Cambridge Education

Laboratory studies can be helpful in identifying complications of hallucinogenic mushroom abuse. Identification of the mushroom by a mycologist is desirable (see Workup). Have you ever used psychedelics in a controlled forum like therapy or a research study? Use the contact form below and we may reach out for future stories. In fact, the term "psychedelics" was coined by a Canadian psychiatrist, Humphrey Osmond, whose institution in Weyburn, Sask., was home to some of the first LSD Gel Tabs trials.

Gymnopilus contains over 200 species world-wide and has a psychedelic type species, namely Gymnopilus liquiritiae (Figure 1J; Karsten, 1879; Wurst et al., 2002; Kalichman et al., 2020). The genus is characterised by dry, reddish-brown to rusty orange or yellow fruiting bodies that are medium to large and have a well-developed veil (Stamets, 1996). Microscopic characteristics include spores with verrucose to rugulose ornamentation, no germ pore, and dextrinoid walls, and spore prints are a rusty brown (Holec, 2005).

Across the country, demand for psilocybin-assisted therapy is growing, with more people seeking out the compound as a potential treatment for a variety of mental health conditions like depression and addiction. Once linked solely to 1960s counter­culture and "bad trips," psychedelic drugs are making a comeback — but not in the way you might expect. Science has wrestled these previously illicit compounds into the lab, finding promise in their ability to beat back depression in people who haven't found relief with standard treatments.

Much larger studies are needed to determine both safety and efficacy. Clinical research must also overcome the mushroom's image as a party drug, something hippies share out of plastic baggies in the back rows of concerts. To change that narrative, Wake and other companies say they are leaning hard into the science. This isn't thrill-seeking, they say, but legitimate medicine treating real psychiatric conditions.

Tracey, who lives in Colorado, where psilocybin was legalised for medicinal use in 2022, has just received messages from two grandmothers - "one is 85 and one is 80" - when we speak. "It makes you less irritated by certain things," says Alice, who is in her 40s and from east London. "I had my daughter after a long life of being independent and I found it really hard to surrender to motherhood. I'm alone with her most of the time and have to be everything to her, which I find extremely difficult." The 36-year-old, who lives in Buckinghamshire, says she is not tripping as she waves them goodbye. Rather, she is one of a number of parents microdosing hallucinogens, which she believes eases the stresses of modern life. "We have direct evidence from laboratory experiments that you can change the behavior of insects with psilocybin," Slot said.