How Mushrooms Can Help with PTSD and Anxiety
When addressing mental health symptoms, reaching for a handful of mushrooms probably isn’t your first course of action. But could it be possible that a natural solution for anxiety, PTSD, depression, and other mental health needs has been right under our noses (and feet) this whole time?
Treating anxiety and depression is indeed a key benefit of many medicinal mushrooms, but why? Once you understand more about mushrooms and PTSD, anxiety, etc., the underlying mechanisms impacting each become clear. And they tell an interesting story – one of chemical imitation that affects the entire body.
How Mushrooms and Anxiety Overlap
What could fungus possibly have to do with mental health disorders? As it turns out, a good deal – at least under the right circumstances. That’s because many types of mushrooms are rich in antioxidants and other compounds that benefit our bodies.
While loading up on your favorite shroom-heavy dishes won’t necessarily transform your body overnight, a diet rich in mushrooms can support your immune system, heart, lungs, and more. What’s more, some mushrooms contain compounds that directly impact your brain.
Why Can Mushrooms Help with Anxiety, PTSD, and More?
Indigenous peoples and cultures across Asia and the Americas have used medicinal mushrooms for centuries. Their ability to improve physical and mental health symptoms makes them a staple of many types of traditional medicine. But how do these clever little fungi get the job done?
Supporting Brain Health
As we age and experience life, cells and neural pathways in our brains deteriorate and eventually die or fade away. This natural process is a large contributor to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, but it can also connect to mental health conditions.
A lack of new brain cell growth or the destruction of existing cells can spell trouble for minds that are hardwired to face anxiety. When you face a situation that causes anxiety, your brain takes notes. New neural pathways help your brain’s chemical messengers quickly react to similar situations later on.
Think of it as carving a path out of a dense forest; the first time through takes effort, but with more hacking and time, the path eventually becomes the easiest way to travel.
This is a key part of anxiety – you face a trigger, and your brain launches into the same response that has served you in the past. But the problem is that triggers that send you into a fight-or-flight state can be innocuous or unavoidable (such as meeting new people, giving a presentation at work, etc.).
Mushrooms help out by giving your brain a chance to build new cells and pathways via a process known as neurogenesis. The result? Better cognitive function, memory, and mood. Research reveals that compounds found in many medicinal shrooms encourage the growth of new brain cells, which helps keep your thinker healthy and strong.
Acting as Chemical Messengers
Some mushrooms contain chemicals that act like neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) in your brain. Psilocybin is the most famous among them, but many more – including muscimol and ibotenic acid – can have similar yet distinct effects.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in regulating mood and anxiety. Psilocybin-containing mushrooms enter the brain via serotonin receptors, mimicking its role and function.
In other words, mushroom compounds behave like the messengers your brain uses to tell your body to feel good. This is a core mechanism behind their euphoric, trippy effects.
But you can also reap these benefits from non-psychedelic mushrooms, too. Other active compounds can replicate other neurotransmitters, such as GABA, that also affect mood, energy, and more. Using mushrooms effectively may help you mitigate the chemical imbalances contributing to anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses.
Lowering Systemic Inflammation
Inflammation is a natural result of your body’s immune response. When a threat is detected, whether it be an injury, foreign body, pathogen, etc., your body fights back by sending white blood cells to the area, causing an inflammatory response.
But sometimes, your body causes inflammation without needing to. This can be because of a health condition or because of oxidative stress that stems from lifestyle factors. Regardless, chronic inflammation takes a toll on the body and brain.
One recent study found that chronic inflammation creates a sustained immune response in the brain. Put simply, regular inflammation puts your brain on high alert, stressing it out over time as it tries to keep up.
This phenomenon has been shown to influence the severity of anxiety and even exacerbate developing neurodegenerative conditions. Luckily, mushrooms' natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties help calm things down.
The Best Types of Mushrooms for Anxiety
While many mushrooms share similar compounds and properties, some rise to the top when it comes to curbing anxiety. Be sure to explore all of your options as you search for the best mushrooms for your needs.
These popular picks are a great place to get started.
- Reishi: A top option for managing anxiety, reishi reportedly supports immune function, helps users sleep, and lowers stress levels.
- Lion’s Mane: Known to support brain health and function. A popular option for boosting cognitive function, focus, and energy.
- Cordyceps: No, it won’t turn you into a zombie! Cordyceps can boost the production of ATP, which our cells use for energy. This makes it a great overall energy booster.
- Turkey Tail: Rich in protein-bound polysaccharides, turkey tail mushrooms have been shown to have notable immune-boosting effects.
