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Issue 8

Issue 8

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

🍄 End to alcoholism?

🍄 Helping cancer patients again

🍄 Mushrooms don’t make you crazy

🍄 Taking Health Canada to court

🍄 And more.

You’ll want to stay till the end to learn about interdimensional travel!

(Did a good friend forward this to you? If so be sure to subscribe here)

Replacing alcohol with mushrooms?

🍷 🍺  < 🍄

70% of alcoholics relapse within a year of treatment. Could psilocybin change this?

A recent meta-analysis of the top six best-controlled studies found that patients were 59% more likely to abstain from alcohol use after completing psychedelic therapy. Why is it so effective? Essentially, psychedelics stimulate synaptic growth to “rewire” the brain and break bad habits.

A non-profit in New York called B.More is preparing to build on this research in a Phase 2/3 FDA trial, which will study psilocybin’s effect on alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Global leaders join forces down under

Researchers from leading universities around the globe are joining forces to make psychedelic medicine a reality.

This Friday, a $40 million psychedelic research institute called The Psychae Institute will launch in Melbourne, Australia. The institute will study psilocybin, MDMA, and DMT to develop pharmaceutical-grade psychedelic medicines, and will oversee clinical studies in Canada, Europe, and Brazil. A co-director of the institute explains that Australia is the ideal location because clinical trials do not need sign-off from an ethics committee, unlike many countries.

Helping ♋ cancer patients in more way than one

You probably know that psilocybin can help cancer patients with end-of-life anxiety, but it’s now being used to help with other side effects of cancer too.

Late stage cancer patients often experience a condition called cachexia, which causes loss of appetite, extreme weight loss and muscle wasting. AIkido Pharma Inc. (AIKI), a New York based company, is working to treat cancer cachexia with psilocybin. Psilocybin may be able to treat cachexia by reducing neuroinflammation in the brain and central nervous system tissues. AIkido Pharma was recently granted an exclusive sublicense to use homing peptide technology to deliver therapeutic agents to inflamed central nervous system tissue.

It was a lie: You can’t go crazy with shrooms

Good news – there’s no correlation between psychedelics and the onset of mental health issues.

An analysis conducted through a Norwegian university revealed that psychedelic drug use does not increase the risk of developing mental health disorders. In fact, psilocybin users showed lower rates of serious psychological distress, panic attacks, and psychotic symptoms than non-users. The researchers analyzed survey data from 130,000 participants (22,000 of which had used psychedelics) who were screened for various psychiatric disorders and psychosis.

** Professionals still advise those with a family history of schizophrenia or psychosis to avoid psychedelics.

🍁Growing support for psilocybin therapy

Most Canadians now support psilocybin-assisted therapy.

A recent poll found that 54% of Canadians were in favour of making psilocybin medically available, increasing to 66% after being informed of the current research on psilocybin. All provinces, demographics and political groupings showed majority levels of support.

The legal magic mushroom that no one is talking about (yet)

The iconic Super Mario mushrooms can actually help you level up?

As countless companies study the benefits of psilocybin mushrooms, Psyched Wellness is focusing on a different type of magic mushroom. The famous red and white spotted mushrooms are called Aminita muscaria, or fly agaric mushrooms, and they actually contain a psychoactive compound called muscimol.

Muscimol targets GABA-A receptors, whereas psilocybin targets serotonin receptors, so the experience and benefits are a bit different from typical magic mushrooms. While there isn’t much research on muscimol’s benefits, Psyched Wellness is changing this.

Psyched Wellness is in the process of making an Amanita muscaria extract to treat sleep disorders, stress, and physical pain. The company hopes to have an over-the-counter tincture for sale by mid-2022. Amanita muscaria mushrooms are legal in many countries including the US, so it will be much easier and cheaper to study their benefits and bring a product to market.

The company that’s about to double in size

From 4 to 8 clinics in 1 month!

Novamind (NM) is on track to double its network of clinics over the next few weeks, with the goal of expanding access to psychedelic-assisted therapy if granted FDA approval. The company opened its fifth clinic in Utah today and will open three more in the state by September before expanding to other states by the end of the year. The clinics will serve as referral centers for patients with treatment-resistant conditions including depression, eating disorders, PTSD and OCD.

Exotic shrooms coming to a city near you

HAVN Life Sciences (HAVN) can now export Jamaican-grown psilocybin to Canada, the US, and Europe.

HAVN signed into an agreement with P.A. Benjamin Manufacturing Company, a Jamaican pharmaceutical company that will produce naturally-derived psilocybin at a GMP compliant facility. HAVN aims to be leader in the psychedelic supply chain by supplying researchers, patients, and companies across the globe with natural psilocybin.

Legal

Taking Health Canada to court

To date, Health Canada has granted legal exemptions to 19 healthcare professionals and 32 terminally-ill patients so they can legally use psilocybin in clinical settings. The patients have reported life-changing results, yet at least 119 patients are still awaiting exemptions to gain access to the therapy, and experts are beginning to see the lengthy process as an ethical issue.

TheraPsil, a Victoria non-profit, has hired lawyers to take action against Health Canada and Health Minister Patty Hajdu through the federal court. TheraPsil’s efforts will hopefully speed up the application process and bring justice to patients who are desperate for psilocybin therapy.

AOC’s mission to promote psychedelic research

Since 1996, a US measure has prohibited the use of federal funds for “any activity that promotes the legalization of any drug or other substance in Schedule I”. Last week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proposed an amendment to this measure for the second time, which would allow researchers to study the benefits of Schedule I drugs, including psilocybin. Although 49 more reps voted in favour of the amendment than in 2019 (including 7 republicans), it was unfortunately rejected by the House with 140-285 vote.

AOC Tweeted, “We’ll keep bringing it up until the times catch up. We’re undeterred!”.

