In 1984, my grandfather took his last breath and shuffled off this mortal coil after a nasty bout with cancer.
I was only 13 at the time, and probably didn’t fully understand the pain he was in. Not just physically, but mentally, too. He always put on a brave face, but the depression he battled must have been brutal, and likely contributed to the degradation of his immune system – which was already compromised as a result of the cancer. After all, today, we know that cancer patients battling depression are at increased risk of mortality compared with non-depressed patients. Which is why researchers are always looking for new ways to help cancer patients effectively treat their depression.
One new treatment, which shows tremendous promise, comes from a psychedelic compound that many High Times readers are familiar with: psilocybin.
Mushrooms Are Medicine
Back in 1989, had you told me that the mushrooms I was about to eat could potentially help treat depression, I would’ve just shrugged my shoulders. Like most 18-year-olds, I was just looking to have some fun.
I had heard so many amazing stories about mushrooms, and I was excited to experience the magical hallucinations and a voyage into a world of magic and fascination. Indeed, my first experience with mushrooms was a positive one. Although I really had no idea just how powerful a small piece of this dried fungus would be, and how, over the years, it would serve as an important tool in battling some of my own personal mental health struggles. Make no mistake: mushrooms are medicine.
The truth is, psilocybin can be used as a potential treatment for a variety of illnesses and diseases. And in these pages, I’ll share all the wonderful ways mushrooms can heal us, mentally, emotionally and physically.
To be …
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Author: Jeff Siegel / High Times
