Psychedelic wins for Maryland & New York

Hey there, shroomers 🍄

Here’s what we found while foraging ‘round the mushroom world this week…

Eye candy 👀

Every post from @fungiwoman is like a new, illuminating walk in the woods…

This Ganoderma tsugae (aka hemlock varnish shelf or hemlock reishi) mushroom prefers hemlock trees, as its name would suggest. Plus, they look like tree-borne fried eggs, which earns them a spot on my ever-growing list of favorite mushrooms.

Psychedelic legislation 🏛

Big win for Maryland 🦀 The Governor of Maryland approved a bill to establish a psychedelics task force, which will investigate how to best implement “broad, equitable and affordable access to psychedelic substances” statewide.

Empire State of mind 👍 New York’s State Assembly has proposed a bill to allow cultivation and regulated use of psilocybin for certain health conditions.

So close… 👎 California’s psychedelic therapy legislation was among hundreds of bills culled by the state’s Senate due to state budget constraints. 

Growing gourmet 🍽

What is myco meat? 🥩 About 39% of Americans are trying to reduce their meat intake — and plant-based alternatives aren’t the only game in town anymore. Here’s your guide to fungi-based “myco meat.”

Storage tips and fry-up tricks 🍳 Cookbook author Alice Zaslavsky recently dropped a few of her handy hints for safely handling and storing mushrooms. Also, peep that recipe at the end for a “forest floor fry-up” consisting of mushrooms and butter-fried potatoes with sour cream and pickles.

Morel gold rush 💸 Yukon mushroom pickers are raising concerns about the need for more oversight in the territory’s commercial morel operations, with more accountability for buyers who overwork and underpay workers.

Speaking of which… 👨‍🌾 Two California mushroom farms will pay over half a million dollars in back wages and damages to, you guessed it, workers who were underpaid and forced to sleep in dirty, unsafe conditions.

Research roundup 👩‍🔬

Psilocybin for stutters 🍄 A preliminary study is investigating the self-reported effects of psilocybin and LSD on stuttering, for which there is no current FDA-approved treatment. (Shout out to Paul Stamets, who claims to have overcome his stutter through psilocybin experiences.)

The salamander plague 🦎 Parasitic skin fungi is threatening amphibian populations worldwide — yet surprisingly, the disease has not been found in Alpine salamanders, whose habitats are highly suitable for this fungal plague.

Tactile feedback 👈 Psilocybin significantly affects how our brains respond to unexpected touch. Recent findings suggest this effect could help treat mental conditions involving body perception and touch distortion, such as schizophrenia, anorexia nervosa, depression, and body dysmorphia.

Shrooms against inflammation 🔥 A recent study mapped out the chemical profile of Agaricus blazei murill mushrooms, which can reduce the release of an enzyme linked to the body’s inflammation response.

Myco tech 🔬

Mad about myco materials 👞 If you thought mushrooms were just for eating, boy howdy, do I have a thorough run-down on dozens of green technologies that capitalize on mushrooms for sustainability — from fungi foam insulation and wound dressings to skincare and footwear.

An army of parasite-fighting fungi 🦚 Researchers are investigating predatory fungi to control gastrointestinal parasites in birds — with current studies finding great success with peacocks. 

shroomer’s local focus 🔎

Psychedelic therapies conference 💡 The 4th Annual Psychedelic Therapeutics and Drug Development Conference will be held in Boston from May 23 to 24. Nearly 40 researchers, academics, and industry leaders are on deck for presentations and live panel discussions on the cutting edge of psychedelic medicine research.

Aspen shroomers symposium 🏔 The second annual Aspen Psychedelic Symposium will be held from May 31 to June 1 at the  Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, Colorado, featuring discussions on everything from the cultural roots of psychedelics to different models for legal therapeutic psilocybin access. Check out the full agenda here.

Thank you for reading!

shroom on,

Shannon Ratliff & Patrick Calderale