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Synthetic variants are often used when researching the effects of psilocybin, but are they as effective as natural psilocybin? Specific research has now been done on this and it turns out that nothing beats Mother Nature after all. In this blog, we discuss the results of this study.
Synthetically produced psilocybin is often used for research. This gives the most reliable results. But the question, of course, is whether it is as effective. Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center BrainLabs Center for Psychedelic Research decided to research this. The goal was to find out if there was any difference in effects of natural psilocybin (from magic mushrooms) and synthesized psilocybin.
Anecdotal and clinical reports show that natural psilocybin has unique effects that are qualitatively and quantitatively different from chemical psilocybin. The team of scientists now wanted to test exactly how this was done. The results could have important implications for scientific research.
Those who study mind-altering drugs are certainly familiar with the entourage effect. This effect results from the combination of substances in magic mushrooms, both psychoactive and non-psycoactive, which have an effect on each other’s actions. Different substances can enhance or even alter the action of other substances.
But this does not happen when psilocybin is manufactured by humans. Then only the main psychoactive compound is isolated, psilocybin, without the other compounds found in magic mushrooms. That does make the effects more predictable, which normally makes the entourage effect impossible.
The scientists indicate that in Western medicine, it was usually preferred to isolate active ingredients, rather than using extracts. This simply gives them more control over dosage and predicted effects. When natural products are used, it becomes much more difficult to get consistent results.
Therapies involving natural remedies involve the use of whole extracts or complete products, such as magic mushrooms. In that case, the operation may still be slightly different. In Western medicine, the entourage effect is well known and more and more research is now being done on it.
Mice were used for the study. They were divided into three groups: one received a natural psilocybin extract, another the synthetic version and the third received a placebo in the form of a saline solution. The mice given the psilocybin (natural or synthetic) were given a dose that would be comparable to a therapeutic dose in a human.
The behavior of the mice was examined to assess the effects of psilocybin. The “head twitch response assay” was used for this purpose. From these head movements, the scientists can tell if the mice are under the influence of the psilocybin. After treatment, metabolic changes in the frontal cortex were also compared. The expression of synaptic proteins in the brain was also assessed. These are indications that neuroplasticity is present in the brain.
According to the researchers, the natural mushroom extract appears to have a more powerful and long-lasting effect on the brain than the synthetic one. As a result, natural psilocybin would carry unique therapeutic benefits that synthetic variants cannot match. After analysis, the metabolic profiles of the synthetic version and the natural extracts were also found to differ significantly.
Although there were differences at a deeper level, it seems that at the behavioral level the response was similar. The head movements were pretty much the same. One of the researchers, Professor Lerer, says: “We were surprised that there were no differences in the acute effects, evidenced by the head twitch response, between the chemical and natural psilocybin. But there were differences in the long-term effects on synaptic proteins. This does have important implications clinically.”
So it does appear that natural psilocybin is preferable in most cases. But for research purposes, synthetic psilocybin may be easier to use. That can give better predictable and more consistent results. The researchers indicate that if natural extracts are more potent, then it may be worthwhile to cultivate natural psilocybin that will give consistent results. This can possibly be achieved through careful cultivation.
If you are looking to grow mushrooms, check out our grow kits in our webshop. This makes it very easy to grow your own mushrooms at home, to take advantage of that wonderful natural psilocybin whenever you want. You can use them as a recreational drug, but also to support your (mental) health. With a grow kit, you can likewise grow mushrooms for microdosing. Mushrooms can be dried and frozen, so you can store them for a very long time.
If you are still a beginner in the field of mind-altering substances, it is best to choose a mushroom with a mild effect, such as the Mexican or the B+. If you already have more experience, you can go for the Ecuadorian or the Jack Frost, for example.
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