Hello and welcome back.
We’re excited to announce that we’ll be bringing you a FREE virtual event on February 3rd to discuss all things psychedelic and mental health. If your New Year’s resolution is to work on your mental health, you won’t want to miss it! Keep reading for details 😊
Here’s what’s in store for you in today’s issue:
🍄 The most intense psychedelic?
🍄 Impressive findings from a ketamine study on addiction
🍄 A promising treatment for ALS
🍄 Rescheduling psilocybin GLOBALLY
🍄 And more.
Be sure to check out this week’s Daily Mushroom podcast:
What physicians really think about psilocybin
On this episode of the Daily Mushroom Podcast, we have Dr. Lyle Oberg, co-founder, and CEO of MYND life sciences. Dr. Oberg has been had an extensive career across many sectors, including working as a family physician and a Chief Policy and Medical Officer at a cannabis company. He was also part of the Alberta government for 15 years as Minister of Finance, Social Services, Learning, and more. Stick around to hear what Dr. Oberg has to say, we are sure it will give a new insight into the world of psychedelics!
86% abstinent after ketamine therapy
Six months after receiving three ketamine infusions and Awakn Life Sciences’ proprietary therapy, 86% of patients with severe alcohol use disorder remained abstinent from alcohol.
Awakn’s study also showed that:
- The treatment was 2.7x more effective than placebo infusions and alcohol education
- Risk of mortality within one year dropped from 1 in 8 patients to 1 in 80
- Liver function improved (shocker)
- Depression scores were significantly reduced
- Ability to experience pleasure increased
The downside? There isn’t one. There were no serious adverse reactions either 👏
Slowing the progression of ALS
When diagnosed with ALS, patients are typically given 2 to 6 years to live and experience rapid decline in muscle function. Even after the ice bucket challenge took the internet by storm, a cure has yet to be found.
Luckily, ketamine is showing potential to slow the progression of the disease to improve both the quality and length of patients’ lives.
In a mouse model of ALS, PharmaTher (PHRM) found that ketamine preserved muscle function and increased life expectancy if administered in the early stages of the disease.
The company received FDA approval for a Phase II trial that will assess a biomarker of neurodegeneration, functional abilities, muscle strength, and depression scores among ALS patients undergoing ketamine treatments.
Psilocybin + CBD 🧠
The majority of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) also experience depression, and patients with severe TBI-related depression are 5x more likely to attempt suicide.
Wesana Health (WESA) is planning a study to see if the condition can be treated with one large dose of psilocybin in a clinic, followed by “self-administered maintenance doses” of psilocybin and CBD to sustain the benefits.
Researchers believe the treatment will promote neuroplasticity and neurogenesis while reducing neuroinflammation.
Can ketamine enhance addiction medication?
Novamind (NM) is hosting a first-of-its-kind study to find out.
The trial will see if ketamine-assisted therapy can enhance the effectiveness of buprenorphine, a first-line addiction medication, in treating opioid use disorder.
Will the two drugs finally be able to conquer this treatment-resistant condition?
Join our virtual Mental Health Town Hall
We’re collaborating with experts at Entheon Biomedical (ENBI) to bring you a special virtual event on February 3rd.
Here’s what you can expect to learn:
- The latest psychedelic research on mental health and addiction
- How psychedelics can be used for personal development
- All things microdosing
- Where the industry is headed
- Answers to all your burning questions
You’ll hear insights and stories from:
- Timothy Ko, CEO and Founder of Entheon
- Dr. Andrew Greenshaw, Scientific Advisor to Entheon and Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the University of Alberta
- David Mayoh, Communications Manager at Entheon
- Thomas Hartle, the first Canadian to receive psilocybin therapy
- And more
Now is your chance to get your questions answered by industry experts and connect with fellow members of the Daily Mushroom Community. We can’t wait to see you there. Register now 👇
The most intense psychedelic?
“I truly doubt that there is another psychedelic drug, anywhere, that can match [4-HO-DiPT] for speed, intensity, brevity, and sensitive to dose, at least one that is active orally.”
Field Trip Health’s (FTRP) first novel compound could produce the most intense experience of any oral psychedelic.
It’s a more stable and soluble version of 4-HO-DiPT — a drug that induces an extremely powerful experience lasting 2-3 hours, according to Alexander Shulgin, the chemist who created it.
Considering he’s experimented with 55 different psychedelics, which he reviewed in “Tryptamines I Have Known and Loved,” we’ll take his word for it.
Field Trip expects to receive a patent for the formulation next month.
Mydecine (MYCO) is launching a program to sell MDMA and psilocybin, as well as training and support services, to healthcare practitioners through Health Canada’s amended Special Access Program. The company also completed a model that can rapidly screen billions of compounds using AI to find novel psychedelics that bind to serotonin receptors.
Delic Holdings Corp. (DELC) announced that it plans to more than double its footprint in the next 18 months by opening 15 new ketamine clinics, which will be strategically located in secondary cities to improve patient accessibility.
Ketamine One (MEDI) began trading on the OTCQB marketplace under the symbol ‘KONEF’.
atai Life Sciences (ATAI) received FDA approval for a study to investigate how its R-ketamine compound interacts with other drugs.
Rescheduling psilocybin GLOBALLY 🌍
“Given today’s scientific understanding of psilocybin’s high potential therapeutic value and low risk of dependence, a change of its status as a Schedule I drug is long overdue,” according to Christopher Koddermann.
That’s why he co-founded The International Therapeutic Psilocybin Rescheduling Initiative (ITPRI) – an initiative that’s pushing for psilocybin to be rescheduled on a global scale.
ITPRI aims to reschedule psilocybin through the United Nations’ Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which was enacted over 50 years ago 😮 This would significantly reduce the regulatory barriers that impede psilocybin research and access to treatment.
So yes, rescheduling is long overdue, but better late than never!
Plus, progress in the US & Italy:
A Missouri Rep. filed a bill to expand the state’s right-to-try law to include psilocybin, MDMA, DMT, ibogaine, LSD, mescaline, and peyote. This would grant patients with serious illnesses legal access to the substances. Read more…
Senator Scott Wiener announced that he is once again pushing for a psychedelic decriminalization bill in California after halting it last year, and believes it has a 50/50 chance of being passed. To generate support, veterans are meeting with Assembly members and changes may be made to possession limits and types of psychedelics included. Read more…
- Virginia lawmakers introduced a bill to reduce the penalty for possessing peyote, ibogaine, psilocybin, or psilocin from a Class 5 felony to a $100 fine. A separate bill focused on just psilocybin and psilocin was also filed. Read more…
Italian officials verified 630,000 signatures collected in support of a measure to decriminalize cultivation of marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms. If the measure is approved by the Constitutional Court, which will be announced on February 15, it will appear on a ballot this spring. Read more…
Turning mushrooms into mush houses
Architect David Benjamin wants to make the construction industry more sustainable using (you guessed it) mushrooms!
He constructed a 40-foot-tall structure using bricks grown from mushroom mycelium.
The bricks are lightweight yet durable and can be grown in five days without emitting carbon or producing waste.
