• Research helps provide scientific framew

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Mon Apr 11 22:30:34 2022
    Research helps provide scientific framework for psilocybin use in
    therapeutic settings

    Date:
    April 11, 2022
    Source:
    Oregon State University
    Summary:
    A new paper provides a scientific framework to help shape the
    rollout of a program in Oregon that will legally permit the use
    of psilocybin for therapeutic reasons.



    FULL STORY ==========================================================================
    A new paper by an Oregon State University-led research team provides a scientific framework to help shape the rollout of a program in Oregon
    that will legally permit the use of psilocybin for therapeutic reasons.


    ========================================================================== Oregon voters approved a ballot measure in 2020 to allow use of
    psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound found in some magic mushrooms,
    in therapeutic settings, becoming the first state to do so. Preliminary clinical trial data has shown psilocybin has potential to address mental
    health issues including depression, anxiety and PTSD.

    The state created an advisory board to recommend how to roll out a safe
    and equitable system for psilocybin use. The Oregon Health Authority in February released draft rules crafted by the advisory board. They are
    expected to be finalized in the next year.

    Jessie Uehling, a mycologist at Oregon State University who studies
    fungi and their applications that benefit humanity, was appointed last
    year by Gov. Kate Brown to the advisory board. Her involvement with the
    board made her realize the need for the recently published paper in the
    journal Fungal Biology.

    "There was not a synthesis of all the information about psilocybin that
    an entity like the advisory board or any other state- or federal-level
    group would need to make decisions that are informed by science," said
    Uehling, an assistant professor who has a doctoral degree in genetics
    and genomics and a master's in mycology.

    She, along with researchers in Mexico and several universities in the
    U.S., set out to change that. The paper they just published provides an overview of the biology, diversity and history of psilocybin-containing
    fungi.



    ==========================================================================
    The authors detail that there are hundreds of fungal species belonging to
    at least seven genera that are capable of producing psilocybin. Further,
    they discuss how many psilocybin-producing fungi have deadly poisonous lookalikes which grow in similar locations in natural habitats.

    They also focus on how Indigenous people around the world have
    historically used the compound for sacred traditions in part because
    they say these cross- disciplinary insights need to be published,
    citable and publicly available.

    While indirect evidence of hallucinogenic mushroom rituals dates back
    thousands of years in Northern Africa and Spain; its use, for hundreds of years, still persists in Mexico. Rules governing how these mushrooms are
    used among Indigenous Mexican groups has resulted in safe consumption for centuries, the researchers note. These rules include being guided by an
    elder or shaman, not mixing alcohol, medicine or drugs and discouraging
    travel for a week after the ceremony.

    "These mushrooms and their traditions constitute a unique biocultural
    heritage whose use by Western society must be based on their respect
    and conservation," said Roberto Garibay-Orijel, a researcher at the
    Universidad Nacional Auto'noma de Me'xico and co-author of the paper.

    He said it's important that the paper emphasizes that the species of
    mushroom only found in Mexico, and strains from Indigenous territories in Mexico, are protected by the Nagoya protocol, an international agreement
    that prohibits their use for commercial purposes without the consent of
    their ancestral owners.



    ========================================================================== Recent Western, medicalized psilocybin trials have been designed to
    mirror the guided experience used by Indigenous groups. The trials
    have confirmed the importance of preparation and setting when using psilocybin-producing fungi.

    There are currently more than 60 psilocybin clinical trials overseen by
    the National Institutes of Health. Preliminary data suggest psilocybin therapies are effective in treating major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, smoking cessation and alcoholism.

    Results of psilocybin ingestion outside of clinical trials have found an increased connection to nature, enhanced creativity, greater enjoyment
    of music and increased positive mood.

    Meanwhile, cities across the U.S. are decriminalizing psilocybin and
    Washington is considering a measure similar to Oregon's that would
    legalize psilocybin for therapeutic reasons.

    "Society is having this moment right now where fungi are being appreciated
    for being really cool," Uehling said. "But they are also really powerful
    and some can be deadly. So we really need to better understand them
    through scientific research and proceed with safety as a first priority."
    Other co-authors of the paper are Ray Van Court, Michele Wiseman and
    Kevin Amses, Oregon State; Kyle Meyer and Daniel Ballhorn, Portland
    State University; Jason Slot, Ohio State University; and Bryn Dentinger, University of Utah.

    The research was funded in part by the National Science Foundation.


    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Oregon_State_University. Original
    written by Sean Nealon.

    Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. R.C. Van Court, M.S. Wiseman, K.W. Meyer, D.J. Ballhorn, K.R. Amses,
    J.C.

    Slot, B.T.M. Dentinger, R. Garibay-Orijel, J.K. Uehling. Diversity,
    biology, and history of psilocybin-containing fungi: Suggestions
    for research and technological development. Fungal Biology, 2022;
    126 (4): 308 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2022.01.003 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220411101254.htm

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