The Power Of Psilocybin To Heal Our Minds And Our Bodies

Episode 776 1h 28m

Overview

We’re in the midst of a psychedelic renaissance. Compounds that have long been considered recreational drugs by conventional standards are finally being recognized through science as powerful tools for overcoming hard-to-treat health issues like PTSD, depression, addiction, and more.

Today on The Doctor’s Farmacy, I’m excited to talk to my good friend and one of the world’s most renowned mycologists, Paul Stamets, all about psilocybin and how this compound is helping us reimagine our way of treating one of the most important public health crises today—mental illness.

We kick off our conversation by talking about the essential role mushrooms play in our ecosystems. We are more closely related to fungi than to any other kingdom. They make up the most populous kingdom on the planet, with an estimated 3.8 million species. You can’t see most of it—it exists as mycelial networks underground that can spread for thousands of acres, exchanging nutrients, information, and more to help whole ecosystems survive.

From cognition and mood support to energy and stamina, each mushroom species offers a unique range of potential health benefits. But one thing each species has in common is the ability to provide immune support. Functional mushrooms like chaga, reishi, lion’s mane, and maitake contain powerful polysaccharides called beta-glucans, which have been found to help fight inflammation and balance the immune system.

We also talk about psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain species of mushrooms, commonly referred to as "magic mushrooms." Paul and I discuss how psilocybin works at the cellular and neural circuit level to trigger neuroplasticity, which is our brain’s ability to rewire itself in ways that lead to long-lasting shifts in our emotional, cognitive, and behavioral patterns. This process can help resolve deep-seated trauma, alleviate depression, and improve our sense of being in the world. Paul and I also talk about a recent study where researchers found psilocybin to have an antidepressant effect on the brain more rapidly and with longer-lasting results than antidepressant drugs. In this study, psilocybin was found to directly bind to a receptor for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) that regulates the growth and survival of cells 1,000 times higher than antidepressant drugs.

We also discuss the rapidly changing legal and medical landscape around psilocybin. Dosing of psilocybin can range from microdosing, which is a repeated low dose over time, to macrodosing, which is a single high dose. Paul walks us through the Stamets Stack microdosing protocol and how it has the potential to unlock the effectiveness of psilocybin in the prevention and treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders. I hope you’ll tune in to learn more.

Sponsors

This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, Sensate, ButcherBox, and Thrive Market. The Doctor’s Farmacy podcast works with a select group of sponsors to allow for ongoing production and allow it to be zero-cost to anyone who wishes to listen to and watch the podcast.

Topics Covered

  • Why we should care about mushrooms

    (6:50)

  • Why mushrooms are the zeitgeist of our time

    (12:35)

  • Health benefits of mushrooms

    (13:54)

  • How psilocybin works in human brains

    (29:34:00)

  • Psilocybin as treatment for mental health and addiction

    (33:07:00)

  • Specific psilocybin molecules that influence us neurologically

    (40:04:00)

  • Research on psilocybin for mental health issues

    (51:58:00)

  • The Stamets Stack microdosing method

    (1:02:41)

  • The future of psilocybin use in our society

    (1:15:43)

  • A day in the life of Paul Stamets

    (1:20:16)

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Host & Guests

Transcript

Automatically generated. Please forgive any typos or errors in the following transcript. It was generated by a third party and has not been subsequently reviewed by our team.

Introduction: Coming up on this episode of the Doctor's Farmacy.

Paul Stamets: This is why I think mushrooms have become the zeitgeist of our time. It's like this worldwide revolution, awakening to the very fabric of nature that exists under every footstep that we take.

Dr. Mark Hyman: Welcome to Doctor's Farmacy. I'm Dr. Mark Hyman. That's Farmacy with an F, a place for conversations that matter. And if you've struggled with mental illness, the meaning of life, end of life, stress and trauma, or early childhood trauma or pretty much anything that's got to do with what's in between your ears. We're going to have an interesting podcast today because we're talking to one of the world's experts on mushrooms and not just..

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Ep. 776 - The Power Of Psilocybin To Heal Our Minds And Our Bodies