Wood lover paralysis - what we know so far

Written By Entheogenesis Australis

After witnessing and hearing about a phenomenon of temporary muscle weakness that sometimes occurs after ingesting certain wood-loving species of Psilocybe mushroom, Caine Barlow and Dr. Simon Beck ran a citizen-science survey aiming to provide the first systematic description of the phenomenon and try to identify any clear factors that might predict or explain the seemingly random nature of its occurrence. Join them to learn about the findings, their thoughts on several theories about the phenomenon, their experience of trying to undertake the research, observations on the spread of (mis)information and their harm reduction advice.

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Caine Barlow
Caine Barlow

Caine Barlow is a Fungi Educator and Mycologist based in Melbourne, Australia. He gives regular talks on mycology, fungi conservation, and teaches gourmet mushroom cultivation. He works closely with the Australian organisation Entheogenesis Australis, and is a co-founder of US-based organisation The Entheome Foundation. Caine is also a mentor for Milkwood Permaculture for their online Mushroom Cultivation course.

Dr. Simon Beck
Dr. Simon Beck

Simon Beck is a medical doctor, harm reduction educator and drug policy reform advocate. He is the secretary of the Australian Psychedelic Society. He has had an interest in mushroom identification for over a decade. He is interested in the clinical use of psychedelics and is also passionate about decriminalisation.

Entheogenesis Australis

Entheogenesis Australis (EGA) is a charity using education to help grow the Australian ethnobotanical community and their gardens. We encourage knowledge-sharing on botanical research, conservation, medicinal plants, arts, and culture.

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