Psychotherapists have applied psilocybin mushrooms, including the Burma mushroom strain, for psilocybin-assisted therapies. Most sessions concern psychobehavioural developments to stop impulsive decisions that greatly affect patients.
While many doubt this therapeutic outcome, studies continue to prove that shrooms cause no harm in decision-making, with one study saying it reduces impulsivity.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- The Burma mushroom strain registered a total tryptamine content that can peak up to 1.41%, higher than its original lineage.
- A study disproved the claim that psychedelics impair decision-making. Meanwhile, another study says it reduces impulsiveness.
- The authors of both studies say it could have relevant implications for people’s perception of PAT and people relying on psychedelic substances as antidepressants.
Does Magic Mushrooms Affect Decisions?
While there’s a big chunk of people who acknowledge the therapeutic benefits and recreational effects of Psilocybe Cubensis, there are also those who don’t—they’re simply the “Karens” of the psychedelic community.
An anecdote on Reddit claimed she made a reckless financial decision after consuming shrooms and impulsively purchasing lavish bags. Based on the narrative, she had no one else to blame but mushrooms—putting herself away from the spotlight of guilt.
What Science Says: Decision-making may be affected by substances, such as opioids and alcohol.
However, this does not apply to psilocybin.
How can we say this? Two recent studies affirmed.
What Researchers Tell Us
In the first study, the researchers highlighted how a shroom dosage of 1mg did not affect delay discounting tasks or reduce response rates in the progressive ratio task in rats.
On the other hand, the second study, which tested psychedelic therapy on patients with mild to severe major depressive disorder, reduced symptoms of depression, including impulsiveness.
About Burmese Albino Variety
Leucistic Burma, a new fungi, has not made many waves in the magic mushroom community. However, cultivators have prized it for its great yields and kicking strength. Despite being a variety, it surprisingly outperformed its originating lineage.
Although its leucistic nature—having less pigmentation (pale)—may make it unappealing to some eyes, its renowned hallucinogenic effects make up for this.
Origin
Myanmar, once called Burma, is the country of origin for the Burmese albino variety of fruiting bodies. Some speculate that a Thai student discovered it in buffalo dung in Yangon, a nearby village. However, the community has widely credited the famous American mycologist John Allen with bringing it to the West from Southeast Asia.
The narrative says it was a gift from the Thai student to Allen. Allen then cultivated it at fruiting temperatures and distributed the spores in the community across the U.S., Canada, and the rest of Europe.
Genetic Variations
Mycologists isolated this strain through a leucistic mutation of the originating cultivar. The closest relative to this is the Burma shrooms, with two more as its familiar strains. This includes:
- Cambodian
- Ban Thurian
Potency
The Burmese variety registered a concentration that many consider “above average,” surpassing Golden Teachers. Depending on dosage, this cultivar’s psychoactive properties and effects can be mild to intense. When standard cultivation methods are applied, its total tryptamine content can peak at 1.41%.
Samples of this strain also registered an average total tryptamines of 0.85%, with:
- Average Psilocybin Content: 0.74%
- Average Psilocin Content: 0.09%
Therapeutic Outcomes
Clinical trials use magic mushroom strains of moderate to high potency. Leucistic Burmese fits this category, producing psychedelic effects that may assist patients facing mental health challenges.
In application to treatment, specifically, Psilocybin-assisted Therapy (PAT), it may produce positive outcomes, such as:
- Stable state of mental being. Allows people to regulate their brain health.
- Unaffected thought pattern. Allows people to assess their thoughts and think freely.
- Amplified openness to new outlooks that promotes personal growth.
- Intact emotional resilience. Process and assess emotional challenges rationally.
What these Studies Say
1st Study: Psychedelics on Rats
Researchers from Miami University conducted a preclinical trial on in vivo rats to determine the effect of psilocybin on decision-making and motivation.
- Methods: The authors tested how psilocybin-treated rats (given 1 mg/kg) compared to control rats in tasks involving probability and delay-based decision-making. They also measured their motivation with a progressive ratio task.
- Results: The findings showed that exposing rats to 1 mg/kg of magic mushroom extracts didn’t impact their decision-making in probability or delay tasks. It also didn’t lower their response rates in the progressive ratio task.
Taking magic mushrooms doesn’t harm decision-making, judgment, or motivation. At the same time, it doesn’t necessarily improve them either.
Researchers pointed out that the study shows psilocybin doesn’t impair or enhance decisions or motivation. However, this could influence how people view psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), as patients don’t show cognitive issues during treatment.
2nd Study: Psilocybin Therapy (PT) v. Escitalopram Treatment (ET) on Personality Change Among Patients Diagnosed with Depression
After phase 1, the researchers ran a phase 2 trial. This was a double-blind, randomized study that compared psychedelics with antidepressants in patients with mild to severe major depressive disorder.
- Methods: Over six weeks, the authors compared a psychedelic substance with an antidepressant in the patients. They assessed the participants’ personalities using the Five-Factor model, the Big Five Aspect Scale for openness, and measures of absorption and impulsivity.
- Results: The findings showed no major differences between the two carriers. PT and ET reduced impulsivity, and the effects lasted six weeks.
The authors concluded that both conditions showed signs of improved mental health through personality changes. This suggests that PT could be a potential antidepressant treatment for people with depression.
Implications to People’s Perception and Patients with Depressive Disorders
- People’s Perception:
- The first study’s findings could help change how people see PAT, raising awareness and encouraging those who are hesitant to try it.
- The fact that shrooms don’t cause cognitive impairments challenges the common belief that psychedelic therapies are always harmful.
- The lack of cognitive side effects shows that the Burma strain can be safely added to treatment plans without drawbacks.
- Patients with Depressive Disorders:
- The second study’s findings underscore the therapeutic possibility of PT as a possible treatment for depressed people.
- The Burma magic mushroom strain can also boost synaptic plasticity, which helps people work through emotional traumas and mental health challenges.
- Possible alternative for those without success on standard treatments.
Psychedelic-Oriented Services in Canada
- Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy
- This is a session guided by trained professionals and psychotherapists. Often having first-hand experiences with shrooms.
- Dosage administration may differ according to the participant’s needs, from sub-perceptual and moderate to high doses.
- Follows preparation, administration, and integration structure.
- Psychedelic Retreats
- Immersive experiences that make the most of psilocybin’s calming and reflective qualities.
- Takes place after two ceremonies and two therapy sessions. Jamaica hosts many programs focused on using psychedelics.
- Practice a meditative and spiritual focus.
Mushrooms Impair Decision-Making? It’s Old News | Buy Psychedelic Mushrooms Online
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Frequently Asked Questions
How does Burma mushroom strain affect the brain concerned with impulsiveness?
Like other cultivars, it contains psilocybin, which converts to psilocin as it enters the digestive system. When it reaches the brain, it interacts with serotonin receptors, specifically the 5-HT2A. This interaction amplifies neural connections linked to impulsivity.
This interaction allows people to have a bigger mental space and cater to free thoughts. This mechanism reduces impulsivity due to more informed resolution.
What is the limitation of the first study that downgraded Burmese shroom’s effects on the impression of human participants?
The in vivo trials used rats as subjects. Unlike humans, rats focus only on survival and lack creativity or self-reflection. If the study were done with humans, the results might shift from resolving issues to improving decision-making as well.
Are Burmese variants more potent than the original?
The three variations have very little space between them that separates their potency. The original only registered 0.63% peak tryptamine content, far lower than the leucistic variety, which registered 1.41%. Therefore, yes, variants of the original are more potent, especially when grown using wood chips or in outdoor cultivation setups.
