Yes, Psilocybin Is In Every Headline Now And That’s Exciting!
Psilocybin, better known as magic mushrooms, are clearly all the rage right now.
From consuming the raw real deal to accurately-dosed capsules, people are reaping the benefits of magic mushrooms left and right. They aren’t wrong: this compound in mushrooms is nothing short of miraculous when it comes to treating a variety of ailments affecting us, both mentally and physically. But since it’s still fairly new and less studied compared to conventional medications, there’s always going to be some kind of backlash.
Having said that, here are some of the biggest recent news on psilocybin:
Global Organization Starts Work To Try And Reschedule Psilocybin In UN Drug Act
On January 11, the International Therapeutic Psilocybin Rescheduling Initiative (ITPRI) began their campaign for medical mushroom reform globally. They state that the notoriously old 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances Act needs some serious updating as it was originally established to keep people away from harmful drugs. They are working in collaboration with the Beckley Foundation, Mind Medicine Australia, MAPS, Osmond Foundation, Open Foundation, and Nierika AC.
However, we now have more data that psilocybin is therapeutic, and thus requires a change in its category.
“In most countries, legal control of psilocybin results from its Schedule I status under the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances,” they said in a press release. “Meant for dangerous drugs which create an especially serious risk to public health and whose therapeutic value is little to none, Schedule I drugs are subject to strict limits on their scientific and medical use. Schedule I licensing, safe-custody, security, manufacturing, quantity, and import/export restrictions result in a level of regulatory control and oversight that is drastically more onerous than for the Convention’s other three schedules. As a result, researchers wishing to study psilocybin face numerous regulatory hurdles which add significantly to the cost, complexity, and duration of research and can negatively impact ethical approvals, funding and collaboration.”
“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.”
Med School To Focus On Psychedelic Therapy For PTSD, Anxiety, Depression
Researchers from the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin have just launched the Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy. It’s the first of its kind in the state, with a focus on clinical research aimed at determining the potential for psilocybin as well as other psychedelics including ibogaine, ayahuasca, and MDMA for the treatment of PTSD, anxiety, and severe depression when used in conjunction with treatment from a trained professional.
“This research will bring further scientific rigor and expertise to study psychedelic therapy,” explains Charles B. Nemeroff, the center co-lead, as well as chair and professor of the Dell Med’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. “Recent studies have demonstrated considerable promise for these drugs when incorporated with clinical support, and this work has the potential to transform how we treat conditions like depression and PTSD, and to identify synergies between these and other well-established therapies to achieve long-term benefits for those seeking treatment.”
They will begin with a focus on military veterans suffering from PTSD, adults living with depression or prolonged grief, and those who struggle with childhood trauma.
Low Doses of Psilocybin Has No Detrimental Long or Short-Term Effects
In early January 2022, researchers released results of a study revealing that there was no detrimental long or short term effects when 10 or 25mg doses of psilocybin were given to groups of healthy individuals. The researchers, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King’s College London, was the first step they were taking to prove the safety of the compound in treating a range of conditions including treatment-resistant PTSD. They add that psilocybin should be taken in controlled settings together with talk therapy.
“This rigorous study is an important first demonstration that the simultaneous administration of psilocybin can be explore further,” explains lead author James Rucker, PhD. “If we think about how psilocybin therapy (if approved) may be delivered in the future, it’s important to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of giving it to more than 1 person at the same time, so we can think about how we scale up the treatment.”
Throughout it all, they found that the participants displayed no results of any long or short term effects as a result of psilocybin intake.
Israeli Startup Working On Pharmaceutical-Grade Psychedelic Extracts For Mental Health
Israeli pharmaceutical startup PsyRx believes that psychedelics obtained from natural sources may be key in treating mental health conditions, and they are now working on it.
“The world urgently needs a new way to treat mental health issues, and at PsyRx we believe psychedelics are a big part of the solution,” explains co-founder and CEO Itay Hecht. The company uses an agro-medical bioreactor that they developed at the Hebrew University Faculty of Agriculture to come up with psychedelic botanic extracts psilocybin, from mushrooms, and ibogaine, from the iboga shrub root bark.
These natural ingredients have been promising in treating addiction, depression, PTSD, and anxiety among more, especially when compared to dangerous and addictive SSRI medications which have been the norm for decades now. “SSRIs have some very bad side effects on libido and appetite, and patients often stop using them. We believe adding a microdose of ibogaine will counter those effects and make a better drug,” Hecht explains, adding that microdosing psychedelic drugs won’t cause hallucinations.
“We are starting small animal trials soon to check safety and efficacy. Hopefully in a year’s time we can start human trials,” he told ISRAEEL21C.
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