The Mycologist & The Doctor: Psilocybin in Nature & Medicine

Paul Stamets, the mycologist and Pamela Kryskow, the physician, have complementary perspectives, informed by their experiences with psilocybin mushrooms. From Paul’s perspective: With more than 161 psilocybin active species in the genus Psilocybe, and with approximately 200 psilocybin species worldwide, these mushrooms are now diverse, descendants of ancient entities. Psilocybin first appeared in the fungal genome nearly 65,000,000 years ago. Psilocybe mushroom species had their forms far sooner than us had ours. Access to psilocybin mushrooms has helped human evolution, bridging cultures across continents for millennia. Today, there is a worldwide re-re-discovering and re-awakening of psilocybin at a time critical when the ecosystems and societies are at the greatest risk in thousands of years. Paul believes that the psilocybin mushroom culture and psilocybin as a medicine can create a paradigm shift in consciousness. Psilocybin not only helps us connect with nature, but psilocybin also helps us to be nicer people. From Pam’s perspective: 140 clinical trials using psilocybin at listed at clinicaltrials.gov. And yet most all these studies use psilocybin, the molecule when the vast majority (>99%) of citizens use psilocybin mushrooms. The clinical studies are necessary to prove what to many of us already know to be true. In 1971, psilocybin was incorrectly placed on the Schedule I list of illegal drugs that have no medical benefit. 53 years later, in 2018, the FDA recognized psilocybin as a breakthrough antidepressant medicine. Conducting group therapy with end-of-life patients in British Columbia, hosted by First Nations and with Canadian Health approval, her experiences – with her team – of helping improve the mental health of more than 50 patients, has evolved a successful model for helping patients and other health practitioners to maximize benefits and minimize harm.