Industry Quick Hits

July 28 – Biomind Labs Begins Trading on the NEO Exchange Under the Symbol ‘BMND’ Read more…

July 26 – Awakn Life Sciences to Commence Trading on the OTC Market Under the Symbol ‘AWKNF Read more…

July 28 – Cybin Announces Financing of 8,824,000 Common Shares at $3.40 per Share for Gross Proceeds of $30M  Read more…

July 28 – Cybin Receives Final Approval to Commence Trading on the NYSE American on or About August 5  Read more…

July 29 – Nova Mentis Files U.S. Patent Application for Psilocybin-Based Therapeutics Read more…

Video of the Week

I microdosed psychedelic mushrooms for 80 days 😯 (why and how)

A whole new dimension

“psychedelics give us a connection to the fourth dimension”

So, I went on a trip a few days ago and what I saw and experienced got me really questioning everything. I don’t really know what else to call them, but “entities” I felt their energy and it felt like they tried to communicate with me, but we didn’t really have a common language. They showed me a lot of things and basically the message I got is that the universe is all good with me and they’re waiting for me.

I’ve never really feared death, but I’ve discarded religions etc. having the mindset, that when we die, that’s it. Now I’m not so sure. I really started reading into this stuff and now I’m thinking if it’s possible that psychedelics give us a connection to the fourth dimension and is death really the evolvement of consciousness into the fourth dimension. I think I got some answers, but I got even more questions and I still can’t comprehend what I experienced on my trip.

I traveled through time, I felt myself living many lives in different lifeforms. I remembered a life that was not mine (at least at this moment). My friend told me he felt like I’ve visited his dreams and when I was tripping he felt a connection to an entity which appears in his dreams, which is really weird since he wasn’t tripping, he has never tried shrooms and was sitting my trip along with some of my other friends.

I want to see more and I’m gonna trip again for sure when I have the opportunity, but for now I’m gonna question a lot of stuff and try to figure it out for a while. My trip was nothing like I expected, I’ve done shrooms once before (dose was a lot smaller) and I just saw some funny visuals, walls breathing, some shapes, etc. But the experience I had this time was something else, literally out of this world.

Playlist of the Week

Take a trip ✨
friday the 13 jason mushroom
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Issue 7

Issue 7

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

🍄 Will shrooms replace opioids?

🍄 Up for a trippy vacay?

🍄 Shrooms help with weight loss?

🍄 Another $35 mil invested in psilocybin companies!

🍄 And more.

You’ll want to stay till the end to hear how a man gave a goddess an interdimensional hug!

(Did a good friend forward this to you? If so be sure to subscribe here)

One dose of psilocybin heals decades of depression

“I became a different person”

A 56-year-old web developer named Michael was at one of the lowest points in his life after losing his mom to cancer and his friend to suicide. He had battled depression for over 30 years and was still in search of relief after trying several antidepressants and therapies.

He chose to participate in a psilocybin medical trial at Imperial College London, where he went on a five-hour psychedelic journey that turned his life around. The psilocybin-assisted therapy allowed him to relive childhood memories and confront his griefs.

“I became a different person,” Michael said. “I couldn’t wait to get dressed, get into the outside world, see people. I was supremely confident – like I was when I was younger, before the depression started.”

Will shrooms replace opioids?

Current treatments for fibromyalgia are often ineffective, with less than 10% of patients adhering to treatment for more than a year and 30% resorting to opioids to relieve pain.

Tryp Therapeutics (TRYP), a BC psychedelics company, is working to change this with psilocybin medicine.

This Wednesday, Tryp announced that it will be conducting a Phase 2a clinical trial to evaluate its oral formulation of synthetic psilocybin, TRYP-8802, in treating fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder that affects up to 8% of the population.

The trial will take place at the University of Michigan’s Chronic Pain & Fatigue Research Center and will be the world’s first trial of its kind. TRYP-8802 also shows potential to treat eating disorders, phantom limb pain, and complex regional pain syndrome by increasing neuroplasticity.

Save your relationship with a trippy vacay

It’s time to book a flight to Jamaica!

MycoMeditations launched a new psilocybin retreat called the Companion Retreat for guests to bond with their partner, friend, sibling, or parent on a new level. During the week-long retreat, guests participate in 3 magic mushroom trips at a beachfront villa in Jamaica, where shrooms have never been illegal. The experience includes preparation and integration sessions to get the most out of each trip, as well as support from staff members as needed.

The new mushroom diet?

Experts think magic mushrooms could be the key to creating healthier habits.

This week, NeonMind completed an integrated drug development plan for NEO-001, its high dose psilocybin treatment for weight management, which is expected to be researched in a Phase 1/2 proof-of-concept study in early 2022. NeonMind explains that using psilocybin to enhance psychotherapy may be able to instill long lasting behaviour changes such as improved diet and increased exercise.

A psychedelics company’s new meditation device that could save the planet

Red Light Holland (TRIP) filed a patent for a new (very strange) device that might inspire the psychedelic community to be more eco-friendly.

The devices, called Wisdom Truffles, are smart lights that provide real-time data on CO2 emissions from local electricity grids, plus suggestions for reducing emissions. Oh, and they can help you meditate too.

Check out the devices here.

A new psychedelics fund launches in the US

Another $35 million was just invested into US psychedelics companies.

Palo Santo, a US venture capital investment fund, invested $35 million into psychedelic research, exceeding its $30 million goal. The portfolio consists of 20 early-stage psychedelic companies with high growth potential including Atai Life Sciences, Reset Pharma, Field Trip Health, Tactogen, Eleusis, Bexson Biomedical, and more. Palo Santo’s team of investors will actively support each company in the portfolio by connecting founders, advisers, and industry leaders through their vast network in the healthcare space.

Accelerating psychedelic research in Canada

A new partnership may accelerate psychedelic research across the country to tackle the mental health crisis.

