Science

Scientists are finally set to mass-produce the active compound found in magic mushrooms

August 18, 2018By 0 comment

“Our findings set the stage for heterologous production of [psilocybin] in a controlled place for pharmaceutical purposes, using engineered microbial hosts, should the re-discovered pharmaceutical value lead to increased demands,” the researchers write in their report. After four decades of virtually ignoring the science of psychedelics, researchers tentatively returned to investigating how substances such as…

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Science

Outdoor-grown weed is not only better for the environment…

August 10, 2018By 0 comment

The state wasn’t going to allow outdoor farming until… people successfully convinced the regulators to allow sun-grown weed. It’s also the more environmentally friendly choice. Outdoor farming will always use less energy. Indoor farmers need a lot of power to run their lights and fans. Just like the grape vines for winemaking, pot plants absorb…

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How psychedelic microdosing might help ease anxiety and sharpen focus

August 10, 2018By 0 comment

Qualitative data from the survey revealed that microdosers reported positive effects of the practice including migraine reduction, improved focus and productivity, and better connection with others. In quantitative results, microdosers scored lower than non-microdosing respondents on negative emotionality and dysfunctional attitude.  The data yielded interesting results, including important information about how much of the drug…

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Ayahuasca may help patients with treatment-resistant depression, study finds

August 8, 2018By 0 comment

In this new study, a large group of Brazilian scientists carried out the first randomized placebo-controlled trial with ayahuasca, treating 29 patients with treatment-resistant depression.​ Half of the patients were treated with ayahuasca, and the other half with placebo. “We observed a significant placebo effect, but the effects of ayahuasca were superior, and lasted longer,”…

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Should we loosen the restrictions on psychedelics?

July 20, 2018By 0 comment

We are now hearing calls to increase psychedelics’ clinical availability; i.e., “legalizing psychedelics.” … Most important, only those with specialized training would be allowed to administer psychedelics to humans.  Psychedelics possess unique characteristics that do not fit neatly into the criteria used to define schedule placement. Their safety and efficacy [ideally] exist… within highly structured specialized…

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Brain scientists meet to share data on magic mushrooms…

July 18, 2018By 0 comment

About 500 brain experts from 29 countries are attending the group’s annual meeting, CNS 2018 (27th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting), which has been jointly organized by the Allen Institute for Brain Science and the University of Washington. [An] experiment took advantage of functional MRI brain scans to document how psilocybin changed brain activity. The psychedelic drug reduced the activity of…

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Psychedelics promote neural plasticity

July 12, 2018By 0 comment

The positive effects were not only structural, but functional – electrophysiological recordings found that the frequency and strength of neural currents were increased for many hours after the psychedelic compounds had been removed.​ Patients who suffer from depression and post-traumatic-stress-disorder tend to have impaired neurogenesis and neuroplasticity – their brain cells grow more slowly and…

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Science

Why the FDA is high on a marijuana drug

July 2, 2018By 0 comment

“It’s a watershed event to get FDA approval,” says Sasha Kaplun, vice president for corporate development at Auxly Cannabis Group Inc., an investment partnership in Toronto. Approval should help alleviate skepticism among some physicians about the plant’s medical uses, Kaplun says. At the company’s headquarters in London’s Mayfair district, a preferred locale for hedge funds, the…

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