COLUMBUS, Ohio — Researchers at Ohio State University have been approved to start growing magic mushrooms on campus. One of the goals of the research is to take a closer look at how the mushroom can be used to treat mental health disorders.
"As soon as we got that approval, the world of possibilities for what we were able to study started to open up,” said Jason Slot, an associate professor of mycology at Ohio State.
Several years ago, the FDA designated psilocybin a “breakthrough therapy” to treat severe depression. Now, researchers at Ohio State hope to look into how this drug might help in treating other mental health issues through a partnership with Inner State.
"As far as I know this is the first university license for whole magic mushrooms,” Slot said.
Magic mushrooms, also known as psilocybin mushrooms, or shrooms, are commonly known to cause hallucinations and the inability to determine fantasy from reality when ingested. Slot said it took several years to get this license approval from the DEA.
Slot said they plan to use the mushrooms for two studies. One will look at the effects of the mushrooms on the evolution of animals, and the other will focus on the mental health benefits.
"What we're interested in is how all those other things, all those other chemicals that are in the mushrooms can be affecting the therapeutic potential of the mushrooms,” Slot said.
Researchers at Inner State, a mental health and wellness company, said they want to look into if other chemical compounds in the mushrooms. Ashley Walsh, founder and CEO of Inner State, said they want to see if those chemicals paired with psilocybin, can create greater benefits in the from of a pharmaceutical drug.
"If we got psilocybin and these other molecules working in tandem, could we potentially have one specific drug to use for let’s use for example, palliative care,” Walsh said.
Walsh said that pill could help in reducing depression and anxiety the comes with serious illnesses. She said research done at universities like John Hopkins and NYU also support what they hope to accomplish.
"[to] move the stigma away from psychedelics as being something that creates people to jump off of buildings to actually helping cure things from alcoholic disorders to depression to OCD,” Walsh said.
The lab where the mushrooms are being grown is not being disclosed to the public because it is a schedule one drug. Slot said its protected by surveillance cameras and police officers to comply with DEA protocol.
"The big picture is helping those really in need communities and being able to change policy to allow for affordability and access to these medicines,” Walsh said.