A psychedelic research organization, Knowde Group Inc., entered into a strategic partnership with Canada’s largest network of outpatient clinical research sites, LMC Manna Research. LMC Manna has 23 research sites across 3 provinces and has participated in 2,000+ clinical trials over 25 years. The collaboration will give Knowde Group access to a diverse database of over 1 million patients and strategic advisory for conducting Phase 1-4 clinical trials in psychedelic and cannabis medicines.

Legal

A new approach to legalization in California

An activist group called Decriminalize California is working to speed up the legalization of magic mushrooms.

The group submitted a new initiative called the California Psilocybin Initiative, which would legalize the possession, cultivation, retail sale, and social sharing of psilocybin mushrooms for adults 21 and over. If the Office of the Attorney General accepts the measure, the group would have 180 days to collect 623,212 signatures from registered voters for the initiative to be added to the 2022 ballot. While California’s SB519 bill would decriminalize several psychedelic drugs, this initiative takes a new approach by focusing solely on psilocybin.

Industry Quick Hits

July 23 – Field Trip Health Ltd. Obtains Conditional Approval to List on Nasdaq Under the Symbol ‘FTRP’ Read more…

July 21 – Novamind Has Applied to Have its Common Shares Posted for Trading on the OTCQB in the United States Read more…

July 21 – Cybin Announces Conditional Listing Approval from NYSE American Read more…

July 20 – Rahn & Associates Launches Risk Management Solutions Specifically for Psychedelic Medicinal Businesses Read more…

July 15 – Red Light Holland Expected Merger Partner Creso Pharma Completes Acquisition of Halucenex Life Sciences Inc Read more…

Video of the Week

How Mushrooms Affect Your Brain

Giving a goddess entity an interdimensional hug!

We know it’s long but it’s worth the read 🙂

I made tea with 1.5 powdered shrooms. The whole experience is really hard to put into words but it’s by far the most powerful spiritual experience I have had. The whole thing really lasted for an hour and half. I am still coming down as I write this.

Music was playing and I closed my eyes. I could see shifting patterns/faces and I felt a negative energy so this was a bit concerning. Shortly after I essentially met a higher being or (god) and she was the archetypal all loving all knowing mother. I felt extreme amounts of unconditional love with her presence. She made all the negative energy disappear. I felt tiny compared to her and felt like I wasn’t supposed to be in this ‘realm’. I kept wanting her attention so she ‘picked’ me up and gave me an interdimensional hug made out of unconditional love and pure bliss.

I could feel this energy through my entire body. She put me back down and left to do other things.

There were other beings there too but not as powerful as her. I started to ask them about my trauma/people who hurt me in the past etc and they showed me to unconditionally love them because they are only human and we are not perfect. I felt like they loved me but at the same time felt like they knew the limitations of being a human and the negatives that it carries. For some moment I felt like they were operating on my brain in hyperspace and taking out each negative trauma that I was dealing with. After that they told me that I should return and I wasn’t supposed to be there too much.

Forgot to mention that this motherly entity kind of tried to show me her wisdom by merging me with her for a split second but It was too much for my brain to handle. I felt like the entire big bang happened in the fraction of a second and I left her.

I also thought about my ex and they showed me to love her unconditionally and the mistakes we all make are a result of the human experience.

Playlist of the Week

Shrooms 🍄✨
paradise
Posted on

Issue 6

Issue 6

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

🍄 Motivate yourself with microdosing

🍄 Cure “suicide headaches” with mushroom tea!

🍄 Shark Tank and One Direction?

🍄 Are you invested in the psilocybin fund?

🍄 And more.

You’ll want to stay till the end to hear how a man got over his fear of spiders, creepy!

(Did a good friend forward this to you? If so be sure to subscribe here)

Get motivated with microdosing

If you want to be more productive, a morning microdose might be just what you need. A recent study found that low doses of psilocybin increased task motivation, attentional accuracy, and impulsive action in low-performing rats based on repeated behavioural tests. The findings suggest that microdosing may have potential to treat major depressive disorder. Researchers are hopeful that this study will facilitate further research in controlled human trials.

Curing ‘suicide headaches’ with shrooms tea

Inspired by recent research on psychedelics, a journalist resorted to shrooms to ease her debilitating cluster headaches (which are often called “suicide headaches” because they’re supposedly more painful than childbirth, gunshot wounds, and kidney stones).

She finally found relief that common migraine medications couldn’t provide her after taking 3 small doses of magic mushroom tea, 5 days apart. “Two months have now passed without my having a single headache.” A Yale neurologist explains that the chemical structure of psilocybin is similar to melatonin and triptans, which are often used to treat headaches, but the effect is longer-lasting.

Is microdosing a placebo? An Australian study will find out

Microdosers report enhanced cognitive performance and improved mental health, but is it all just a placebo? A new study in Sydney, Australia will reveal the answer.

Macquarie University is recruiting 80 candidates for a placebo-controlled study that will use brain scans and biomarkers to see if the benefits of microdosing psilocybin can be measured on a physiological level. We’ll cover the findings in a future issue, so stay tuned! 

Pro hockey fighter repairs his brain with psilocybin

Former Chicago Blackhawks player Daniel Carcillo was battling a severe case of traumatic brain injury (TBI) after enduring hundreds of fights throughout his NHL career. He suffered from several related side effects such as slurred speech, headaches, memory issues, insomnia, impulsive behaviour, sensitivity to light, and depression. Carcillo admits that he spent three weeks creating a plan to take his own life before magic mushrooms turned his life around.

After taking a single 4g dose of shrooms, he said “I am cured, for sure, of TBI and any related symptoms. 100%.”

The experience led Carcillo to found Wesana Health (WESA), an organization focused on psychedelic treatments for traumatic brain injury and mental health disorders.

