Magic mushrooms are often misunderstood, and many countries have made it illegal to even possess them. However, there’s several studies and tons of anecdotal evidence that shrooms can have intense effects on your brain, including benefits like changes to your productivity and focus.

You can take large doses of magic mushrooms, which will cause you to trip. You can also microdose instead. This has less dramatic effects, but they can be just as profound.

Here’s what the science about magic mushrooms has to say, as well as the experiences of microdosers and other users.

How Magic Mushrooms Affect Your Brain

Scientists aren’t exactly sure how magic mushrooms affect the brain. Because shrooms are illegal in most areas, it’s against the law to study them. Luckily, some research has been done that gives researchers more insight into how magic shrooms work.

Psilocybin, the effective chemical in magic mushrooms, causes parts of the brain to become connected in ways that they’ve never been before. They can communicate with each other differently, which might be responsible for trip experiences that give people a new perspective on life.

When scientists gie people who just took magic shrooms MRIs, they had very different brain activity patterns than normal. The brain functions in a less constrained way, allowing more communication throughout. Patients entered a state of mind that’s similar to dreaming.

We also know that magic mushrooms affect the claustrum, the part of the brain that’s responsible for setting attention and switching to new tasks. People who took high doses of psilocybin had impairments in this area, but microdosers may notice improvements instead.

Research About Mushrooms & Productivity

Scientists are still looking for ways to explain how magic mushrooms affect the brain. Much of the evidence we have about their efficacy is anecdotal, coming from people who have experienced tripping or microdosing first-hand.

One study with self-reporting subjects found that people felt more motivated, productive, and confident when they microdosed psilocybin mushrooms. Improving your motivation is one of the best ways to get tasks done, so mushrooms might make you much more productive overall.

In one study, people who microdose shrooms were asked about their state of mind. Out of 278 microdosers, 14.8% said they noticed improved focus when taking their regular dose. This was the most prominent positive effect found except for mood, at a whopping 26.6%.

You might notice that your mind wanders less when you use magic mushrooms. Researchers found that people were less likely to become distracted by unwanted thoughts when they microdosed.

People are also more likely to become engrossed in what they’re doing when they take magic shrooms. Study participants had a higher rate of absorption, which causes focused attention on imaginative experiences. That can help complete a creative project or brainstorming session.

Microdosers might notice that they’re having more creative ideas and thinking outside the box. They also have more energy to make their dreams happen.

Mushrooms may help with attention disorders like ADHD. One study showed that ADHD patients self-reported that psychedelics were more helpful for them than pharmaceuticals or other traditional treatments.

Research About Mushrooms & Mental Health

Mental health problems like depression, PTSD, and anxiety make it extremely hard to be productive or focus on the task at hand. When magic shrooms users report reduction in their mental health symptoms, they’re also noticing how many more things they can get done in a day.

A study of almost 1,000 microdosers showed participants had improvements in mood, depression, stress, and anxiety. These changes were reported by participants and not measured by researchers, but effectively using mushrooms to help with mental health problems seems more and more likely.

In one study, scientists asked people to take a test about their attitudes towards life and their emotions. Microdosers scored lower on a test measuring their negative emotions and dysfunctional attitudes. The same study showed that microdosers have higher scores in wisdom, creativity, and open-mindedness.

One of the most promising recent studies came out of John Hopkins University. Scientists studied 24 patients with major depressive disorder who had not had any luck with traditional treatments. They took two five-hour psilocybin sessions under the supervision of researchers.

After one week, 67% of participants said that their depression symptoms were cut in half. After four weeks, it jumped to 71%.

Overall, when studied four weeks after their last treatment, 54% of subjects no longer fit the criteria for major depressive disorder, meaning their depression became mild or went away entirely. Evidence shows that these changes might be permanent, or at least long-lasting, and they didn’t have to microdose or keep taking doses of shrooms after the study.

Overall, there is anecdotal or scientific evidence that magic mushrooms can help patients with the following conditions:

• Anxiety
• Addiction
• Depression
• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Fear from terminal cancer
• Anorexia
• ADHD

Mental healthcare is still an evolving field, and traditional treatments like medication and therapy don’t work well for everyone. There’s more and more evidence coming out that magic mushrooms could play a huge part in caring for people with mental health issues down the line.

Overall, the science surrounding magic mushrooms has been promising. Productivity and focus are likely to be affected by microdosing, and could show improvements from taking larger doses of shrooms as well. More science needs to be done, but there’s likely good news on the horizon.

Want to try psilocybin mushrooms for yourself?

Shrooms Delivery Canada has a wide variety of magic mushroom products to choose from. You can buy whole dried mushrooms, magic mushroom edibles, or microdosing capsules. We also offer LSD, DMT, and cannabis flower.

All of our orders are shipped directly to your door in discreet packaging, so you don’t even have to leave your house to start a microdosing routine or go on an exciting, life-changing trip!