It was in 2002 when I met Ozzy Osbourne.

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I was on the side of the stage as he was preparing to perform. Thanks to a brief stint as a touring musician that got me backstage access to Ozzfest in 2002, I had the privilege of watching the inner workings of that fine-tuned music festival from a vantage point few will ever know.

Also read: From The Vault: THE WISDOM OF OZ (1999)

To be clear, I didn’t actually “meet” Ozzy. He just walked next to me as I stood starstruck. Something that doesn’t happen to me often, by the way. He looked back and waved to me. I think he clearly recognized my excitement and threw me a bone. I suppose this was just part of his life, though: acknowledging his fans without a fuss or any sense of self-importance. And I think that’s one of the reasons so many people loved Ozzy. It’s one thing to be a music legend. It’s another thing to be a music legend while also just being a kind and decent person who loved his fans as much as we loved him. And he vocalized that love, which is why I think his death hit us all so hard.

Memorializing Ozzy with Mushrooms 

It’s hard to believe that it was 26 years ago when Ozzy graced these pages with an interview. An interview, by the way, that showed Ozzy’s true personality: not an arrogant “Rock God” or untouchable celebrity, but a genuinely funny, approachable, and gracious man.  Something that I think all of his fans already knew, but it was nice to see that person break proverbial bread with High Times. 

Last week, Kyle Rosner published a beautiful piece highlighting Ozzy’s life, and of course, his love of our favorite plant. But today, I want to share with you something that’s been on my mind since Ozzy went gently into that good night.

Given Ozzy’s hardcore partying days and extreme drug use – which was likely enough to kill a Tsavo Lion – it’s hard to believe that the thing that did him in was Parkinson’s Disease: a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder that, after being identified as a real medical condition in 1817, still has no cure.  Which is unfortunate, given that around 10 million people across the globe are currently living with this crippling condition.

To be sure, there are a number of pharmaceutical treatments that can help manage some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease – but no actual cure. 

What may interest you, however, is that there is also growing evidence to suggest that psilocybin – the “special sauce” in magic mushrooms – could also help treat those suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. 

According to a clinical trial conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, Parkinson’s Disease patients who experience debilitating mood dysfunction in addition to their movement impairments (and didn’t respond well to other medications) found relief with psilocybin.

Participants of the study that were given psilocybin, “experienced clinically significant improvements in mood, cognition, and motor function that lasted for weeks after the drug was out of their systems.”  This is not trivial.

Of course, who knows if a specialized psilocybin treatment would’ve helped Ozzy live a longer, and less painful life in his later years? But certainly, we’re excited to see this amazing tryptamine alkaloid potentially offer an effective treatment for those desperately seeking relief from this horrible disease.  

Indeed, this is just more evidence that mushrooms are medicine and should be treated as such. 

This article is for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before beginning any treatment involving psychedelics or other controlled substances.

The post Ozzy Osbourne, Parkinson’s and the Promise of Magic Mushrooms: Could They Have Helped? first appeared on High Times.