This week, Wesana Health acquired PsyTech Inc., a psychedelic therapy firm in Toronto, to help accelerate the company’s growth. The deal provides Wesana with a clinical software-as-a-service platform that integrates wearable biometric technologies and will increase the number of clinics from 2 to 12 within the next year.

Are you invested in the psychedelic Fund?

PSYK, the world’s first psychedelic ETF that launched in January 2020, was rebalanced for the quarter based on respective float market capitalization. Optimi Health (OPTI) and Atai Life Sciences (ATAI) were added to the fund at 1.9% and 5.0% respectively, and Cybin (CYBN) accounts for the largest stake at 15.9%. The chart below shows the distribution of the ETF’s 24 holdings as of July 9.

What do One Direction and Dragon’s Den have in common?

Since debuting on the NASDAQ last month, Atai Life Sciences (ATAI) has gained support from some celebrity investors. Steve Bartlett, the youngest venture capitalist on Dragon’s Den, became Atai’s creative director, claiming that it is the most important company he has ever invested in. Bartlett believes that “if any company is to effectively tackle the global mental health crisis, it is $Atai.” He recently convinced One Director star Liam Payne to invest in the company, joining the American DJ Diplo.

Cybin scales operations in Europe and expands IP

After partnering with Greenbrook TMS last week, an operator of 129 mental health service centers in the US, Cybin continues to make big moves. The Toronto-based company announced that it will be transferring its intellectual property assets to a new wholly-owned subsidiary in Ireland as part of its European expansion plan. The company also filed its 13th provisional patent application for a digital therapeutics platform, which will use data analytics to improve patient outcomes in pre and post psychedelic treatments. 

Legal

Legal to carry 4 ounces of magic mushrooms in California

We are one step away!

If you live in the golden state, you may want to limit your next order of shrooms to 4 ounces. California’s bill that would decriminalize psychedelics (SB519) was approved by the Assembly Public Health Committee with a 8-4 vote, making it the second of three committees to pass the bill.

However, a new amendment was added that limits the allowable amount of each substance. If enacted, users 21 and older would be able to possess 2 grams of psilocybin or psilocin, or 4 ounces of a plant or fungi containing psilocybin or psilocin.

Industry Quick Hits

Silo Wellness Announces Approval for Trading on the OTCQB Under Symbol ‘SILFF Read more…

Tryp Therapeutics Partners With The University Of Michigan To Evaluate Proprietary Formulations Read more…

Florida startup treating illness with magic mushrooms receives $2.5 million Read more…

Video of the Week

Daily Mushroom Podcast!

Intense trip cures arachnophobia

A Reddit user who grew up Mormon went on a life-changing trip in the canyons of Utah.

“I took 2.5G and it hit me like a train 30 mins later. I started seeing spiderwebs and thinking about spiders. It was scary. I’ve always been scared of spiders. But my cousin kept me breathing. I eventually came to the realization that I had no reason to be scared of spiders. I’m bigger than all of them and modern medicine on spider bites is very advanced, almost no one dies from them anymore. I literally got over my fear of spiders haha.

Then I became aware that I was a woodland creature. I walked around barefoot and told my cousin that this was “my domain” and that I belonged here. I worked through so much trauma about my family and programming in the format of almost a storybook. It was like fairy magic. It was incredible. I talked through so much and it was incredibly cathartic.

It actually made me believe in god even less than I did before which was not what I was expecting. It made me believe in and accept myself more than anything and I needed that severely.”

Playlist of the Week

An Elevator Ride Through '60s Psychedelic Pop
pill
Posted on

Issue 5

Issue 5

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

🍄 Psychedelic vaccine prevent depression?

🍄 The safest recreational drug just became even safer

🍄 Avoid antidepressants with a monthly trip

🍄 Top 10 stocks you should be buying

🍄 And more.

You’ll want to stay till the end to hear how a decade of trauma was released overnight

(Did a good friend forward this to you? If so be sure to subscribe here)

Could a psychedelic vaccine prevent depression?

While many psychedelics companies are developing treatments for depression, MYND Life Sciences hopes to prevent depression from developing in the first place.

MYND recently signed a licensing agreement with Eyam, a private vaccine developer, to create a vaccine that would prevent neurological disorders including depression. The underlying theory is that depression is essentially neuro-inflammation, and psychedelics may have an anti-inflammatory effect that could prevent the neuro-inflammatory process.

The safest recreational drug becomes even safer

Magic mushrooms are the safest recreational drug according to a recent study, but Mindset Pharma (MSET) is working to make them even safer.

The company found that its patent-pending psychedelic compound, MSP-1014, may be more effective, safer, and more scalable than psilocybin. Researchers discovered that MSP-1014 more than doubled the head twitch responses in mice, an indicator of serotonin 5-HT2A receptor activity, which is tied to psychedelic experiences. MSP-1014 did not cause body temperature to drop, which was seen with psilocybin.

Avoid daily antidepressants with a monthly trip

It’s clear that psychedelics are helpful in treating depression, but have you ever wondered why they work so well?

When someone suffers from depression or chronic stress, they typically have a reduction in neural connections, but psychedelics might be able to reverse this. A study at Yale just revealed that one dose of psilocybin can increase these neuronal connections by 10%. The dose also increased the density of dendritic spines (those little spikey things on nerve cells), making the connections stronger. About a third of the new connections remained intact after 34 days.

Losing weight with shrooms?

Psychedelic drug users might be healthier than non-users, according to a recent study.

A survey of over 170,000 people showed that those who have used psychedelic drugs (14% of respondents) reported better overall health and were significantly less likely to be overweight or obese compared to non-users. The University of Oxford researchers suggest that transcendent psychedelic experiences might result in “long-term changes in health behavior that contribute to better physical health.”

If you missed the cannaBUS, jump on the psilocybin train

Now is the time to buy these 10 psychedelic stocks.

