Start here.
The essays we'd hand a curious friend first a guided way into the science, mycology, history, and safety of psilocybin.
How Psychedelic Research Actually Works, from Trial to Headline
"Behind every psilocybin headline is a slow, careful machine of trials and review. Here is how psychedelic research actually works, and how to read it with clear eyes."
Read the articleResearch, read clearly.
What the clinical evidence actually shows read without the headlines.
How Psychedelic Research Actually Works, from Trial to Headline
"Behind every psilocybin headline is a slow, careful machine of trials and review. Here is how psychedelic research actually works, and how to read it with clear eyes."
Beyond Depression: The Range of Conditions Psilocybin Research Explores
"Psilocybin research reaches well beyond depression. Here is the range of conditions scientists are exploring, told honestly, with the promise and the caveats side by side."
The Psychedelic Industry: Inside the Boom, the Money, and the Hype
"Psychedelics went from taboo to a whole industry, with research, investment, and plenty of hype. Here is a clear-eyed look at the psychedelic sector and where it stands."
"Psilocybin and the Brain: What Researchers Are Actually Exploring"
"How does psilocybin affect the brain? Researchers have real leads and real mysteries. Here is a plain-language look at what the science is exploring, minus the hype."
The fungal world.
The biology beneath the cap spore, mycelium, and fruiting body.
The story so far.
From Mesoamerican ceremony to the modern revival carefully sourced.
Grown vs. Made: How Psilocybin and LSD Actually Differ
"One comes from a mushroom, one from a flask. Beyond the mystique, how do psilocybin and LSD actually differ in origin and science? A clear-eyed look at the real distinctions."
Industry Spotlight: DoubleBlind Magazine, a Voice for the People
"In a psychedelic field crowded with hype, DoubleBlind bet on real journalism and real care. Our industry spotlight on the magazine, its mission, and the voice it built."
Giant Toadstools and Fungal Kingdoms: The Mushroom in Fantasy Art
Fantasy art loves a mushroom. Giant toadstools, glowing fungal forests, mushroom folk. Here is why the genre reaches for the fungus to build its otherworlds, again and again.
The Long, Strange History of Psychedelic Science
"Psychedelic science had a bright start, a hard fall, and a surprising comeback. Here is the long, strange story of how researchers came to study magic mushrooms and psilocybin."
Think it through.
Practical skills for reading the evidence and not being misled.
Know what to expect.
What is known, what is uncertain, and how to tell them apart.
Mushroom Identification Safety: Why Foraging Requires Real Caution
"Misidentified mushrooms cause hospitalizations and deaths every year. We explain the real risks of foraging, why apps and field guides are not enough, and what caution requires."
Psilocybin Legal Status Worldwide: A 2026 Snapshot
Psilocybin is still controlled across most of the world, but the landscape is shifting. We map the current legal status by jurisdiction and the trajectories worth watching.
Read slowly. The good stuff rewards attention.
What changed recently
Grown vs. Made: How Psilocybin and LSD Actually Differ
"One comes from a mushroom, one from a flask. Beyond the mystique, how do psilocybin and LSD actually differ in origin and science? A clear-eyed look at the real distinctions."
Industry Spotlight: DoubleBlind Magazine, a Voice for the People
"In a psychedelic field crowded with hype, DoubleBlind bet on real journalism and real care. Our industry spotlight on the magazine, its mission, and the voice it built."
Worth your attention
From Tek to Lab: A Brief History of Mushroom Cultivation
The Stages of a Psilocybin Experience: A Phenomenological Map
The Stoned Ape Hypothesis: A Sober Look
Gordon Wasson and the Rediscovery of the Sacred Mushroom
Giant Toadstools and Fungal Kingdoms: The Mushroom in Fantasy Art
The Long, Strange History of Psychedelic Science
Most recent
Why One Study Is Never Enough: Replication in Psychedelic Science
"A single striking study proves little on its own. Here is why replication matters so much in psychedelic science, and how to tell a solid finding from a lucky one."
"Psilocybin and the Brain: What Researchers Are Actually Exploring"
"How does psilocybin affect the brain? Researchers have real leads and real mysteries. Here is a plain-language look at what the science is exploring, minus the hype."
