Why it’s time to explore natural medicine for nerve regeneration, trauma, and brain health
By: Matt Spaid
Strength doesn’t just come from your muscles. Every lift, every contraction, every ounce of performance is a conversation between the brain and body. The nervous system significantly influences both the amount of weight you can lift and your overall movement capabilities. When that connection breaks, as it did for me after a cervical-spine injury, you realize how fragile that system truly is.
A few years ago, I suffered a C5–C6 nerve injury that shut down my right pec, tricep, and lat. Years of carrying heavy loads as a Marine grunt led to “military neck,” a condition where my C-spine lost its natural curve. Additionally, prolonged helmet wear as a Firefighter caused a right head tilt, which my brain began to perceive as straight. This led to a lot of damage over the years, and one night when I was sleeping at the station, I suddenly experienced intense pain and muscle spasms. Eventually, my arm became numb and immobile. My pec and tricep withered away in a short amount of time. It’s a hard thing to explain. You look at your arm, tell it to move, and nothing happens. No contraction. No signal. Just silence.
When I saw the neurosurgeon, he told me it wouldn’t matter how many curls I did; I wouldn’t grow the muscle back. He wasn’t sure if I would be able to continue firefighting. I was facing surgery, but they were also worried I would come out of the surgery worse due to the significant damage and deterioration of my neck. They gave me a month to see if I could recover.
I started small, as I always do, and accomplished what I could. I used a variety of methods, mainly incorporating blood flow restriciton with isometircs. I would also perform tricep extensions with a 5 pound indian club. At first, I could barely get three shaky reps. Then one day, I tried something new: a psilocybin microdose.
That day, I went from three reps to thirty-four. The muscle woke up. It was as if the signal that had been blocked suddenly broke through. I was able to grow about 1.5″ back on my arm in a month, avoided surgery, and went back to firefighting.
This begs us to ask the question, why are we not doing more research on the medicinal applications of mushrooms? I combined microdosing with breathwork, red-light therapy, mobility, and strength training. Over time, my strength returned, and my nervous system not only healed but also learned to reconnect. I also noticed a significant improvement in my mental health.
A Word of Caution: The Need for Foundation and Responsibility
It’s vital to have a strong foundation spiritually, mentally, and physically before using any psychedelic or entheogenic therapy. These substances can open doors, but they also open wounds. Without grounding, guidance, and integration, they can lead people down dark paths.
Psychedelics are not a one-size-fits-all solution. They are powerful tools that must be used responsibly, in safe, formal, and supportive settings with proper guidance.
If approached with respect, intention, and structure, they can help people heal and grow. But without those foundations, they can amplify instability instead of resolving it. I believe it should be viewed as medicine. However, medicine can certainly be abused.
This is why education, mentorship, and preparation are critical.
Nature’s Pharmacy: Functional Mushrooms and Nerve Regeneration
Beyond “magic mushrooms,” which represent a small fraction of healing fungi, functional mushrooms such as lion’s mane, cordyceps, and turkey tail provide a vast array of healing compounds. These compounds support the brain and nervous system without inducing a psychedelic experience.
Lion’s Mane – The Neural Architect
Lion’s mane has shown the most promise for nerve regeneration. Compounds called hericenones and erinacines stimulate nerve-growth factor (NGF), the molecule responsible for repairing and creating new neural pathways (Ly et al., 2018).
Animal studies show that lion’s mane can accelerate peripheral-nerve recovery after injury, while human studies reveal improved cognitive performance and reduced inflammation. I now take 5–10 grams daily to support nerve health and brain recovery and I’ve felt the difference.
Cordyceps – Oxygen, Energy, and Neuroprotection
Cordyceps supports mitochondrial function, improving oxygen utilization and cellular energy output. Research shows anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective effects in models of memory loss and neurodegenerative disease (Liu-Ambrose et al., 2010; PMC5874985).
Turkey Tail – The Immune–Brain Connection
Turkey tail may not directly regrow nerves, but its immune-modulating and gut-brain effects create the right internal environment for healing. The gut–brain axis influences everything from mood to inflammation to recovery capacity.
Together, these mushrooms create a synergy that supports both neural repair and mental resilience.
Psychedelics and Mental Health: Rediscovering What We Lost
Psychedelics are not new. For decades, they were legally and effectively used to treat depression, addiction, and trauma. In the 1950s and 60s, psychiatrists treated thousands of patients with LSD and psilocybin for deep psychological wounds.
Then the research stopped. Not because science failed, but because politics did.
Now, nearly seventy years later, those same therapies are making a comeback. Major studies from Johns Hopkins, MAPS, and Imperial College London show psilocybin and MDMA-assisted therapy producing major breakthroughs in PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
And the results aren’t just academic. Veterans are traveling overseas to Mexico, Costa Rica, and Peru for psychedelic-assisted therapy. They come back changed. They come back alive.
