicinal mushrooms remained the same.
Even the magic mushrooms have returned to the public’s attention, after psylocibin was better researched and it was discovered that it influences serotonin levels in the brain, having benefits for treating depression, anxiety, nicotine addiction, and substance use disorders. It is almost miraculous how quickly and reliably neuronal connections form, and this will undoubtedly usher in a new era of the use of psychoactive drugs.
Psilocybin is an illegal substance in the United States, for now, and has been for at least 40 years. However, more recently, the government has been more open to the idea of using microscopic mushroom spores for scientific purposes, which will encourage research and push for the drug’s medical legalization.