Turn It Up: The Mushroom in Music's Visual Culture
Music has a look as well as a sound, and the mushroom keeps showing up in it. Here is the fungus across music's visual culture, well beyond the psychedelic albums of the sixties.
The whole archive, in one place.
All articles
How Psychedelic Research Actually Works, from Trial to Headline
Beyond Depression: The Range of Conditions Psilocybin Research Explores
How Scientists Measure Whether a Psychedelic Actually Works
The Psychedelic Industry: Inside the Boom, the Money, and the Hype
Reading a Real Study: A Layperson's Walkthrough
Grown vs. Made: How Psilocybin and LSD Actually Differ
Industry Spotlight: DoubleBlind Magazine, a Voice for the People
Giant Toadstools and Fungal Kingdoms: The Mushroom in Fantasy Art
The Long, Strange History of Psychedelic Science
Why One Study Is Never Enough: Replication in Psychedelic Science
"Psilocybin and the Brain: What Researchers Are Actually Exploring"
Turn It Up: The Mushroom in Music's Visual Culture
Following the Participants: What Long-Term Psychedelic Studies Try to Learn
The Mushroom as Logo: How a Fungus Became the Sign of the Psychedelic
Shooting the Underworld: Why Mushrooms Became a Photographer's Obsession
Autumn's Emblem: The Mushroom in Japanese Art
Growing Art: How Artists Started Making Things Out of Living Fungus
Drawing the Undrawable: Why Mushrooms Still Need Painters
Panels and Toadstools: The Mushroom in Comics and Graphic Art
"The Risks and Open Questions the Psilocybin Hype Skips"
How Psilocin Acts on 5-HT2A Receptors and Disrupts the Default Mode Network
What the Science Actually Says About Psilocybin, and What It Doesn't
Press Up to Grow: How the Mushroom Conquered Video Games
The Moreno 2006 Study: Psilocybin and the Locked Loop of OCD
The Johnson 2014 Study: Psilocybin Against the Cigarette
The Grob 2011 Study: The Quiet Trial That Reopened a Closed Door
Soma: The Banker Who Tried to Identify a Lost Sacred Drug of Ancient India
The Long Winter: How Psychedelic Science Was Shut Down and Came Back
The Harvard Psilocybin Project: How Real Science Became a Scandal
Teonanacatl: The Flesh of the Gods and the Conquest That Tried to Erase It
MK-Ultra: When the CIA Tried to Weaponize the Mind
How Psilocybin Got Its Name: Albert Hofmann and the Mushroom in the Lab
The Davis 2021 Trial: Psilocybin Steps Out of the Cancer Ward
The Palhano-Fontes 2019 Trial: Ayahuasca Meets the Placebo Controlled Standard
The Gukasyan 2022 Study: Does the Effect Actually Last?
The Bogenschutz 2022 Trial: Psilocybin and the Grip of Alcohol
The Griffiths 2016 Trial: Psilocybin for the Fear at the End of Life
Mushroom Anatomy: A Complete Structural Guide
Mushroom Identification Safety: Why Foraging Requires Real Caution
Mycorrhizal Networks: How Fungi Connect the Forest
How Psilocybin Works: Pharmacology Explained
Psilocybin Legal Status Worldwide: A 2026 Snapshot
From Tek to Lab: A Brief History of Mushroom Cultivation
Maria Sabina and the Mazatec Tradition: History, Encounter, and Aftermath
The Fungal Life Cycle: From Spore to Spore
Microdosing Psilocybin: What the Controlled Studies Show
Fungal Anatomy: From Spore to Fruiting Body
Psilocybe cubensis: A Complete Species Profile
The Genera That Produce Psilocybin: A Field Overview
Inside the Johns Hopkins Psilocybin Trials: Method, Findings, Limits
The Stages of a Psilocybin Experience: A Phenomenological Map
Psilocybin and the Default Mode Network: What fMRI Actually Reveals
Psilocybin vs. LSD vs. Ayahuasca: How They Differ
Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression: What the Research Actually Shows
The Stoned Ape Hypothesis: A Sober Look
Gordon Wasson and the Rediscovery of the Sacred Mushroom
Tolerance and Cross-Tolerance with Psilocybin: What to Know
How to Read a Clinical Trial Like a Researcher
A visual field record
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