These treatments work. But veterans shouldn’t have to cross borders or spend thousands of dollars for care we could responsibly provide here at home.
Veterans deserve access to safe, guided, and evidence-based psychedelic therapy in the United States. They’ve carried the weight for us; it’s time we carry it for them.
Science Validates What the Body Remembers
What I felt when that muscle “woke up” tracks with what labs are discovering about how psychedelics and mushrooms reshape the brain.
- Psilocybin & structural plasticity: In mice, a single psilocybin dose increased dendritic-spine size and density by ~10 % within 24 hours, persisting for a month (PubMed 34228959; PMC8376772).
- Synaptic strength: Psilocybin enhances synaptic signaling via BDNF and mTOR pathways (Front Mol Neurosci 2021).
- Lion’s mane & NGF:
- Double-blind RCTs in older adults with mild cognitive impairment showed improved cognitive scores over 16 weeks (HDS-R tests).
- Erinacines and hericenones stimulate NGF synthesis and neurite outgrowth in neuronal cultures (PMC5987239).
- New data show extracts enlarge neuronal growth-cone size, supporting connection formation (UQ News 2023).
- A pilot human trial in healthy adults found faster reaction times and reduced stress after 28 days (PMC10675414).
- Double-blind RCTs in older adults with mild cognitive impairment showed improved cognitive scores over 16 weeks (HDS-R tests).
These findings don’t prove miracles, but they explain the mechanistic “why” behind lived stories like mine. Neuroplasticity, growth-factor signaling, and synaptic resilience are real and measurable.
Research Summary
| Compound / Intervention | Key Findings | Caveats / Notes |
| Psilocybin (rodent) | Demonstrated an approximate 10% increase in dendritic-spine size and density within 24 hours, with effects persisting for one month (PubMed 34228959). | Animal data; ongoing translation to human applications. |
| Psilocybin (cell/animal) | Exhibited an increase in spine head size and synaptic strength, mediated by BDNF / mTOR pathways (Front Mol Neurosci 2021). | Preclinical findings. |
| Lion’s Mane (MCI trial) | Showed improved cognitive function on HDS-R tests after 16 weeks (AlzDiscovery report). | Limited by a small sample size. |
| Lion’s Mane (NGF mechanism) | Stimulated Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) expression and neurite outgrowth (PMC5987239). | Observed only in laboratory models. |
| Lion’s Mane (healthy trial) | Resulted in faster Stroop reaction times and reduced stress levels after 28 days (PMC10675414). | Preliminary results. |
| Cordyceps (polypeptides) | Improved memory and antioxidant markers in murine models (PMC5874985). | Animal data. |
| Turkey Tail (immune support) | Polysaccharopeptides modulated inflammation and the gut-brain axis (VerywellMind 2024 review). | Indirect neurological effects only. |
Training as a Neural Language
Strength training became my translator. Every rep was a signal. Every movement taught my nervous system what “on” felt like again.
- Motor Unit Recruitment: Strength work retrains dormant fibers.
- Hormetic Stress: Like microdosing, training introduces controlled stress that drives adaptation.
- Integration: Neural stimulation + movement + nutritional support = sustainable repair.
Here, scientific understanding and real-world experience merge within the challenging landscape of adaptive healing.
Why We Need to Explore Further
In a world quick to prescribe, cut, or suppress symptoms, what if the answer we seek is growing quietly in the soil, waiting to be rediscovered?
Instead of spending thousands on surgeries and chemical cocktails, maybe we should look closer at a fungus that grows from the earth and promotes healing. Maybe it’s here for a reason.Functional mushrooms and psychedelics are not fads; they are valuable tools. Tools that deserve rigorous study and responsible integration into treatment for nerve injury, PTSD, depression, and neurodegenerative disease.
Operation Antifragile: Bridging the Gap
Part of what we hope to accomplish with Operation Antifragile is to explore and share methods that actually work. Whether through neuroscience, strength training, or natural medicine, our goal is to fill the gap in care for veterans and first responders left behind by the system.
We believe in merging modern science with the wisdom of nature by building programs that help people heal, rebuild, and find purpose.
Antifragility isn’t about bouncing back. It’s about coming back stronger and bringing others with you.
References (Abbreviated List)
Ly C et al. (2018) Cell Reports ; Nutt & Carhart-Harris (2021) JAMA Psychiatry ; Polito & Stevenson (2019) PLoS ONE ; Wong KH et al. (2019) Int J Med Mushrooms ; Liu-Ambrose T et al. (2010) Arch Intern Med ; Carhart-Harris RL et al. (2021) NEJM ; Mitchell JM et al. (2023) Nat Med ; PubMed 34228959 / PMC8376772 / PMC5987239 / PMC10675414 / PMC5874985.