Hello and welcome back.

We hope you’ve had a great start to 2022. 

In 2021, we read thousands of articles so you didn’t have to. (You’re welcome 😉)

We curated the best content and summarized over 300 articles so you could be the smartest mushroom in the room, covering over 45 conditions and disorders that could potentially be treated with psychedelics 🤯 

This is just the beginning… Get ready for another year of groundbreaking research, inspiring stories, and major business deals. 

Here’s what’s in store for you in today’s issue:

🍄 Take a psychedelic retreat from your bed

🍄 The African shrub that could solve the opioid crisis

🍄 How to make your NY’s resolutions stick

🍄 How psychedelic therapy just got A LOT more accessible for Canadians

🍄 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!

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Microdoses for the whole family

Here’s a fun way to bond with grandma…

Mindset Pharma (MSET) filed a patent for psilocybin microdoses that have potential to treat Alzheimer’s disease and ADHD. 

The compounds may promote cognitive benefits without the liability of a psychedelic experience, making them suitable for “fragile population groups” like children and the elderly, according to the company’s Chief Scientific Officer.

Could this African shrub solve the opioid crisis?

MindMed (MNMD) developed a non-hallucinogenic molecule based on ibogaine, the psychoactive compound in the African iboga plant, and it’s showing potential to treat opioid addiction.

How? 🤔

The compound has demonstrated the ability to reduce opioid use and ease withdrawal symptoms by regulating excessive dopamine fluctuations.

An upcoming Phase 2a trial will put the compound to the test.

Make your New Year’s resolutions stick

Spent too much time gaming or had too much sex in 2021? 

We’re guessing you didn’t answer yes to both, but if you struggle with one of these things, ketamine therapy could help you make changes this year 😉

Awakn Life Sciences (AWKN) received ethics approval to expand its ketamine study. In addition to investigating Gambling Disorder, it will now cover three more behavioral addictions: Internet Gaming Disorder, Compulsive Sexual Behaviour, and Binge Eating Disorder.

The goal is to “harness a window in which the brain is able to make new connections” to create lasting behaviour changes. 

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The quest to treat addiction

After his brother overdosed in 2019, Timothy Ko founded Entheon Biomedical (ENBI) on his quest to find a better treatment for addiction through psychedelic therapy.

The company is focused on advancing the DMT molecule to treat substance use disorders. It just submitted a regulatory package to an ethics committee for a human clinical trial on healthy smokers, which will be one of the most comprehensive studies of DMT ever.

Entheon has also begun recruiting patients with treatment-resistant depression for a ketamine therapy study, which will be conducted with Heading Health LLC. The study will use an electroencephalography (EEG) headset and genetic screening to:

  • Understand how ketamine influences brainwave patterns
  • Investigate how genetic markers influence ketamine response
  • Explore the effects of music on therapeutic outcomes
  • Develop a framework for characterizing the psychedelic drug state

Take a psychedelic retreat from your bed

Psychedelic retreats are inaccessible to most due to high costs, length of treatments, and travel restrictions. Who has ten thousand dollars to drop on a week in Jamaica?

That’s why Ei.Ventures is investing (heavily) in the Metaverse.

The company purchased a $2.2M estate in The Sandbox virtual world – the third largest land sale in the Metaverse ever. 

The goal? 

To provide “wondrous” psychedelic journeys through the Hawaiian islands, or outer space, using VR technology.

Sound like the ideal setting for your next trip?

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Filament Health (FH) received Health Canada approval for a psilocybin microdosing study on 100 patients with persistent depression, which will be funded by the Nikean Foundation.

The McQuade Centre for Strategic Research and Development (MSRD), a subsidiary of Otsuka Pharmaceutical (one of Japan’s biggest pharma companies), invested $5M in Mindset Pharma to support its drug development.

MindBio Therapeutics is aiming to develop a “smart drug delivery technology” that can use patient data to determine an optimal microdose for each individual.

Compass Pathways’ (CMPS) early psilocybin research was published in The Journal of Psychopharmacology this week. The study suggests that both low and high doses of psilocybin are safe to administer in group settings and do not have negative impacts on thought patterns or processing of emotions. 

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Psychedelic therapy just got A LOT more accessible for Canadians

Until now, the only way for patients to access psychedelic therapy outside a clinical trial was to apply for a Section 56 exemption and wait months on end to (possibly) receive approval from Health Canada.

Despite six more patients receiving the exemption over the holidays, the system remains flawed.

Thankfully, this Wednesday, Health Canada made an amendment to this thing called the Special Access Program (SAP), which enables healthcare practitioners to request access to drugs that are not yet approved, but have shown promise in clinical trials.

The amendment allows practitioners to request access to psilocybin and MDMA for their patients with serious, life-threatening, or treatment-adverse conditions. And the best part: requests are typically processed in just 1 day! 🎉

While this does not guarantee access for patients, it certainly feels like a big step in the right direction.

To learn more about the amendment, check out TheraPsil’s free webinar on Jan. 19th.

WA pushes for psilocybin sessions for all

Washington State legislators introduced a bill that would legalize supported psilocybin sessions for “nearly any purpose” – no medical diagnosis required.

The experiences would be administered by state-licensed facilitators at licensed service centers or, in some cases, remotely.

Goodbye styrofoam 👋

M2Bio Sciences developed a sustainable alternative to styrofoam out of mushroom mycelium and hemp. 

The foamy material, appropriately named Hempcelium, is fully biodegradable and can even remove industrial toxins from groundwater and soil.

Plus, it takes less energy to produce than styrofoam and can be grown into any shape.

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