Medicinal – Page 54

Neural mechanisms underlying psilocybin’s therapeutic potential – the need for preclinical in vivo electrophysiology

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Psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, shows promise for treating depression and other mental health conditions. This review examines how psilocybin works in the brain, particularly by affecting brain regions involved in self-reflection and emotion regulation. The authors argue that new brain recording techniques are needed to fully understand how psilocybin produces its beneficial effects, which could help improve treatments for people with severe depression.

Polysaccharides from fungi: A review on their extraction, purification, structural features, and biological activities

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Mushrooms contain special compounds called polysaccharides that have powerful health benefits. Scientists have found these polysaccharides can help fight cancer, boost immunity, reduce inflammation, and manage diabetes. This review explains different ways to extract and purify these beneficial compounds from mushrooms and describes how they work in the body to provide these health benefits.

Seagrass Enhalus acoroides extract mitigates obesity and diabetes via GLP-1, PPARγ, SREBP-1c modulation and gut microbiome restoration in diabetic zebrafish

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Researchers tested a seagrass extract called Enhalus acoroides on diabetic zebrafish and found it effectively reduced body weight and blood sugar levels, performing as well or better than metformin, a common diabetes medication. The extract worked by activating genes that promote glucose metabolism and reducing genes that promote fat storage. Importantly, the extract also restored healthy gut bacteria balance, which appears to play a key role in its therapeutic effects. These findings suggest that seagrass could be developed into a natural supplement or functional food to help treat obesity and diabetes.

Reconsidering evidence for psychedelic-induced psychosis: An overview of reviews, a systematic review, and meta-analysis of human studies

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This research review examined whether people with schizophrenia can safely participate in psychedelic-assisted therapy treatments. Researchers analyzed 131 studies and found that psychedelics rarely cause new psychosis in the general population (0.002%), though the risk is slightly higher in people with existing schizophrenia (3.8%). While the immediate risk appears manageable, about 13% of people who develop psychosis from psychedelics go on to develop schizophrenia, suggesting caution is still needed.

Three New Fungi from China: A Potentially Psychoactive Psilocybe and Two Deconica Species

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This research describes three new mushroom species from China: Psilocybe striata and two Deconica species. Psilocybe striata is notable for its blue bruising and potential psychoactive properties, expanding where we know psilocybin mushrooms grow. The study used both physical characteristics and genetic analysis to identify and classify these fungi, discovering that China has much greater fungal diversity than previously documented.

Sodium Alginate Modifications: A Critical Review of Current Strategies and Emerging Applications

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Sodium alginate is a natural substance from seaweed that is safe to eat and widely used in foods, medicines, and environmental cleanup. Scientists have developed various ways to modify sodium alginate to make it stronger, more stable, and better at specific jobs like delivering medicines or creating edible packaging. This review explains both the gentle, food-safe ways to modify alginate for food products and stronger chemical methods used for medical and environmental applications. The modifications allow alginate to work better in areas like wound healing, removing pollutants from water, and protecting food freshness.

Dynamic changes of nutrients, isoflavone composition and antioxidant activities during liquid-state fermentation of soybean embryo homogenate by Ganoderma lucidum

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Researchers fermented soybean embryo using Ganoderma lucidum mushroom to create a more nutritious and better-tasting food product. During fermentation, the mushroom’s enzymes broke down hard-to-digest compounds and converted isoflavones into more absorbable forms while dramatically increasing antioxidant activity. The fermented product showed 8-fold higher antioxidant power and reduced unpleasant flavors, making soybean embryo a viable functional food ingredient.

The anti-fatigue and sleep-aiding effects vary significantly among different recipes containing Ganoderma lucidum extracts

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Different recipes made from Ganoderma lucidum mushroom have different health benefits. This study tested two recipes in mice and found that one (PGB) was better for reducing fatigue and improving exercise performance, while the other (GBS) was better for improving sleep quality. The research shows that how you prepare and combine medicinal mushroom ingredients matters for what health benefits you get.

The Effect of Combined Treatment of Psilocybin and Eugenol on Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Brain Inflammation in Mice

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This study tested whether psilocybin (an active compound from magic mushrooms) combined with eugenol (a natural compound from cloves) could reduce brain inflammation in mice. Researchers gave mice a substance that triggers inflammation in the brain and then treated them with these compounds before or after the inflammation started. The combination treatment, especially at a 1:50 ratio of psilocybin to eugenol, significantly reduced multiple inflammatory markers in the brain, suggesting this combination could potentially be helpful for treating brain inflammation-related conditions.

Anti-Hyperlipidemic and Anti-Atherogenic Effect of Citrus Peel Pectin Against Cholesterol and Cholic Acid Induced Hyperlipidemia in Sprague Dawley Rats

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Researchers tested whether pectin extracted from citrus peels could help treat high cholesterol and fat levels in the blood using rats. When rats were given different amounts of citrus peel pectin mixed into their food, their cholesterol and triglyceride levels decreased significantly while their good cholesterol (HDL) increased. The treatment also protected their heart, liver, and kidney tissues from damage. This suggests citrus peel pectin, usually thrown away by juice companies, could become a useful and natural remedy for managing high cholesterol.

Research Topic: Medicinal