When the cannabis company GW Pharmaceuticals sold for billions earlier this year, those who didn’t invest were left with major regret. If you missed out on cannabis, now is your chance to be an early investor in the shroom boom as psychedelic companies begin to follow a similar pathway. These 10 companies are worth the buy according to Maxim Group’s latest analysis.

Legal

Harvard explores psychedelics law with new initiative

Harvard Law School hopes to bring safety, innovation, and equity to the psychedelics industry with a three-year initiative called the Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation (POPLAR).

POPLAR will study regulations surrounding ethics, intellectual property, opportunities for federal support, and equitable access to psychedelic therapy.

“By analyzing social, legal, and political barriers to access in this context, we hope to advance the understanding of [psychdelics] potential impact as therapeutics,” said one Harvard professor.

Industry Quick Hits

July 6 – Numinus Wellness To Acquire Neurology Centre of Toronto, Plans to Create Centre for Psychedelic Neurology Read more…

July 6 – Cybin Enters into Collaboration Agreement with Greenbrook TMS to Establish Mental Health Centers of Excellence Read more…

July 7 – PurMinds Completes Initial Strategic Equity Investment in Israeli Psychedelic Drug Company IMIO Life Read more…

July 2 – DELIC Labs Announces Partnership Agreement with Agilent Technologies Read more…

Video of the Week

Trippy Animation courtesy of Anthony Francisco Shepperd

Psilocybin relieves veteran from a decade of trauma

Juliana Mercer, a former U.S. Marine felt like she was “drowning in suppressed grief” after witnessing tragedies in Iraq and Afghanistan and losing fellow veterans to suicide. She says that a single session of psilocybin allowed her to release all the accumulated grief overnight. “I accidentally found relief and a glimpse of my authentic joyful self through the recreational use of psychedelics.” Now she urges California legislators to vote yes on the SB 519 bill that would decriminalize psychedelics.

Playlist of the Week

Psychedelic Therapy Playlist
mushroom in snowglobe
Posted on

Issue 4

Issue 4

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

🍄 Using shrooms to treat Alzheimer’s and dementia

🍄 Experience psychedelics through VR 

🍄 Bob Marley’s family launches psychedelic mushroom brand

🍄 A clinical study on autism

🍄 And more.

(Did a good friend forward this to you? If so be sure to subscribe here)

Are Psychedelics the future of autism treatment?

Nova Mentis Life Sciences Corp. (NOVA) received Canadian approval for a new study on autism, which will be the first step in bringing psilocybin treatment to autistic patients. Researchers will observe 200 patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or fragile x syndrome (FXS) to establish baseline biomarkers that can be used to measure psilocybin treatment responses in a later study. NOVA will monitor the gut microbiome, immune response, and serotonin activity in patients, as these factors influence behavioural symptoms.

Reversing Alzheimer’s 

You won’t want to forget about this company when choosing your investments. The research team at MYND Life Sciences Inc. (MYND) has been exploring new subclasses of psilocybin that have shown potential to delay or reverse Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The preclinical research has shown significant progress, and MYND aims to commence clinical trials to advance the research.

Largest study: Is psilocybin four times more effective than leading anti-depressants?

Move over Prozac, Compass Pathways (CMPS) just made major progress in psychedelic treatment of depression. The company completed the world’s largest psilocybin therapy trial for its proprietary psychedelic compound, COMP360, which targets treatment-resistant depression. So far, 216 patients have had psilocybin therapy sessions at Compass’s 22 trial sites across 10 countries, with 14 more patients completing sessions over the next two weeks. Researchers will follow-up with each patient 12 weeks after the sessions and will publish the findings by the end of this year. Other studies have found that psilocybin is 4 times more effective than typical antidepressants – let’s see what Compass’s new research reveals.

Get the psychedelic experience without actually tripping

Looking for a spiritual awakening but don’t want to commit to a five hour trip? Now you can trip with VR instead. Tripp, an LA-based wellness company, developed an immersive VR experience that combines relaxing meditation exercises with trippy visuals and audio. Users can relieve stress and practice mindfulness in just eight minute sessions. The company recently raised $11 million in funding for a total of $15 million in funding to date.

Enhance your trip with mindfulness meditation

Meditating while VR-tripping sounds relaxing, but the real deal might be even more powerful. New research from meditation experts suggests that mindfulness meditation can increase the positive effects of psilocybin. The University of Zurich recruited 40 meditation experts for a five-day meditation retreat where some were given psilocybin and others were given a placebo. Four months later, researchers found that the psilocybin group showed higher levels of optimism, openness, empathy, and self-acceptance, as well as “beneficial changes in psychosocial functioning.”

The king of marijuana moves into shrooms

Don’t worry about a thing – Bob Marley’s family is partnering with Silo Wellness (SILO) to launch the first global consumer brand of functional and psychedelic mushrooms, Marley One. The first round of products will be a line of functional mushroom tinctures for a variety of benefits such as immunity, sleep, cognitive function, and gut support. The psychedelic mushroom products will be introduced later this year, followed by functional mushroom gummies, capsules, and cosmetics. Cedella Marley hopes that “these products will empower people to experience oneness with nature and the universe at large – and ultimately, achieve greater self-actualization.”

Triple your investments in a year? 🤷‍♂️ 

If you want to triple your investment in a year, keep an eye on Mindset Pharma. Mindset currently trades at C$0.45 in Canada (MSET) and US$0.36 in the States (MSSTF), but Maxim Group predicts that the price could go reach US$1 in 12 months, giving the company a ‘buy’ rating. Maxim analysts note that Mindset’s psilocybin compound, MSP-1014, is cheaper to produce than psilocybin and has a relatively short path to market, while Mindset’s other “purpose-designed” compounds could potentially be “best-in-class in the longer term.”

