Fantastic Fungi

Presented by. Logan Easthope

 (Hydnellum pecki. also known as the bleeding tooth fungus,
scientists have discovered it contains atromentin, which can be
used to stop blood clots from forming)
What is a mushroom
A mushroom is a fungi separated
from plants, it belongs in a
kingdom of its own. Most fungi
grow as thread-like filaments
called hyphae, which can gather
into a body called a mycelium. Not
only can these threads be quite
long (hundreds of feet long, in
some cases), but they are often
multinucleated which means they
have more than one nucleus.
How do mushrooms reproduce?
Mushrooms are asexual meaning they reproduce themselves. Mushrooms and all
fungi reproduce by releasing spores, the above ground part of the mushroom that
we think of as mushroom is actually more like a fruit structure, which are produced
from underground strands called mycelium. The spores are released through the
slits or tubes underneath the cap of the mushroom, most fully grown healthy
mushrooms can release up to 16 million spores in a day
The stoned ape theory
“It’s not so simple to say that they ate psilocybin mushrooms and suddenly the brain mutated, I
think it’s more complex than that, but I think it was a factor. It was like a software to program this
neurologically modern hardware to think, to have cognition, to have language—because language
is essentially synesthesia. Language is the association with apparently meaningless sound except
that it’s associated with the complex of meaning.” -Dennis McKenna

https://youtu.be/y4OZkFx2mfw
Your brain on psychedelic mushrooms
This is the comparison of your brain sober compared to it on psychedelic
mushrooms, psilocybin, a serotonin receptor, causes a stronger communication
between the parts of the brain that are normally disconnected from each other.
Why is there so much stigma around mushrooms?
I myself have wondered this question for awhile, and why do they make them
seem so terrible when their just a natural plant. Most of the time in movies or
shows when you see someone taking mushrooms they make it seem like you're
going to be seeing either demons or unicorns when in reality it's simply not true.
It's not gonna make you go mental.
For my interviews i asked questions to the grower, consumer and someone who
microdoses below are the following questions asked.
Grower- what inspired you to get into this work, what soil is required to grow, what
is the average cycle for psychedelic vs therapeutic mushrooms, are they
challenging to grow and is it expensive to get started
Consumer- how did you first hear about mushrooms, what prompted you to try,
describe your experience, positive or negative, describe a negative experience and
did any trips have an impact on your view of life
Microdosing- what is it,why’d you start, how has it changed your brain, what
positives come with microdosing, are there side effects, are there any impacts on
the developing brain?
GROWER.

I got into growing mushrooms during the pandemic and have done it ever since, i
started growing because it is a reliable source of medicine. For the soil i use coco
coir with high humidity and a temperature of 70-78 degrees C, from mycelium to
fruit it takes about 2-6 or more weeks. With cleanliness and contamination (not
entirely sure what he meant here). As a hobby it's not expensive, pressure cooker
is the biggie
Consumer
I first heard about mushrooms through older kids i hangout with who had tried them, i had never
tried a psychedelic before so i was intrigued because i had only smoked before and i wanted to
feel something more plus its safer than other “drugs” like lsd or dmt which can make you more
conscious. My most recent trip me and my buddy went camping with no service to get away from
society. We gradually dosed throughout the night, taking in the scenery. The trees started swaying,
colours became more vibrant, we went on a walk through the mountains. Met some random people
we conversated with them and left to have a fire and we talked about ourselves and shit to work on
while also discussing business ideas. My trip affected me in a positive way for sure. Id dont believe
ive had a negative trip. There's been moments in my trip where anxiety gets to me but it's never a
bad time, basically all my trips have had a positive effect on me and i end up looking at life better
after
 I first heard about psychedelic mushrooms during a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) seminar given to my grade 5 class. The DARE presentation only briefly mentioned
mushrooms however, it was represented in an overwhelmingly negative way. This DARE lecture gave me the impression that recreational mushrooms were dangerous for your health and that a
bad trip would see you end up in the psych ward. Throughout the rest of my adolescent years I had no intention of ever using mushrooms.

My unfavourable opinion and lack of understanding about psychedelic mushrooms would last until the age of 19. During this time I was lost on a journey of self discovery, desperate to
find meaning and fulfillment in my unspectacular and monotonous life. I would spend countless hours online researching “successful” people and watching numerous videos by acclaimed
self-help gurus which offered little more than illusory guides to wealth, freedom and happiness. During one of my online information binges i stumbled across a video (the title of which I can’t
recall) that immediately peaked my curiosity. The video was of a man describing some of his many experiences with psychedelic mushrooms in great detail. The premise of this video was in
such stark contrast to my personal beliefs that I clicked on it without hesitation. After he had recounted a few of his mushroom trips he began to talk about the positive effects mushrooms had on
him. He claimed that psychedelic mushrooms cured his depression and fundamentally changed the way he perceived the world and reality itself. I was astounded to have heard a perspective so
contradictory to the supposed universally held notion that recreational mushrooms are dangerous or even deadly. I quickly came to the conclusion that psychedelic mushrooms may be the key
to a deeper understanding of myself and what role I should play in society.

