Review by Booklist Review
Interest in psychedelic drugs (MDMA, psilocybin, ketamine, LSD) is intensifying. Optimism for their therapeutic potential, especially in the treatment of mental health conditions, is escalating. Bone, a nature writer and user of magic mushrooms, provides wide-ranging information about the psychoactive substance psilocybin, produced by these kinds of fungi. She addresses dosages, pharmacology, types of psychedelic experiences, possible side effects, and how to obtain and grow them. The "trips" usually last four to six hours and can be relaxing, therapeutic, or mind-expanding. But Bone acknowledges that there are many unknowns and that psilocybin is a federally banned drug. She interacts with "citizen psychopharmacists," who essentially perform research on themselves. Psilocybin mushrooms are ingested to treat mood and substance abuse problems, to handle stress, to enhance spirituality, or simply for pleasure. They show particular promise for managing chronic pain and end-of-life care. Individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder should avoid magic mushrooms. With an amicable writing style, effective integration of research and interviews in her discussion, and candid accounts of personal experiences, Bone engagingly unearths the "magic" in psilocybin-containing fungi.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Journalist Bone (Microbia) serves up an eye-opening examination of the science and benefits of psilocybin mushrooms. She explains that after the mushrooms are ingested, stomach acid metabolizes the chemical compound psilocybin into psilocin, which travels through the bloodstream to the brain where it activates neural circuits "associated with adaptability, learning, cognition, and perception," producing the sensation of tripping. While Bone discusses formal studies when available (she notes several that found microdosing doesn't affect users' mood much more than a placebo), she often relies on anecdotal evidence, reasoning that the lived experiences of users can fill gaps in the scientific record. For instance, she describes how a young man's trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling) evaporated after he took psilocybin, and how a woman successfully used magic mushrooms to work through her grief after her daughter died by suicide. Elsewhere, Bone recounts going on a "psychedelic retreat" in Costa Rica in hopes of discovering "a new and improved me" and participating in a Mazatec "mushroom ceremony" in Mexico aimed at healing spiritual wounds. The elegant blend of scientific research, stories of individual mushroom users, and Bone's own experiences with the drug make for a study that's as eclectic as it is stimulating. This will expand readers' minds. Agent: Angela Miller, Folio Literary Management. (Oct.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An intriguing dive into the history and future of magic mushrooms. Food and nature writer Bone begins this book with a disclaimer, saying that it "should not be construed as advocacy for the use of any illegal substance." It quickly becomes clear, however, that she must have had her tongue firmly in her cheek when she said that. She has consumed a considerable number of magic mushrooms, and her book is essentially about their positive attributes and uses. Although public attitudes toward mushrooms and their active chemical ingredient, psilocybin, have recently become more liberal, there still has not been much scientific inquiry, so Bone depends largely on reports from users and her own experiences. She provides advice on how to induce enjoyable trips and avoid bad ones, examining hallucinations, trance states, and ego dissolution. She devotes a section to obtaining mushrooms, either by harvesting them in the wild or cultivating them from spores, which are readily available. There has been some success in treating PTSD and related mental health issues with psilocybin, she notes, but research is still sketchy. Another potentially valuable use of mushrooms she covers is a procedure called microdosing, which involves taking small, calibrated amounts; it does not send users on trips but can be helpful in easing depression, anxiety, and other ills. There are, according to Bone, many other possible therapeutic uses for psilocybin, but she believes that "the magic in magic mushrooms is their potential to put you in tune with your true self." An interesting and informative guide, replete with insights, knowledge, and even flashes of humor. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