Legal

California gets one step closer to legalizing psychedelics

If you’ve been following along with the Daily Mushroom newsletter, you know that earlier this month, the California Senate approved a bill that would decriminalize possession of psychedelic drugs like magic mushrooms. Well, that bill (SB 5119) was just approved by The Assembly Public Safety Committee – one of three assembly committees needed to advance the legislation before reaching the governor’s desk.

Senator Scott Wiener, the bill’s sponsor, turned to Twitter to celebrate the win. “Another step toward ending the failed & racist War on Drugs & expanding access to mental health & addiction treatment.”

Industry Quick Hits

Awakn Life Sciences to Commence Trading on the NEO Exchange under the Symbol ‘AWKN’ Read more…

Awakn files patents for 2 psychedelic compounds that treat addiction Read more…

Former Head Of Psychiatry Products At FDA Joins Psychedelic Drug Developer Cybin (CYBN) Read more…

Braxia Scientific Launches Psilocybin-assisted Clinical Therapy Training Program  Read more…

Revive Therapeutics Approved to Trade on the OTCQB Market  Read more…

Video of the Week

How to integrate a psychedelic experience | MycoMeditations

3.5 grams of Penis Envy

This Reddit user went on euphoric trip after taking 3.5 grams of Penis Envy magic mushroom. “I was in total ecstasy for hours, tears of joy streamed down my face. I never felt something like this before. I died a few times also and then came back to a celestial place. It felt like a continuous orgasm for hours.”

Playlist of the Week

Psychedelic Therapy Playlist
Posted on

Issue 3

Issue 3

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

🍄 How psilocybin is being tested to treat cocaine addiction

🍄 TRYP aiming to use psychedelics in eating disorder treatment

🍄 How shrooms increases life satisfaction

🍄 Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary’s investment tips

🍄 And more.

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Research shows psilocybin’s potential to treat cocaine addiction and chronic pain

“Suddenly your horizons are broadened, and broadened tremendously, and you’re thinking about something other than obtaining or using that drug (or worrying about your pain).”

Dr. Peter Hendricks, a researcher at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, found that patients given psilocybin saw significant and lasting reductions in cocaine use compared to patients given a placebo. He plans to continue studying psilocybin’s effect on addiction, as well as on chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia. Hendricks explains that psilocybin disrupts repetitive thought patterns in the default mode network of the brain, the structures that engage in unfocused activities.

How to get rid of the munchies: psychedelics to be used to treat eating disorders

Tryp Therapeutics Inc. (TRYP) is conducting a phase 2 clinical trial that will investigate psilocybin’s effect on hypothalamic obesity conditions. Principal Investigator Dr. Jennifer Miller is confident that psilocybin therapy will reduce appetite drive, food-related anxiety, compulsive eating, and impulsive eating by rewiring neural pathways to alleviate the underlying psychiatric issues. She is hopeful that psilocybin could treat millions of patients with a wide range of previously untreatable, chronic conditions.

Fall in love with life all over again

Looking for the most spiritual experience of your life?

In a Johns Hopkins study, 36 volunteers who had never taken hallucinogens were given high doses of psilocybin. They were told to “focus explicitly on the phenomenology of the drug experience rather than perform tasks”. 14 months after the trip, 67% of participants rated it as one of the top five most spiritually significant experiences of their lives, and six people said it was the single most spiritually significant experience. 64% said the experience increased their well-being and life satisfaction.

Impacting head trauma: Ground-breaking research to explore the potential for psilocybin to treat traumatic brain injury

This Fall, Heroic Hearts Project will begin psychedelic therapy retreats in the Netherlands and Jamaica to study the effect of psilocybin on veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Many veterans sustain brain injuries during their service, which can lead to anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. The retreats aim to study both the psychological and physiological impacts of psilocybin therapy.

Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary says investing in psychedelics has far more potential than cannabis

Another rich dude pumps his stock?

At a CNBC healthcare summit, Shark Tank venture capitalist Kevin O’Leary said that “the potential of psychedelics far exceeds the potential of cannabis”. O’Leary believes that the size and scale of the psychedelics market is appealing because of the lack of advancements in mental health treatment over the past several decades. O’Leary currently invests in MindMed and Compass Pathways, and advises investors to hold stakes in companies with multiple clinical trials.

Mydecine’s psychedelic compound shows “blockbuster potential”

Roth Capital Partners, a private investment bank in California, gave Mydecine Innovations Group Inc. (MYCO) a ‘buy’ rating with a C$3 target based on the “blockbuster potential” of its pyschedelic compound, MYCO-001. Mydecine expects to complete advanced clinical trials for PTSD and smoking cessation within the next 18-24 months. Based on this timeline, Roth believes that MYCO-001 could be introduced to the US market for smoking cessation in 2026, and could reach $2.5 billion in sales by 2031 by capturing just 0.5% market. Roth predicts that MYCO-001 will take over 20% of the market for PTSD treatment by 2032, reaching $3 billion in sales.

Revive Therapeutics brings psychedelic treatment and education to the Caribbean

Revive Therapeutics Ltd. will partner with the University of Health Sciences Antigua (UHSA) to open a psychedelic treatment center in the Caribbean. The center will treat substance abuse disorders and other mental health conditions using Revive’s psilocybin oral thin film patch. As part of the agreement, UHSA will establish a Master’s in Psychedelic Medicine program for students wanting to learn more about the field.

Industry Quick Hits

Red Light Holland (TRIP) will acquire 51% stake in Acadian Exotic Mushrooms Ltd. Read more…

PsyBio Therapeutics (PSYB) begins manufacturing in France Read more…

Atai Life Sciences (ATAI) lists on NASDAQ, becomes third psilocybin company to list on major US stock exchange  Read more…

Video of the Week

6 ways mushrooms save the world | Paul Stamets

“My anxiety was basically gone”

After beating cancer, Mona Strelaeff suffered from crippling depression and anxiety rooted in childhood trauma and a fear of death. She tried several anti-depressants with extreme side effects before receiving approval for psilocybin-assisted therapy. The experience allowed her to come to terms with childhood demons. “When [the doctor] gave me the treatment and I came out of it in a place of peace,” she said. “My anxiety was basically gone. And to this day I still feel at peace. I’m not afraid of death.”

