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The Endocannabinoid System: Rethinking Human Evolution Through Plant Compounds

The Endocannabinoid System: Rethinking Human Evolution Through Plant Compounds

by | May 31, 2025

Post Categories: Integrative Medicine | Managing Stress | Natural Living | Pain Management

In September 2024, I traveled to Bari, Italy, for the 12th International Medicinal Mushrooms Conference—a gathering that blended cutting-edge science with deep historical and ethnobotanical insight. Over the course of several days, I met with researchers, clinicians, and growers, and listened to dozens of presentations on the role of mushrooms in human health, from their potential in fighting cancer to their psychological effects and cultural significance.

One presentation in particular stayed with me: Paul Stamets’ talk on the so-called “Stoned Ape Theory,” which speculates that psilocybin mushrooms—found in the dung of large animals on the African plains—may have played a role in the rapid expansion of the human cerebrum. According to Stamets, echoing Terence McKenna who originally proposed the idea, early hominids who followed large mammals to watering holes likely encountered and consumed these mushrooms. The resulting stimulation of neuroplasticity and synaptic growth, he theorizes, could have contributed to the emergence of language, abstract thought, and advanced social behavior.1,2,7 

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Benjamin Moss

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