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Developing psychedelic treatments for ADHD and social anxiety

Filament Health and Jaguar Health Sign Letter of Intent to Develop Botanical Prescription Drugs for Specific Mental Health Indications

Filament Health (FH) announced several exciting updates this week.

First, the company shared that it has successfully developed a pharmaceutical-grade ayahuasca extract that can be administered in a capsule.

Filament also announced that it cultivated its 70th variety of psilocybin mushrooms and is conducting research to determine the most potent and effective variety.

Additionally, the Vancouver-based company is partnering with Jaguar Health to develop natural psychedelic medicines for neurodegenerative diseases, addiction, and mental health disorders. The partners are currently identifying plant candidates to treat ADHD and social anxiety disorder.

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One year of psychedelic news

Today marks 1 year since the Daily Mushroom started!

In honour of our birthday, we’re bringing back our most popular content from the past year.

These were the articles that readers clicked on the most: 

  1. Can weed make your trip better?
  2. Toad venom for Grandma
  3. Psilocybin for gut health
  4. A dose every six months keeps the divorce lawyer away
  5. How psychedelics change your social life
  6. Mushrooms go high fashion
  7. You no longer have to be on your deathbed to eat mushrooms!
  8. Is Elon going to take shrooms to the moon?
  9. Take a DMT trip without the anxiety
  10. Healing racial trauma

And these were the most popular podcast episodes:

  1. A doctor’s view on group psychedelic therapy & microdosing
  2. The truth about psilocybin and the brain
  3. What physicians really think about psilocybin
  4. A special episode: Our host Brett recounts a recent psilocybin therapy session
  5. Functional Mushrooms for Health & Nutrition with FreshCap CEO Tony Shields

Thank you for your support over the past year, it means the world to us 💛

Help us make the newsletter even better moving forward by filling out this quick survey.

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Women-focused psilocybin study for depression

A New Clinical Trial in South Africa Aims to Study the Effect of Psilocybin on HIV Positive Women with Major Depressive Disorder

Women are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression than men, but they’re often underrepresented in clinical trials.

Additionally, individuals with chronic illnesses like HIV often suffer from depression as well, which can make them less likely to adhere to their medications.

That’s why Cannsun Medicinal Global is investigating psilocybin as a treatment for depression in women who are HIV-positive.

The phase 2 trial received approval and will begin next month in South Africa.

“It is vitally important to have a deeper understanding of how women respond to medical treatment for major depression versus men in order to develop psychedelic therapies and treatment protocols for women that have clinically significant outcomes that are safe and effective,” says Donaghue Woodman, the company’s Head of R&D and Chief Medical Information Officer.

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Largest psychedelic neuroimaging study to date

UNITy: World’s first study of how DMT-induced brain changes predict improved wellbeing

University College London is raising funds for the world’s largest brain imaging study on psychedelics, aka Project UNITy.

In the first phase of the study, 150 people will receive three brain scans: one while watching a movie, one while dosed with DMT or a placebo, and another while watching a movie post-DMT trip or placebo.

Then, researchers will use an app to track participants’ changes in wellbeing for one year. 

The study will reveal which specific brain networks are altered on DMT (such as those related to vision, memory, or language), as well as which networks are linked to positive changes in wellbeing.

If successful, a second phase of the study will be conducted to see if DMT can reduce alcohol consumption and “reactivate” memory networks in hazardous drinkers.

Those who make a contribution to the study can receive goodies like trippy artwork, event tickets, and even a dinner with the scientists.

Learn more

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Why ketamine reduces depression so quickly

Why ketamine is a speedster antidepressant

Several studies have found that ketamine produces a rapid antidepressant effect, reducing suicidal ideation in just hours.

A new study from Northwestern University sheds light on why the benefits are so instantaneous.

Traditional antidepressants work by increasing the number of neurons in the brain, which can take several weeks.

Ketamine, on the other hand, was found to increase activity in newborn neurons, which then activates other cells in the hippocampus.

“This small population of cells acts like a match, starting a fire that ignites a bunch of activity in a lot of other cells that produce the behavioral effects,” says lead study author Dr. John Kessler.

“That’s important because when you give ketamine to patients now, it affects multiple regions of the brain and causes a lot of adverse side effects. But since we now know exactly which cells we want to target, we can design drugs to focus only on those cells.”

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BC becomes first province to decriminalize illicit drugs

B.C. receives exemption to decriminalize possession of some illegal drugs for personal use

British Columbia received a 3-year exemption to decriminalize small amounts of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.

“By removing the fear and shame of drug use, we will be able to remove barriers that prevent people from accessing harm reduction services and treatment programs,” says provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.

While it seems like a step in the right direct, the legislation is being criticized because it only allows possession of 2.5 grams of the drugs and it won’t be effective until January 31 of 2023.

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Free LSD!

Ceruvia Lifesciences to Supply LSD to Qualified Researchers at No Cost

For qualified researchers only… sorry to get your hopes up.

Ceruvia Lifesciences, a private Connecticut-based company, produced the world’s first LSD that meets the FDA’s strict manufacturing standards.

Now, the company is offering the drug to researchers at no cost to increase our knowledge of its potential medical benefits.

Ceruvia has also developed a non-hallucinogenic analog of LSD to target cluster headaches, migraines, and addiction.

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Mircrodosing at work

Why this startup is encouraging employees to microdose psychedelics at work

Shane Health, CEO of the functional mushroom company MUD\WTR, made an open statement allowing employees to microdose at work.

He estimates that about 20% of employees microdose on the job, including himself and senior designer Ryan Rosenthal.

“It’s really good as a designer because we’re really trying to think about the psychology of who’s visiting our platform, and so you can really tap into that and become more empathetic,” Rosenthal explains.

Pro tip: if you accidentally take a bit too much, “it’s nothing that a quick walk and a coconut water can’t fix.” 

MUD\WTR had no current job openings in case you were about to check 😉

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Psilocybin for gut health

Silo Wellness To Acquire Canadian Dyscovry Science, Producer Of Psilocybin For IBS Treatment

Shrooms are known to cause nausea, so you wouldn’t expect them to help with digestive issues.

However, the Toronto-based startup Dyscovry Science Ltd. is developing a synthetic psilocybin formulation to target irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Psilocybin’s anti-inflammatory effect may help with the disorder.

The preliminary research must be promising because Silo Wellness (SILO) just entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of Dyscovry Science.

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Wiz Khalifa launches shroom brand

Red Light Holland and Superstar Wiz Khalifa to Launch Naturally Occurring Psilocybin and Mushrooms Wellness Brand: Mistercap

In partnership with Red Light Holland (TRIP), multi-platinum rapper Wiz Khalifa is starting a psychedelic and functional mushroom brand called MISTERCAP.

Red Light Holland hopes to leverage Khalifa’s huge following and entrepreneurial success in the cannabis industry to help end the stigma surrounding psilocybin.

The brand will sell:

  • Recreational psilocybin truffles in the Netherlands (potentially expanding to other markets if legalized)
  • Mushroom growing kits in the US, Canada, and Europe (launching by the end of this year)
  • Other functional mushroom products
  • And, of course, merch 

[ Insert reference to Young, Wild & Free ] 

Red Light Holland also announced that it’s starting a new program to provide advice and funding to business owners who are looking to enter Oregon’s legal psilocybin therapy market.

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