You have probably been hearing a lot about what is being coined as the new “Cannabis” or the “Shroom Boom”, They call it psilocybin, the active ingredient in psilocybin is contained in fungi of the genus Psilocybeand historically was a recreational drug called “magic mushrooms”. But today, according to MushroomStockIndex a leading publication in the space, it is being used in the treatment of depression and anxiety. “These magic mushrooms are said to have a long-term antidepressant effect”, said James Harris, editor of the MushroomStockIndex. While larger doses promise an experience of spiritual enlightenment, regular smaller doses are said to increase creativity, productivity and even help with some serious issues like PTSD. In cancer patients where pain therapy is a key necessity, the administration of psilocybin in combination with accompanying psychotherapy has been shown to bring about a lasting improvement in pain treatment, psychological and mental well-being.
For over 2000 years this active molecule found in a variety of wild field mushrooms have been a key part of ritualistic and medical use. Since about 70 of these mushrooms grow in South America, their use was largely unknown in Europe for a long time. It was not until 1957 that chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann, succeeded in isolating psilocybin from the hallucinogenic fungi and not too shortly afterwards began producing it in a fully synthetic fashion.
Dr. Hoffmann recognized that it was a new powerful hallucinogen with a significantly shorter duration of action compared to LSD. A number of patents were secured and numerous research projects were conducted. By 1969, the number of scientific publications on psilocybin surged and were estimated to be well over 1000.
Just a year later, in 1970, research on psychedelics suffered a serious and drastic set back. Just like cannabis where government intervention killed the industry, The American’s striked again with the “Controlled Substances Act”, a law that was passed which ended up classifying the drug according to its addictive potential. For class 1 drugs, including psilocybin, the production, use and distribution for any purpose was prohibited.
In recent years, research on psychedelic drugs has again experienced a renewed interest, especially in big Universities in the USA, Switzerland and Great Britain. Since antidepressants often failed to treat depression, the pharmaceutical industry has invested millions in mind-pathways and related research. The majority of studies focused on psilocybin, which similar to LSD and ketamine in low doses has been known to show significant promise.
As this scientific research continues to flourish, the stock market has caught on and the space continues to see a new flow of new entrants in the market.
“When we first started to cover MindMed and Champignon Brands both around the same time, we did not expect to see such a surge in initial activity. We started our initial coverage right at the beginning, both were new stories, a new sector, it was bound to see some blue sky, continued Harris.
The publication definitely saw some blue sky, since inception the collective return on investment for just the two mushroom stocks above delivered a whopping 1010 return in less than 90 days! We are following the market closely and encourage modern day investors and traders to keep an eye on this unique space as we believe the market has just begun. Like the Cannabis investment space in the early days, the first movers will be the ones that prevail and if any of these companies make a scientific discovery, the sky is the limit as to what type of ROI could be expected by a big event like that!
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