Because cannabis and medicinal mushrooms can have an incredible array of applications for health, there are many different conditions that tend to respond well to them. We have cannabinoid receptors that interact with cannabis molecules throughout every system in the body, and as you’ve seen already, medicinal mushrooms are powerhouses for the immune system. Both cannabis and mushrooms help to keep our bodies in homeostasis (balance), so depending on your condition, they could be a worthy addition to your treatment regimen with your doctor’s consent. Again, remember that every person is different, so monitor your progress closely and keep a journal to record your dosage and any effects that you feel.
When working with cannabis and advanced conditions, dosing can take some experimentation, and I always recommend working directly with a cannabis doctor. To find a cannabis doctor near you, do an online search for “medical cannabis doctor” and your specific city—or visit the Society of Cannabis Clinicians at cannabisclinicians.org. Some cannabis doctors offer online video consultations if you can’t make it face-to-face.
When using medicinal mushrooms to help with an advanced condition, it would be wise to work with a naturopathic doctor or alternative health practitioner who has experience with using medicinal mushrooms. Typically, dosing with medicinal mushrooms for advanced conditions is about five times the recommended standard wellness dose.
Epilepsy. The popular CBD oil company Charlotte’s Web was named after a little girl named Charlotte Figi, who developed Dravet syndrome—a form of epilepsy that produces constant seizures—when she was a baby. By the time she was three years old, she was having about 300 seizures a week—and according to her mom, Paige, she sometimes experienced more than 50 seizures in one night. The first day Charlotte took CBD oil under her tongue, she had no seizures that day. She had no seizures for the following few days, either, when, according to her mom in the CNN documentary Weed, “she would have normally had one hundred.” According to a 2019 article in The New York Times, Charlotte continues to be almost entirely seizure-free.
Since then, many other patients have used CBD successfully for seizures, and a CBD-isolate pharmaceutical drug called Epidiolex (prescribed for seizure disorders) was approved by the FDA in 2018. Researchers have found, however, that full-spectrum CBD is three times as effective as the single-molecule drug for seizure disorders. Full-spectrum CBD oil also produced fewer unwanted side effects than the isolate.
PTSD. Studies have shown that patients experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have low levels of anandamide (one of the endogenous cannabinoids), and that there are cannabinoid receptors located on the amygdala in the brain—which is associated with anxiety, fear response, and memory retrieval. Many PTSD patients report a reduction in their symptoms when using cannabis therapeutically.
MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) is currently training therapists to guide patients through MDMA (the active compound in the drug ecstasy) therapy for PTSD. In Phase 2 clinical trials, 68 percent of participants no longer met the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis one year following MDMA treatment. Phase 3 trials are currently under way. MDMA doesn’t come from cannabis or mushrooms—but it’s worth keeping your finger on the pulse of this research if you suffer from PTSD.
Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and other neurological conditions. Both cannabis and lion’s mane mushroom have been shown to be neuroregenerative and potentially therapeutic for conditions related to the brain and nerves. Cannabinoids have been shown to be neuroprotective, potentially reducing the progression of neurological conditions. In MS specifically, a 1:1 ratio of CBD to THC has been shown to reduce pain and spasticity. Researchers are studying psilocybin mushrooms for their neuroregenerative properties as well.
Autoimmune conditions. Many autoimmune conditions involve an inflammatory response in the body; reducing inflammation can often help to tame symptoms. We have CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors located on our immune cells, and cannabis has been shown to help modulate the immune system and calm inflammation. Medicinal mushrooms have all been shown to help modulate (rather than stimulate) the immune system and can potentially help with autoimmune conditions.
“If you have an autoimmune condition or if you are on medication for an autoimmune disease, I recommend working with a naturopath, a medical doctor or nurse practitioner who’s knowledgeable about herbs, a very experienced herbalist, or other practitioners who are knowledgeable about autoimmune disease medications and botanicals,” says Aviva Romm, MD.
Treatment-resistant depression. Psilocybin mushrooms are currently being studied with patients experiencing severe depression that has failed to respond to other treatments. Psilocybin has been given a “breakthrough therapy” designation by the FDA, to accelerate clinical trials and drug development. Breakthrough therapy status is typically granted when preliminary evidence indicates that a drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over other available therapies, according to the FDA. Clinical trials with psilocybin are currently under way. (More on psilocybin in the next section.)
Visit RebelsApothecary.com/Resources for the latest research and updates on cannabis, mushrooms, and health conditions. ProjectCBD.org also offers many of the latest updates on cannabis science and research for a wide variety of different conditions.