The “shroom boom” is an exciting and fundamental part of this modern psychedelic renaissance. Companies like Compass Pathways and Psygen Industries are pioneering the future of pharmaceutical, GMP-grade synthetic psilocybin, the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms”. While much of the public interest is focused on naturally grown psilocybin-containing mushrooms, much of the research in the United States utilizes synthetic psilocybin instead. Why is that and to what extent does removing the magic mushroom, but keeping its active ingredient, affect its therapeutic potential as the robust mental health medicine experts are claiming it to be?
The Unique Origins of Synthetic Psilocybin
As if the history behind magic mushrooms wasn’t mysterious enough, the origins of the first synthetic production of psilocybin are equally fascinating. It turns out that the famous Albert Hofmann, the father of LSD, isolated the molecule psilocybin from mushrooms sent to him by a Wall Street banker by the name of Gordon Wasson. Even more interesting is the fact that Wasson was introduced to the sacred mushroom by none other than famed curandera (healer) María Sabina. Sabina went on to say that Hofmann’s pills contained the “spirit of the mushroom”, a powerful sentiment about the efficacy of the pharmaceutically derived psychedelic medication.
It was Wasson’s account (published in Life magazine) of being the first westerner ever to personally have taken the sacred psychedelic mushrooms that helped spark a strong counterculture around these plant medicines as they revealed their immense value to society. Hofmann’s synthesis of psilocybin opened an important avenue for future clinical researchers driving today’s psychedelic medicine renaissance.
What is Synthetic Psilocybin & Why is it So Important
The emergence of synthetic, pharmaceutical-grade psychedelics, such as synthetic psilocybin, has become the foundation behind much of the clinical research into psychedelics that is currently underway. One of the main advantages synthetic, pharmaceutical psilocybin has to offer is its precision and reproducibility in dosing. The nature of clinical trials involves for there to be accurate and consistent dosing for the evidence gathered to be truly valid. Indeed, synthetic psilocybin pills made in a lab have this advantage over naturally grown mushrooms in the wild. Considering these mushrooms generally grow on cow manure, it’s not surprising that the FDA would support laboratory-produced psilocybin instead. Additionally, magic mushroom varieties contain varying amounts of psilocybin, making repeat, standard dosing difficult. For all these reasons and more, pharmaceutical psilocybin is the preferred choice for researchers and clinicians.
Looking Ahead to the Synthetic Shroom Boom
Due to the growing number of clinical trials alone, the demand for pharmaceutical psilocybin is skyrocketing. Companies like Psygen Industries are already finding themselves chock-full with orders for their products over the foreseeable future. As this demand continues to rise, it is sure to facilitate even more growth in this mushrooming industry.