Mushrooms are amazing! Sure, we love how white mushrooms taste sauteed with some garlic, or how perfectly portobellos fit into a burger, but mushrooms can bring us so much more than flavor.
While mushrooms remain mysterious and surprisingly useful (fungi are now being used to clean up oil spills, decompose plastics, and even be used as building and fashion materials), recent research has been uncovering how they can improve not only our mood but our sex lives as well. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Anti-depressants and sexual functioning
One of the common side effects of taking SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; a standard type of anti-depressant) is sexual dysfunction. This might look like a lack of desire, experiencing pain during sex, having difficulty with blood flow and secretions, and low fertility.
As an alternative treatment, psilocybin-assisted therapy delivers a lot of the benefits of SSRIs without the sexual setbacks. Earlier this year, a scientific article was published detailing two studies that focused on the effects of psilocybin mushrooms on the sex lives of those taking them. Among the authors cited is the notorious David Nutt, author of Drugs Without The Hot Air (a must read for anyone interested in the scientifically-backed approach to drug policy).
They found that psilocybin doesn’t impede sexual functioning, and it actually appears to enhance it! Even 6 months after your last dose. So, not only can psilocybin relieve depression, it can also enhance your sex life.
All about that D – Mushrooms as a source of vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with depression and some studies have also shown that low vitamin D status is associated with lower sexual functioning scores. Men deficient in vitamin D were more likely than healthy men to report erectile dysfunction, orgasmic dysfunction, and lower sexual desire. A pilot study in young women showed similar results.
Mushrooms exposed to sun or UV light contain vitamin D. A single serving of UV-exposed crimini mushrooms contains more than your daily recommendation of vitamin D. Including sun or UV-exposed mushrooms into your diet could help reduce depression and could even improve sexual functioning!
But what if your depression and lower sexual functioning isn’t linked to vitamin D deficiency? As it turns out, mushrooms may still be the answer.
Magic mushrooms and depression
For the last decade or so, research looking into the effectiveness of psilocybin to treat depression has yielded surprisingly positive results.
Patients with treatment-resistant depression were reporting huge improvements. In terminal cancer patients, most returned to the normal range of depression scores and these results lasted for months after treatment.
These kinds of results are unheard of in traditional pharmacology, so to many, it seems too good to be true.
Isn’t that just chem sex?
No, actually, it’s not, and here’s why: chem sex is about taking substances and engaging with sex while you’re on them. The benefits reported by these two studies focused on the effects after the psychedelic trip. Days, weeks, and even months after.
Of course, some people out there do have sex while on a magic mushroom trip, and they may or may not experience it as an enhancement.
Given how sensitive psychedelic experiences are to set and setting, this seems more complicated than just lumping magic mushrooms in with other aphrodisiacs. Depending on your specific context, it could very easily kill the vibe instead.
What are the benefits I could see in my sex life?
Participants in these studies reported several improvements in their sex lives. They reported higher satisfaction with their own physical appearance, higher satisfaction with their partner, and improved communication during sex. They also became more open to exploring new things sexually and were even more likely to see sex as a sacred and spiritual experience. Perhaps most importantly, participants who took psilocybin also reported enhanced sexual pleasure during sex.
Those are some big claims. Most aphrodisiacs just boost blood flow for a couple hours. These babies offer deeper and enduring changes that border on the miraculous. How could this possibly be true?
Well, these participants were largely guided through their experiences with well-trained therapists or experienced guides. They took time afterward to integrate their experiences, which presumably did lead to real personal transformation.
Psychedelic-assisted therapy is like regular therapy that’s been supercharged and sped up. Some people might achieve in the space of 8 hours what they couldn’t reach in 8 years with traditional therapy.
Let’s break this down and talk about each of these benefits.
Higher satisfaction with personal appearance
It may sound a bit vain, but how you feel about your own appearance is a huge factor in sexual desire, particularly for women.
So much of the dominant cultural norms place a high value on a woman’s sexiness, and often with a very singular definition of what that means. High satisfaction with one’s personal appearance, particularly when you’ve been inundated with the idea that your value is dependent on it, is essential for genuine and enjoyable sexual connection.
Higher satisfaction with your partner
Sure, some people will have sex with anyone or anything they can, but most of us prefer to have sex with someone we value. This could come in many forms, but the important bit is that we feel good about the person we’re with.
Anecdotally, psilocybin tends to enhance one’s connection to a deep supply of love. This embodiment of love allows us to feel more empathy for others and compassion towards our partners.