It was maybe only a couple weeks after watching that video that I would have my first experience with mushrooms. I dosed 5g and started feeling subtle effects about 45 minutes later. I
first observed a sense of calm followed by a gradual elevation of my mood. Visually, everything was brighter and colours were more vibrant. All these effects steadily increased in intensity and
hit its peak around 2 hours after initial ingestion. The peak provided me with a feeling of euphoria I’d never experienced before. There was a pleasant tensity in my abdomen similar to the feeling
of butterflies when you’re nervous but without the accompanying anxiety. My visual perception was mildly distorted and the objects throughout the room looked slightly out of proportion. When i
would move or change my view solid objects would subtly contort in response to my motion. My thoughts had become sporadic and nonsensical but felt deep and insightful to me at the time.
Conversation was arduous, I wasn’t particularly competent in conversation to begin with so this in conjunction with having to sift through my chaotic thoughts made any attempt at
communication terribly slow and extremely difficult. My speech was so sluggish that by the time i was half way done trying to convey a point I’d already forgotten what i was talking about and
would abruptly stop. There was humour to be found even in the most mundane, unremarkable things. One of my friends blurted out a random word completely out of nowhere making me laugh
the hardest i had in my life. All these effects amalgamated into the perfect distraction from my inner worries, fears, past traumas and ultimately my relentless self loathing. For the first time of my
life I was freed from my incessant internal anguish, briefly replaced by a sense of harmony and warmth from my friends adjacent to me. I’d felt peace within myself, a truly balanced state of
being. Overall, my entire first trip lasted approximately 7 hours. From when the first effects were observed, to between the 2 – 4 hour mark where the trip was it’s strongest, followed by the
gradual descent to a relaxed and slightly uplifted state of normality.

I have used mushrooms a handful of times following this aforementioned first foray into the world of psychedelics, with the highest dose being 7g. Every one of these occurrences have
been astoundingly positive with each instance remaining remarkably similar to the very first. The only negative aspect I’ve personally encountered is a post ingestion stomach ache once or
twice.

In retrospect I can’t confidently say using mushrooms recreationally changed my perspective or the way I think in any significant way. It was the realization of how incredibly different
mushrooms actually were from both the DARE narrative and that of the man in the video that triggered a huge shift in my mentality. From that point forward I would no longer accept information
given to me at face value regardless of the individual’s/institution’s purported credentials. I seek out alternative points of view to compare with the “generally” accepted doctrine, understand
every angle of the argument to the best of my ability and test theories for myself if possible. This is how I’d formulate my own opinions from then on.
While the psychedelic mushrooms themselves can’t be directly attributed to the alteration of my internal paradigm, the whole experience taught me an invaluable lesson. Accept no single
opinion as truth without first scrutinizing and comparing it with opposing viewpoints. Take nothing for granted, challenge all you’ve been taught even the most established societal norms. Think
for yourself.
Microdosing
Microdosing is consuming small amounts of mushrooms, not enough to altar
perceptions or impair consumer, (100mg a day as opposed to 2 grams to trip out)
but microdosing helps with medical conditions, i decided to try microdosing after
“traditional” drugs prescribed by my doctors were not working with the health
conditions i had. Since then i've felt happier, more present, calmer. I do not
experience anxiety or depression anymore. I am finding it easier to prioritize my time
and complete tasks efficiently. And though my stress is still present, it just doesn't
affect me the same. Sometimes i feel flushed in the face and my cheeks go red,
that's about it. I have no idea if there's any negative impacts on the developing brain
as i am 39 so i didnt research this. But personally i feel like it may help to connect
neural pathways that were not there before, it may also help young teens with
anxiety and depression who struggle at home, school or even work
 PROS/BENEFITS
1. Improved focus
2. Connection to your feelings
3. Connection to your ideas
4. Reduces anxiety
5. Improved mood
6. Reduces depressive states
7. Increased creativity
8. Enhances verbal expression
9. Neurogenesis (the formation of new neutrons)
 CONS/CONCERNS
1. Impared focus
2. Impaired energy (restless or energetic)
3. Social interference like awkwardness and spacing out
4. Self interference
5. Increased symptoms
Fun and games?
This capstone is not to glorify mushrooms because they can still be pretty dangerous if
you don't know what you're doing, it can affect u mentally and give you the scariest
experience ever for example there's this one kid i used to know who took a pill equivalent
to 5g of mushrooms and had a bad trip here's what he experienced. I felt nausea as soon
as the trip started and had a bad feeling instantly i was gonna go on a walk but saw the
pitch black sky and got too scared, i then went to plug my phone in upstairs and heard
hawaiian native drumming i zoned out for 15 minutes, still no charger in my phone, i went
down stairs and i was talking to my friends when i went to the bathroom to throw up i saw
two colours in the perfectly clean toilet that i have never seen again i didn't end up
throwing up and i stand up to the sink to run some water over my face i then looked into
the mirror to then see myself slowly turn to a demonic figure with my hair curling into
demonic goat horns. For the rest of the night i was tweaking out and scared, i have never
been in such a state of panic for that amount of time
How can we use mushrooms to help society?
One way they can help is with depression

Depression is among the most researched indications for psilocybin therapy. As

Healthline previously reported last year, psilocybin therapy was given “breakthrough
therapy” designation (a review fast track) by the FDA for the treatment of depression.

The Usona Institute, a psychedelic research center, is currently in the planning stages of
their phase 3 trial, which will likely begin later this year.
 A bit of History mushrooms
Similar to Mesoamerican societies, the ancient Egyptians also left behind a wealth of artwork depicting
mushrooms. They believed that since mushrooms don’t sprout from seeds, they were embedded into the
earth by the god Osiris. This origin story earned psychoactive mushrooms a series of nicknames,
translating to “food of the gods” or “sons of the gods.”
Because shrooms were considered godly, only the priesthood and the upper classes (also thought to be
descendants of the gods) could consume them. Their use was so preeminent that Egyptologist Stephen
Berlant theorizes the Egyptians cultivated these mushrooms on barley grain to maintain a substantial
supply.
Psy.che.del.ic
The word is the synthesis od two greek words “psyche” meaning “mind,soul,spirit”
“Delos” meaning “manifesting,brought to light”
THE END!