Playlist of the Week

Trippy / psychedelic Playlist (Good Vibes)
Posted on

Issue 2

Issue 2

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

🍄 How microdosing helped a struggling mom

🍄 The first ever annual world psychedlics day

🍄 A genetic test kit that can predict how hard you’ll trip

🍄 End to the 50 year war on drugs in the United States

🍄 And more.

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Mom finds relief from post-partum depression through microdosing

After having her second child, Melissa Lavasani became so severely depressed that she could barely function. She finally found relief through microdosing psilocybin. “It was as if I was blind and deaf and could see colors and hear again. The quality of my life vastly improved”. She explained that there are no hallucinogenic effects with microdosing, rather “a feeling of empowerment” in which she felt well-rested and in control of her emotions.

Johns Hopkins study found that psilocybin is more effective at treating nicotine addiction than the leading drug, with 80% quitting after single dose

A study at Johns Hopkins Behavioral Biology Research Center found that 80% of participants were able to quit smoking for at least six months after taking one dose of psilocybin, including one participant who was a heavy smoker for over 25 years. This suggests that psilocybin therapy is over twice as effective as the leading smoking cessation drug, varenicline, which has a 35% success rate after six months. Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu explains that psilocybin is effective for treating addiction because it changes the way the brain makes connections, which can “interrupt old patterns, well-worn neuro pathways, or habits”. 

You’ve heard of 4.20, now get ready for 6.20!

Psychedelics Awareness Foundation, a Canadian non-profit, is launching the first World Psychedelic’s Day this Sunday, June 20th to celebrate the resurgence of psychedelic research. The event aims to “educate, enlighten, and inspire people worldwide about the untapped potential of psychedelics” through expert discussions, documentaries, and art. Learn more and join the event at worldpsychedelicsday.org.

Core One Labs awaits patent for cost-effective biosynthetic psilocybin production system

Vocan Biotechnologies Inc., a subsidiary of Core One Labs Inc. (COOL) is days away from receiving a patent for its biosynthetic psilocybin production system, which is more efficient and significantly cheaper than conventional methods of extracting psilocybin. The proprietary system  aims to produce a reliable product that is consistent in quality and concentration while remaining comparable to naturally occurring psilocybin. Core One believes that there is a wide appeal for biosynthetic production as the psychedelics market grows, as “the need for a steady and consistent supply chain will also increase”.

Entheon’s psychedelics genetic test kit developed now available in Canada

Entheon Biomedical Corp. launched the first psychedelics genetic test kit through its subsidiary, HaluGen Life Sciences Inc. The kit includes a pre-screening mental health survey and cheek swab DNA test that will provide “genetic, personal and familial insights” to “better understand an individual’s sensitivity to classical psychedelics and ketamine”. The cheek swab tests for the HTR2A gene mutation,  a variant present in 20% of people that makes them more susceptible to strong hallucinations due to increased serotonin receptor density. Customers receive a personalized profile with sensitivity and risk reports to inform them before their next psychedelic experience.

Mydecine launches new AI drug discovery program

Mydecine Innovations Group (MYCO) partnered with the University of Alberta to launch a new AI drug discovery program that will make their research more efficient. The in-silico program uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to “rapidly screen hundreds of thousands of new molecules without the need to produce them, allowing Mydecine to focus on the strongest potential therapeutics”.

Legal

New bill would end war on drugs after 50 years

Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and Cori Bush (D-MO) introduced a new bill, the Drug Policy Reform Act (DRPA) that would end incarceration for possessing any illicit drug. The bill will be filed on June 18, exactly 50 years after Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs that has contributed to racial inequality and higher incarceration rates than any other country. The DRPA would make it illegal to deny employment for simple drug possession or to require drug testing to receive federal benefits, and would also reinvest funds in harm reduction programs.

Seven BC mayors sign letter in support of Vancouver’s proposal to decriminalize 15 illicit drugs

The City of Vancouver applied for an exemption from federal drug laws that would decriminalize the possession of 15 illicit drugs including psilocybin. Mayors from Victoria, Saanich, Nanaimo, Burnaby, New Westminster, Port Coquitlam and Kamloops all signed a letter in support of the so called “Vancouver Model”, recognizing that the current approach to the opioid crisis is ineffective. Saanich mayor Fred Haynes believes that if the exemption is granted, “there would be less police involvement, access to a regulated drug supply and less stigma around addiction”.

Industry Quick Hits

Cybin targets general and social anxiety with new proprietary pyschedelic molecule Read more…

Field Trip’s psychedelic compound produces a two to four hour trip, half the duration of psilocybin Read more…

The psychedelic drugs market is expected to reach $10.75 billion USD by 2027, growing at a 12.36% CAGR.  Read more…

Video of the Week

What is the war on drugs?

A counsellor’s experience with psilocybin-assisted therapy

A registered clinical counsellor, Dave Phillips, went on a mushroom trip for research purposes and said it was “the most powerful personal experience I’ve ever had in my life” and that it gave him “the most overwhelming sense of being loved”. During the six-hour trip which was guided by an expertly-curated playlist, Phillips was able to connect with his father and son who both passed away, and saw himself as an embryo. Phillips said that experiencing psilocybin gave him an understanding of how to respond effectively when patients undergo the treatment. He believes that the treatment is effective because it “opens up the connectivity power of the brain” so that the brain can solve its own problems. Although the experience was overwhelming, he believes that there are no bad trips, only challenging ones.

