Psilocybin and Lion's Mane: Healthy brain

Author: Elena Experience expert (psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants), blogger, passion for healthy food

The flow of thoughts and feelings that can flood us every day needs direction. There are different ways in which you can work on the way your brain processes information and your mind thinks about it. Depending on your personal situation, you can take steps to make progress in a healthy functioning brain.

With neurological disorders, there are often different causes that control the decline. First of all, pollution plays a major role. The ingestion of toxic substances is largely responsible for the neurological decline that people experience. A clean earth is therefore extremely important, not only for ourselves, but also for our fellow humans, animals and plants. 

Mycologist with a mission

Paul Stamets is an American mycologist with a lot of experience in the interesting world of the (medicinal) mushroom. For years he has been researching the different workings of these fruiting bodies, their hidden power and the knowledge that has been known since time immemorial within folk medicine, but not yet sufficiently within science. Through the building up of his knowledge he became more and more known and in the meantime he has become indispensable in this field.

Paul Stamets has many books under his name including Fantastic Fungi: How Mushrooms Can Heal, Shift Consciousness & Save the Planet, Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms and Mycelium Running: how mushrooms can help save the world. Paul Stamets is convinced that the mushroom is an important part in improving the living conditions on planet earth, which are increasingly deteriorating at the hands of mankind. I don't have to tell you that there is a lot of work to do to make sure that we can really tackle the problem of the polluting humans. He sees a world in front of him in which the mushroom plays a much more prominent role and in which multifunctionality is used even more. From food to medicine... Paul Stamets is engaged in research in which mushrooms can be part of cleaning up the earth, this is called mycorremediation (Greek from Mycos = mushroom and Latin remmedium = restoring the balance).

Also interesting: Fantastic Fungi: Documentary with Paul Stamets

Mushrooms turn out to be a very cheap, effective and environmentally friendly source for cleaning, for example, polluted water and pieces of nature that are polluted by heavy metals, organic pollutants, herbicides and pesticides, to name but a few. Our large-scale industries, for example, often require metals that can seriously pollute groundwater. The agricultural sector uses regularly polluted water which, in addition to polluting the immediate environment, can also have a long-term impact on living organisms that inadvertently ingest these toxic substances.

Although more research needs to be done, especially on a large scale, there are already enough small projects in which mushrooms are used to clean the environment. For example, there are certain mushrooms that can remove toxic substances such as cadmium, lead, chromium and nickel from their environment. They are then able to convert the toxins themselves. Also in nature you see of course the process of the mushroom that composts material and gives it back to the earth as organic material, so that it can again serve as food for other organisms. 

The medicinal effect of mushrooms

The best thing is that by using medicinal mushrooms, the power can also be passed on to the user. Paul Stamets is also working on this a lot. How can mushrooms help people in 'cleaning up' their mental capacities? Don't we all suffer from time to time (or more often) from 'brain fog' or a foggy brain that doesn't function properly? Often this has to do with underlying factors, which, just like in nature, cause pollution or cloudiness.

We live in a world where a lot is possible and where there can also be a lot of pressure on performance. By arming yourself against imbalance and overload, you can better navigate within our daily systems. When there is an imbalance, we quickly turn to medication, or antidepressants prescribed by a professional counselor. If you feel you need external help, it is definitely recommended to contact us and ask for help. Still, there are plenty of stories known about people who, despite these medications, still weren't where they wanted to be. The power of nature is therefore not to be underestimated.

The Paul Stamets Formula for a healthy brain

Paul Stamets has discovered a formula that could be a door to a cleaner and clearer brain. This formula consists of three components: the medicinal mushroom Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceas), the microdosing of psilocybin and niacin, or vitamin B3. This combination allows your brain to make new connections, get a healthier brain and mentally 'clean up' yourself. Maybe you will get new creative insights, learn new things about yourself, break old patterns, find more connections with yourself and your environment.

Also check out our in-depth blog: "Microdosing with psilocybin according to the Stamets Stack Formula".