- Chaga: Helps support healthy digestion and can lower inflammation levels.
How to Use Mushrooms for Anxiety and Depression
Mushrooms are just like any other medicine. It’s important to use them as instructed and recognize how they affect your body so you can make adjustments. When targeting anxiety, PTSD, and depression is the goal, picking the right kind of mushroom and a dose that makes sense is key.
- Choose Products Wisely: Make sure you choose a product that contains mushrooms like reishi, cordyceps, etc., that are known to have effects that support your goals. Beware of products that don’t have actual mushrooms in them, too!
We recommend these Cutleaf Mushroom Gummies in Reishi or Super Blend.
Reishi is a strong choice for battling anxiety, while the Super Blend offers the benefits of many mushrooms in one package. Cutleaf also produces gummies formulated with other medicinal mushrooms, so be sure to check out the whole collection!
- Find an Appropriate Dose: Start with the dose recommended by your product to test your tolerance level. If your product doesn’t instruct you on how to determine a dosage, aim for a few hundred milligrams to start. See how you respond, then adjust as necessary.
- Track Your Response: Keep track of how you feel after dosing to ensure your mushrooms are doing what they should. It may be time to drop your dose if you notice any unwanted side effects.
- Check with a Doc: It’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor before adding any mushrooms, CBD, or other natural medicines to your routine. You never know which substances may interact with your health or existing medications.
Regular use is usually necessary to maximize the benefits of any treatment option. Find a dose and product you like and stick to it for the best results.
How to Microdose Mushrooms for Anxiety and Depression
Microdosing is another way to bring mushrooms into your daily routine, especially if you don’t love the feeling you get from a full dose. Learning how to microdose shrooms for your body isn’t much different from using mushrooms regularly. Instead of a normal dose, though, shoot for around 10% of what you’d normally ingest.
Where to Find Mushrooms for PTSD, Anxiety & Depression
The Green Dragon CBD is your one-stop shop for individual shrooms and anxiety-relieving blends designed to support your mind and body. No matter the product type you’re after, we have something that’s sure to please.
Shop our full collection of mushroom products to find the right fit, or contact us for a free consultation. We’d love to help you discover the mushrooms that help you feel like the happiest, healthiest version of yourself!
Shrooms that contain psilocybin are considered federally illegal, at least in the U.S., because psilocybin itself is a Schedule I Controlled Substance. This means that, in the eyes of the federal government, psilocybin has a high potential for misuse, no accepted medical uses, and can only be safely used under the supervision of a medical professional.
Whether or not this classification of shrooms is really fair is up to you, but there are fortunately other options for those looking to experiment without breaking the law. Remember our friend Amanita muscaria, the classic red-and-white toadstool mushroom? Its active ingredients are not controlled substances, which means they are not subject to the same restrictions and legal penalties.
The word “shrooms” is generally used as an umbrella term for different types of psychedelic or “magic” mushrooms.
Unlike the mushrooms we might eat in a dish, shrooms often contain compounds that can produce psychedelic effects, like hallucinations, distorted senses, and altered states of consciousness, also known as “trips.” The most common psychoactive compound found in these sorts of shrooms is psilocybin, but not all shrooms capable of impacting the brain rely on psilocybin to do so.
Many people turn to shrooms for recreational or medicinal purposes (or both), which isn’t a new phenomenon; many types of mushrooms have been used for centuries or even longer to treat common ailments, promote spiritual exploration, and bring people closer together.
In fact, some shrooms, like fly agaric (Amanita muscaria), are so ancient that researchers have traced their origins back to the period before indigenous peoples crossed from Eurasia to the Americas via the Bering Straits. That means that shroom use has been around for almost as long as modern human society has!
- Use the right amount for your body.
- Pay attention to side effects.
- Talk to a doctor before starting any new medication plan, shroomy or not.
- Take time to find the right products for your needs and goals.
Magic mushrooms, including those with psilocybin and things like A. muscaria, typically begin to kick in within about 30-60 minutes. Effects generally peak after an hour or two, and the entire trip will likely last from four to six hours.
There are, of course, personal and biological factors that can affect how long your shroom experience lasts. The potency of the shrooms in question, the dose you take, and your own metabolism can all influence how strong a trip is and how long it sticks around.
Once your trip has come to a close, you can likely expect the remnants of your fungal friends to linger in your body for about one to three days. Keep in mind, though, that most standard drug tests don’t check for magic mushrooms, and if they do, they’re almost certainly looking for psilocybin.
If drug testing is a concern of yours, it might be best to choose shrooms that are psilocybin-free or time your trips to leave enough days for your body to purge it from your system.