Improved communication during sex
The bridge between your experience and my understanding is communication. The quality of that bridge dictates not only whether or not we can cross it, but also what that experience of crossing looks like.
Some partnerships end due to poor communication alone. One of the foundational problems is insufficient self-awareness and understanding. How can you communicate something you don’t know?
Psilocybin tends to facilitate introspection and with this improved self-awareness, one can then put words to feelings and communicate them to our partners.
Enhanced openness to exploration
When we feel unsafe or vulnerable, a common instinct is to contract and protect ourselves by shutting out everything new and unfamiliar.
After psilocybin-assisted therapy, it is common to feel safer and less fearful. Feeling safe and supported allows us to open up and try new things. Participants of this study were more willing to try new things in the bedroom.
Trying new things from a place of safety can reignite passion and allow you to discover parts of yourself you may not have known existed. Self-discovery with a partner can then strengthen bonds and lead to a more satisfying intimacy and sex life overall.
Added sacred or spiritual dimension to sex
Sex is a very physical experience between bodies, and sometimes that’s all it is. For some (like people who identify as aromantic), that’s all it needs to be. Others need to also feel a particular set of emotions in order to enjoy sex.
I have yet to see a sexual orientation label that requires a spiritual or sacred element to sex (though I have seen this described as a type of sex, ex. conscious sex, sacred sexuality), but I’m sure many would align with that identity.
For people who have had a psychedelic experience, they’re more likely to see and experience sex as sacred or spiritual. Obviously, many people have rich and fulfilling sex lives that don’t include this element, but for some, it can greatly enhance the experience.
Enhanced pleasure
JACKPOT! This is what we’re all after, right? How do we maximize pleasure? Well, according to the self-reported surveys, participants experienced enhanced pleasure during sex after psilocybin-assisted therapy.
While the causes and details of this finding remain mysterious, it stands to reason that if your relationship to self and others is improved, and you’re more firmly rooted in safety and love rather than fear and vulnerability, you’re probably going to have less getting in the way of your pleasure.
Clearly, more research should be done on this ASAP!
What about other psychedelics?
While one of the studies did include data from participants who used other psychedelics, the majority of the data came from psilocybin users.
Currently, there is a lot we don’t know about psychedelics. Though there has been a lot of interest in the field over the last decade, and we have certainly learned a lot, more research is needed to really understand how these substances work and what long-term effects may exist.
MDMA-assisted therapy has been used very successfully to treat couples where one of the partners has a history of trauma. This drug can help one talk about difficult experiences without all of the painful emotions attached to them. Being able to share these experiences with our partners can enhance trust and understanding, which in turn can help us to connect sexually as well.
What are the risks involved?
There’s a lot we don’t yet know about the risks with taking psilocybin, however we do think that people have been taking it for centuries, possibly millennia. In fact, we even share an evolutionary ancestor with mushrooms. They’re also not considered to be addictive and have actually been used to treat substance-use disorders.
At this stage, we know that estrogen affects the serotonin receptors, though more research is needed to fully understand how women are affected by psilocybin. Some evidence suggests that ovulation is likely the ideal part of your cycle to take them.
Some scary outcomes have been documented from people taking psilocybin without a trained therapist, particularly if mixed with other intoxicants like alcohol and cocaine, but generally, the common side effects are headache, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue.
Overall, the risks associated with psilocybin seem to be lower when compared to SSRIs and many other manufactured substances. The benefits are also quite compelling. The effects of psilocybin are reduced by SSRIs, so you may not experience the same benefits if you are using SSRIs within 3 months of trying psilocybin.
Should I take mushrooms with my partner?
That’s up to you and your partner to decide. Couples therapy has been explored more with MDMA-assisted therapy than with psilocybin mushrooms, but psilocybin has a great track record for having long-lasting results after the experience.
It is definitely recommended to take these substances with a seasoned therapist, shaman or other psychedelic practitioner you trust. Trust is essential. On psychedelics, we become even more sensitive to our set and setting. This refers to both the physical environment we find ourselves in as well as our inner emotional states and those of the people around us.
The relationship improvements that were seen in this research come from after the treatment, not during. Taking mushrooms together may not bring you closer together during the trip as you imagine. However, taking them with a trained psychedelic therapist individually is very likely to improve your relationship after your sessions.
From the ground up
No matter how you slice it, mushrooms are pretty incredible. While there’s still a lot left to learn about how different types of mushrooms impact our well-being, the evidence is intriguing!
Anti-depressive use has skyrocketed in recent decades and many are unaware not only of the impacts to one’s sex life but also of the alternatives that exist or may become available soon.