The only way to know if it might be interesting for you is to do it. This protocol according to Paul Stamets needs time to integrate into your life. So give it a chance to follow it for a while, preferably 4 to 8 weeks. That way you can better evaluate the differences with the time before and after it according to the protocol.

Write down what you feel

It is interesting to follow yourself closely and to take note of what's going on inside you. When you start microdosing, it is a good idea to put down an intention. What is it that you want to see differently, that you want to know more about? What do you want to learn to let go? When you get a better understanding of these thoughts, feelings and perceptions, it becomes easier to stay on the right path and not wander off. 

Lion's Mane

This special medicinal mushroom has the Latin name Hericium erinaceus which means: similar to a hedgehog. This mushroom looks peculiar and sticks as a spiny, white organism against the trunk of certain trees that are dying. Lion's Mane has been used for centuries because of its ability to stimulate and strengthen the brain. Now that more scientific research has been conducted, it is becoming increasingly clear that very interesting things are happening within cognitive functions. For example, 'Nerve Growth Factor' ensures that neurons in the brain deteriorate less rapidly, can produce better and are protected. As you get older, your body is less able to keep brain functions vital, and NGF helps to slow down the ageing process. Even when you're young and feel like you're forgetting things quickly, or have a cloudy brain, you can benefit greatly from the substances present in Lion's Mane. Because of (study) stress, depression, anxiety and so on, it is very well possible that your brain is somewhat exhausted. The supplementation of Lion's Mane gives the brain a boost and makes it better able to use the cognitive functions. Whether this is in people with Alzheimer's disease, or other diseases that affect cognitive functions, there is certainly room for improvement. 

Psilocybin

In small quantities, according to routine use, this substance is very interesting for people who are on a quest and can use handles to promote their inner growth. Because you are not confronted with the potential overwhelming power of a trip, but can get very subtle insights into your behavior, it is a gentle way that has been beneficial for many people. Paul Stamets is in favour of the routine where 4 days are microdosed and then 3 days are not. After that this process repeats itself with another 4 days of microdosing and 3 days of rest. When you take the right amount of psilocybin you should not be aware that you have taken it. It is in any case so subtle, that you just have to be able to live your life and maybe very unconsciously a slight change is noticeable. When you feel overwhelmed, or notice another sensation that makes it difficult for you to live your daily life, you can lower the dose a little. With the FreshUp Microdosing Truffles from Sirius you can be sure that 1 dose of 1 gram contains 1-2 mg of psilocybin, the most standard quantity. It is recommended to halve the dose to 0.5 grams the first few times you start the protocol. This way you can let your body get used to the substance, which can affect your system a bit more in the beginning, than when you use it for a longer period of time. However, there is a certain amount of tolerance, which is why you never take psilocybin every day, because your body always needs those days of rest to break it down again.

Niacin

Also called nicotinic acid (although it has nothing to do with the nicotine in tobacco) is a vitamin that your body can make from the amino acid tryptophan. We get this vitamin from food. Often this vitamin B3 is washed away with the cooking liquid. Vitamin B3 has been associated with enhancing the effects of both Lion's Mane and psilocybin. This is done, among other things, because the transition of the blood brain barrier is facilitated and the action of the substances can better penetrate the body. Vitamin B3 plays an important role in cell renewal and metabolism. It is an important factor in a healthy metabolism in which fats, carbohydrates and proteins are processed. It is also important for DNA and muscles.

The Lion's Mane + psilocybin + Niacin formula is interesting for anyone who wants to become better at speaking, organizing thoughts, motor skills, creativity and having a strong and healthy mind. According to Paul Stamets this formula is meant to improve memory, increase intelligence, have better vision, improve athleticism, be able to react faster and process stimuli, balance, mindset, vitality and mental health.

Elena Experience expert (psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants), blogger, passion for healthy food

Elena studies Organic and Biodynamic agriculture because, besides psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants, she also has a passion for healthy food. Learning about the endocannabinoid system, different cannabinoids and terpenes is super interesting.

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