Playlist title: Psilocybin Research: Johns Hopkins, Sacred Knowledge, William A. Richards

Playlist of the Week

Psilocybin Research Playlist: John Hopkins, Sacred Knowledge
Posted on

Issue 1

Issue 1

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

🍄 The secret ingredient to avoiding nausea induced by psilocybin.

🍄 How a change in Jamaica’s laws will make your next all-inclusive even more fun.

🍄 How Kristen Bell is overcoming a 22 year struggle with depression (in one dose).

🍄 How psychedelics are helping patients move away from daily medication.

🍄 And more.

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What psychedelics teach about healing trauma

The psychedelic treatment revolution is shifting the model of psychiatry away from daily medication for mental health treatment, according to psychiatrist Dr. Craig Heacock. Heacock believes that mental health issues like depression, anxiety, addiction, and PTSD “are more often than not tied to a deep, and largely untouchable, river of trauma that lies beneath our reach in the unconscious mind”. Psilocybin therapy is proving to be an effective treatment option because it brings deeply repressed trauma to the surface so that patients can “begin to rework and reframe their experience without fear”.

Treat depression, get in touch with your emotions, and avoid sexual dysfunction 

A new study suggests that psilocybin therapy is at least as effective in treating depression as the leading antidepressant, but with fewer side effects and faster results. After six weeks, participants receiving psilocybin therapy saw an 8.0 point reduction in depressive symptoms and reported “greater improvements in the ability to cry and feel compassion, intense emotion, and pleasure”. Participants receiving escitalopram, a leading SSRI antidepressant, saw just a 6.0 point reduction in depressive symptoms, and were more likely to experience side effects like anxiety, dry mouth, sexual dysfunction, and reduced emotional responsiveness”.

Anna from Frozen does shrooms?

After suffering from depression for 22 years, actress Kristen Bell finds relief and self-love from a single dose of psilocybin.

Kristen Bell became extremely interested in psychedelics and their power to change your mindset after reading How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan. Bell has suffered from waves of depression for 22 years and has tried everything from antidepressants and therapy to meditation. Bell took one dose of psilocybin, and stated that “the places you can go in your brain are much deeper and more healing than anything else”.

Bell explains that the out of body experience she had while taking mushrooms gave her a sense of self love. “I had separated this body that had done so much good in my life, that has taken me through happiness and pain and workouts and laziness that I just, like, couldn’t stop touching my legs, going, ‘You’re so strong. You’re so elegant’ “.

The secret ingredient to avoid nausea on your next trip

Soaking magic mushrooms in lemon juice can reduce nausea and heighten your trip. Simply grind the mushroom into a powder, add to a shot glass, submerge in lemon juice, stir, and drink immediately or within 20 minutes. Since lemon juice has a similar pH level as stomach acid, it helps breakdown beta-glucan, the compound in the mushrooms associated with nausea and upset stomach. This method can make your trip come on faster, shorten the trip, and increase its intensity because the acidic juice helps convert psilocybin into psilocin, the substance that makes you trip.

So next time you go for a trip, remember to bring some lemon juice 😉

Mushroom trip unlocks billion-dollar idea

After abstaining from drugs for decades, a German investor, Christian Angermayer, went on a life-changing mushroom trip that left him with profound insights and even made him understand Bitcoin. It was then that Angermayer decided to make radical changes to his investment strategy by focusing on things he’s passionate about.  

During a second transformative mushroom trip, Angermayer had the idea to commercialize psychedelics, which led him to make an angel investment in Compass Pathways, a biotech company focused on psychedelic therapy. His stake in Compass Pathways is now worth $2 billion and he manages over $2.5 billion in assets.

What could you discover on your next trip?

North American companies make the move to Jamaica

Here’s something that’ll make your next all-inclusive vacay a bit more trippy.

Many psychedelic companies are being drawn to Jamaica, one of the only countries where it’s legal to cultivate, extract, and sell psilocybin mushrooms. Silo Wellness is partnering with Mushe Inc. to open the first “smart shop” in the Western hemisphere, a psychedelic mushroom retail outlet that will sell functional and psychedelic mushrooms in various forms to locals and tourists.

Psyence Group formally began operations in Jamaica under its wholly owned subsidiary, Psyence Jamaica Ltd., which will focus on psilocybin treatment for patients in palliative care. To take on the new market, Psyence Jamaica is in collaboration with LONACAS Inc., a Jamaican clinical research company, and MycoMeditations, a “psilocybin wellness destination experience” in Treasure Beach, Jamaica.

Wake Network Inc. received clearance to conduct a “first-of-its-kind” clinical trial at a Jamaican university, which will study the effect of microdosing on depression and anxiety. 

Legal

June 8 – Seattle City Council Signs Letter Proposing Psychedelic Use in Opioid Addiction Treatment. Read more…

June 1 – California Senate Approves Bill To Legalize Possession Of Psychedelics Like Psilocybin And LSD. Read more…

June 1 – New York Bill Would Create State-Sponsored Psychedelics Research Institute. Read more…

May 31 – Texas legislature approves bill to study psychedelics to treat PTSD in veterans. Read more…

Industry Quick Hits

June 8 – Field Trip Health Ltd. Applies to List Its Common Shares on the NASDAQ Stock Market. Read more…

June 8 – Cybin Launches EMBARK and Co-Sponsors First Clinical Trial to Treat Frontline Clinicians Experiencing COVID-Related Burnout and Distress with Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy. Read more…

June 8 – Mydecine Discovers Over 40 Groundbreaking Potential Pharmacologically Active Novel Compounds in Mushrooms. Read more…

Video of the Week

Psilocybin, love and the meaning of life | Mary Cosimano

From work friends to family

A Reddit user says that their work friends now feel like family after experiencing a life-changing mushroom trip together. “It was like we had been through war together and we were at such an unbelievably tranquil and peaceful place. Everything was alright and it changed my life. I cannot stress how many years went by and how much I learned and dealt with. This was phenomenal.”