Learning & education
Imagine a beautiful mushroom. Do you see a dome-shaped cap atop a slender stem? Visualize the cap’s color. Is it, perhaps, a deep red adorned with white dots?
If so, you have envisioned the most commonly portrayed mushroom in mainstream culture Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric.
5-hydroxytryptophan, or 5-HTP for short, is the intermediate metabolite of the essential amino acid tryptophan in the process of serotonin biosynthesis [1]. That is to say, it is an immediate precursor to serotonin [1,2].
Cordyceps is a genus of fungus that includes more than 500 described species. The name Cordyceps originates from the combination of two words: Kordyle, meaning “club” in Greek; and the stem ceps, meaning “head” in Latin. These fungi have a worldwide distribution and are prevalent in humid temperate and tropical forests, acting as endoparasites that infect insects, other arthropods, and even other fungi [1].
Cannabis has historically been used for a wide range of purposes, such as industrial, ornamental, and pharmaceutical applications [1,2]. In the modern world, marijuana use is permitted in some jurisdictions to help address the nausea caused by chemotherapy, anorexia in patients with AIDS, and to manage pain. It is also used recreationally to treat anxiety, insomnia, to stimulate an appetite, to simply get “high,” and much more.
“Powerhouse of the cell” and “battery of a car” are some common analogies you may have heard used to describe the mitochondria [1]. These analogies oversimplify the functions and role of mitochondria in cell physiology. In contrast to powerhouses with a single energy transformation purpose, mitochondria are multifaceted and multifunctional [1].
Melatonin is widely regarded as an important hormone that helps regulate and synchronize sleep rhythm, including sleep-wake timing [1] and seasonal rhythmicity aspects across vertebrates. It also has lesser-known roles as an antioxidant [2]. We have touched briefly on melatonin in a previous article about sleep hormones and their effect on the GABA system here.
AI-generated responses are for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Accuracy, completeness, or timeliness are not guaranteed. Use at your own risk.
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