🐶 Dosing Dogs, Redeeming Warriors

👋 Welcome

Hey friends!

Every now and then, a week in psychedelic news makes you pause and go, “Wait… they gave LSD to who?”

This time, it’s dogs. That alone raises a lot of ethical questions - I know. I broke down the study (and linked it) so you can form your own opinion.

We’re also digging into how psilocybin may slow aging at the cellular level, and how retreats are transforming life after service for veterans navigating PTSD.

If you came for the science, the heart, or the head tilts - this one’s for you.

Let’s get into it.

🔝 Weekly Highlights

• 🌿 Medical Marijuana Officially Eases Anxiety and Depression
  A rare federally funded study confirms what many already feel - cannabis can be powerful medicine. See the greenlight

• 🤱 Psychedelics for New Moms?
  Postpartum depression may meet its match in mushrooms. Women's Health takes a look. Dig into the debate

• 🍄 Magic Mushrooms May Help You Live Longer
  You’ve probably seen it by now. A new study from Emory University found that psilocin, the active compound from psilocybin, extended cell life by over 50% and boosted mouse survival by 30%. Age backwards with science

🧬 Quick Hits

RESEARCH 🔬

• 🧠 Who Benefits Most from MDMA? – Brain scans may help predict trauma survivors most likely to heal with MDMA. Scan the scoop

• 🧬 Ketamine Repairs the Reward System – It’s not just a vibe lifter—it’s rewiring stress-ravaged brains. Check the circuits

• 🍄 Psilocybin Reduces OCD Symptoms – A single 10 mg dose eased symptoms in adults with OCD in a new pharmacological challenge study. Read the findings

POLICY 🏛️

• 🧾 Senate Boosts Psychedelic Research… After Banning Hemp – Psychedelic research got a nod—right after a hemp crackdown. Decipher the paradox

CULTURE 🎭

• 🐸 The Toad is in Trouble – Conservationists warn the Sonoran Desert toad is tripping toward habitat destruction. Meet the mystical amphibian (Unfortunately it is behind the NYT paywall)

🌈 Main Features

1. 🐶 Sit, Shake, Microdose

Researchers from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria recently microdosed 10 pet dogs with ultra-low doses of LSD—yes, the real thing… to see if it might help with fear and anxiety. No, they didn’t send a group of good boys into the fractal dimension. These were carefully calibrated microdoses: 0.025–0.1 micrograms/kg, far below psychedelic levels.

The results showed changes in stress behavior and social interaction, hinting that psychedelics may influence animal consciousness more than previously assumed. But ethical red flags abound - especially around consent, long-term effects, and whether this is healing or projection. It's a fascinating, furry frontier.

👉 Sniff out the study

2. 🎖️ Psychedelic Retreats Dramatically Improve Veterans’ Mental Health

In a new study that’s equal parts science and soul, researchers followed 55 veterans through psychedelic retreats using psilocybin or ayahuasca. The results? Profound mental health gains across the board: PTSD, depression, anxiety, sleep, and post-deployment reintegration all improved significantly. Psilocybin helped most with depression and anxiety, while ayahuasca had a slight edge in PTSD reduction.

The vets stayed on-site for multi-day ceremonies and took carefully measured doses in retreat settings coordinated by Heroic Hearts Project and Beckley Retreats. The communal aspect wasn’t just a bonus, it was part of the healing. VA Secretary Doug Collins praised these therapies publicly, and there’s growing momentum for government-backed access.

👉 March through the findings

🎁 Psychedelic Utility Belt

• 🎟️ Boom Festival Starts This Week – One of the world’s most iconic psychedelic gatherings is officially underway in Portugal. There will be some great conversations happening there, including with Imperial College DMT trial participant Batuhan Bintas about how the mycelium mushroom network could have inspired the internet. Explore Boom

• 🎖️ A Veteran’s Guide to Psychedelics – From Heroic Hearts to harm reduction, here’s your curated intro to psychedelic therapy post-service. Read the guide

👋 Signoff

That’s it for now. May your molecules be kind, your integration be deep, and your questions keep getting weirder.

Stay open, stay grounded, and we’ll see you in the next trip.

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