Hello, and welcome to the mycota.net blog. This is a place where you can find news and interviews about the uses of mushrooms in art, science, and cuisine.
The purpose of this site is to spread awareness about the wide variety of uses for mushrooms in entertainment, medicine, education, conservation, and other forms of art.
Created by professional artist Justin Luke Souther’s mycota.net team, this blog will be a place for us to share our findings with you in an easy to read format. We will do this by providing updated links on current events as well as by writing our own original posts about new research trends in the field of mushroom use.
These posts will include interviews with other professionals who have used mushroom in their art or research, recipes for cooking with mushrooms, and information from mycological conferences that we have been able to attend. Myco-artists like Justin Luke Souther and others will be interviewed here as well.
We hope you enjoy reading our blog! Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments that you might have at: info@mycota.net
The true magic of mushrooms is that they can be used in art, science, and culinary. Even though mushrooms are considered a delicacy, many people are unaware of the possibilities of using these magical fungi. The first documented use of mushrooms in art was in prehistoric times as cave drawings, but this practice has continued into modern times.
Mushrooms have been used to create vivid colors for thousands of years. Early on, the Chinese were the main consumers of mushrooms whose pigment were used to color fabric. Today we use mushroom pigment to add color to other products like paper, plastics, and even walls.
The first use of mushroom in science was in the field of medicine. For generations Chinese healers had prescribed different types of mushrooms for curing various illnesses and diseases. Mushrooms have been found to have anti-inflammatory properties as well as having an effect on T cell production which is important in treating cancer. There are also numerous studies being done on the effects psychoactive mushrooms have on brain function and development.
Mushrooms can be used by chefs all over the world to enhance the flavor of their dishes. The culinary possibilities with mushroom are endless because there are mushrooms available all over the world that contain unique flavors and smells that cannot be replicated by any other ingredient. Mushrooms
The use of psilocybin in art and science is vital for many reasons. It can provide artists with new themes, inspiration and an overall feeling of connectedness. It can provide scientists with a new understanding of consciousness, neurobiology and the nature of reality. In addition to these benefits, it is also vital that this substance be used properly because psilocybin has been shown to be an effective treatment for cluster headaches and obsessive compulsive disorder.
Terence McKenna was a huge proponent of the benefits that could be gained from the use of psychedelic drugs such as DMT and psilocybin. He believed that their use could lead to a shift in human consciousness on a global scale. He believed that the increased intake of psychedelics in society could lead to an age where we are all one with each other and with nature. This expanded consciousness would lead us to greater understanding between all people which would eliminate most wars and conflict in our world.
The use of psychedelic drugs in art, science and culinary has been around for centuries; however, it is only recently that its potential has begun to be realized.
Mushrooms are very nutritious, and have been used in a number of traditional medicines. Mushrooms have also been used in art, and are one of the few plant sources that can be used to create a pigment.
Mushroom dyes range from brown to red and yellow. The color depends on the dye molecule, most of which are polyphenolic compounds. The dyes are often named after the mushrooms from which they were extracted. One of these is known as “Coprinus Purple”. It is an iron-containing polyphenolic compound that has a purple color when dissolved in water. The molecules responsible for this color were named coprine by Wallerius in 1786. This name was later changed to “coprine” by Berzelius. Today the accepted name is “rubropunctatin”. It is classified as a derivative of rubrofuscin, which is obtained from the common ink cap mushroom Coprinus atramentarius.
I hope you’ll find the content enlightening, and that you’ll either learn something new, or be reminded of something you’d forgotten.
Please feel free to post comments and ask questions: I’d love to hear from you.
I’m also always on the lookout for contributors; if you have a mushroom-related article or tip to share, please get in touch!
Magic mushrooms have been used for centuries for spiritual and ritualistic purposes. The psychedelic effects of the mushrooms are so intense that it’s no wonder many cultures have used them in their rituals. The Aztecs and Mayans both used the psychedelic mushroom in their religious ceremonies. In fact, many ancient cultures have made use of these mushrooms; from Greece and Rome to Africa, Asia, and even here in the United States.
Psychoactive mushrooms can be found all over the world and are available year round. Each mushroom contains different characteristics and effects, some more potent than others. The most common type of magic mushroom is Psilocybe cubensis. This particular mushroom contains psilocybin, a hallucinogen that takes you on a colorful trip deep within your mind.
Over the last few years, psychedelic mushrooms have been making a comeback. Not only are they being used recreationally, they are also being researched as a possible treatment for mental disorders like depression, anxiety and addiction.
The use of magic mushrooms is not new; they have been used by shamanic cultures for thousands of years. We all know the story of how in 1938 Albert Hoffman discovered their hallucinogenic properties when he accidentally ingested a small amount of the mushroom while trying to develop a drug that could be used to prevent muscle spasms.
What most people don’t know is that much of our knowledge about psilocybin and how it affects the brain comes from research done in the 1960s by Harvard psychologist Timothy Leary and his colleague Richard Alpert.
Leary believed that drugs were a key to unlock hidden potential and behavior change. He was also interested in creating what he called “a religion without revelation.” In an experiment funded by Harvard University, Leary gave psilocybin to divinity students and trained them to guide others through experiences with the drug. The experiment was called “Project MKULTRA” and it had little to do with magic mushrooms. The goal was to find ways to control human behavior.
Leary wrote: “We must create space in
