🔥 Psychedelic History: October’s Legacy

This week’s trip: new science on mushrooms, stroke recovery, and hikrodosing — plus a dive into the most historic psychedelic moments of October.

September 30, 2025

👋 Welcome

Happy Tuesday, friends!

As September wraps up, we thought it would be interesting to take a quick look back at moments in psychedelic history that happened during October. Some marked big shifts in culture and policy, others were quieter scientific milestones — all reminders that this story has been unfolding for a long time.

Alongside those flashbacks, we’ve got fresh research, policy updates, and cultural conversations shaping the field right now.

Let’s dive in…

🔝 Weekly Highlights

  • 🍄 Mushrooms cracked evolution twice — Scientists just found that psilocybin didn’t evolve once, but twice, in completely separate mushroom lineages. Nature wrote two different recipes for the same molecule — and no one knows why. Read more

  • 🧠 Stroke recovery potential — A new study shows DMT could protect blood vessels and fight inflammation after stroke. If this holds up, it could rewrite how we treat one of the deadliest conditions on Earth. Explore it

  • 🥾 The rise of hikrodosing — People are taking psilocybin into the mountains, blending microdosing with hiking. The idea is simple: nature outside meets nature inside. Check it out

🧬 Quick Hits

RESEARCH 🔬

  • 🌐 Neurons & psychedelics — Turns out psychedelics light up way more neurons than anyone thought. The brain on these compounds is a far bigger universe than we realized. Study

  • 🎖️ Cannabis & PTSD — Veterans are finding real, immediate relief when turning to cannabis. The science is catching up to what so many already know: it quiets the storm, even if just for a while. Details

  • 🔬 Ohio State breakthrough — A new study out of Ohio State shows psychedelic-assisted therapy isn’t just a flash in the pan. The benefits last. This is the kind of evidence that turns whispers into policy. Read it

  • ⚡ Dopamine & movement — A breakthrough study just revealed how dopamine actually drives both thought and movement. It’s the kind of discovery that could change everything we know about brain disorders. Learn more

POLICY 🏛️

  • 🤠 Texas spotlight — Eyes are on Texas. Money, politics, and medicine are colliding — and it’s looking more and more like the Lone Star State could become the new frontier of the psychedelic movement. Story

  • ⛪ Utah church lawsuit — A psychedelic church is suing after police raids. This is about more than one congregation — it’s a test of whether spiritual freedom really includes sacraments like mushrooms and cannabis. Read

  • 🗣️ Gingrich & ibogaine — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is championing ibogaine research. Strange bedfellows or a sign that psychedelics are finally breaking out of the echo chamber… at least for a bit? Details

  • ❄️ Alaska campaign — Alaska is making moves. Advocates are gathering signatures to put psychedelic legalization on the ballot — and momentum is building fast. Explore

  • 🍂 Cannabis rescheduling — Trump just released a video hyping medical cannabis for seniors while the White House weighs rescheduling. This could be a major domino moment for federal policy. As you can guess, marijuana stocks boomed after this. More

BUSINESS 📈

  • 🤖 AI-designed psychedelics — Silicon Valley is at it again: building “psychedelics” without the trip. To some, it’s genius. To others, it’s like building a car with no engine. Either way, it’s coming. Full story

  • 💊 atai & Beckley — Their treatment for depression is moving into a pivotal trial — one big step closer to a future where psychedelics aren’t just underground therapy, but frontline medicine. Read more

LISTEN & WATCH 🎭

  • 🎙️ Strassman returns — Rick Strassman, the man who first cracked open DMT research, is back on Rogan. The conversation hits like a reunion with the godfather of the modern psychedelic era. Watch

  • 🧠 Carhart-Harris talk — Robin Carhart-Harris, one of the sharpest minds in psychedelic science, dives into what the future of the field really looks like with Dr. Jason Yuan. See it

  • 🌌 Gallimore on DMT — Andrew Gallimore never fails to take things to the edge of imagination. His latest talk on extended-state DMT feels less like science and more like a roadmap to another universe. Listen

🍄 Psychedelic History: October’s Legacy

We thought it would be fun to take a look back at some key moments in psychedelic history that happened during the month of October. Some of these shaped the field in profound ways, others marked setbacks — but together they show just how long this story has been unfolding.

  • October 3, 1799 — First Western medical report of a psilocybin mushroom trip. A London family accidentally ate liberty caps (Psilocybe semilanceata) from Green Park and were treated by Dr. Everard Brande. He documented their symptoms — confusion, vertigo, dilated pupils, delirium, and uncontrollable fits of laughter — in the London Medical and Physical Journal.

  • October 9, 1962 — R. Gordon Wasson and Albert Hofmann (with colleagues) collected and studied Salvia divinorum specimens in Oaxaca, helping introduce the plant to Western science. Some reports describe their early self-experiments with Salvia juice producing visions, though the exact date is not firmly documented.

  • October 6, 1966 — On the day LSD became illegal in California, thousands of people gathered in San Francisco’s Panhandle for the “Love Pageant Rally,” celebrating the drug as sacrament and protesting prohibition with music, costumes, and mass acid use (naturally).

  • October 16, 1965 — The Family Dog collective hosts A Tribute to Dr. Strange in San Francisco — an event that fused live music, light shows, and acid culture into what became the template for psychedelic rock concerts.

  • October 16, 1966 — Brotherhood of Eternal Love founded, declaring LSD their sacrament.

  • October 1968 — U.S. officially outlaws ibogaine. U.S. federal law added ibogaine to the list of banned hallucinogens in 1968.

  • October 27, 1970 — Controlled Substances Act finalized. The CSA, signed into law later that year, placed LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline into Schedule I, cementing federal prohibition.

  • October 1972 — Belgian LSD lab shut down. Reports describe underground chemist Ronald Stark abandoning his Belgian LSD laboratory just before authorities arrived. Precise dating to October 1972 is uncertain, but the raid is a well-known episode in Stark’s history.

  • October 27, 1994 — DEA raid on Alexander Shulgin. The DEA raided Shulgin’s lab, revoked his Schedule I license, and fined him $25,000. Supporters eventually raised the money through donations, cementing Shulgin’s reputation as both a pioneer and a target of prohibition.

  • October 1995 — Erowid founded. Earth and Fire Erowid launched the online psychoactive archive that would become one of the most important public resources for psychedelic information worldwide.

  • October 30, 2009 — David Nutt fired. Britain’s chief drug adviser was dismissed after publishing a paper ranking alcohol and tobacco as more harmful than LSD, ecstasy, and cannabis — sparking a global debate about drug policy and science. We don’t share this to highlight someone losing their job, but rather to show our gratitude and strong belief that he will be on the right side of history.

  • October 29, 2014 — Psilocybin brain map. Robin Carhart-Harris and his team at Imperial College London used brain scanning to show how psilocybin increases cross-network connections, creating a more integrated and flexible brain state.

  • October 23, 2018 — Compass Breakthrough Therapy. The FDA granted Compass Pathways Breakthrough Therapy designation for psilocybin to treat depression — paving the way for the first large-scale international clinical trials.

  • October 8, 2019 — Death of Ken Nelson. Ken Nelson, a key figure in psychedelic culture, died at 65. Known for his influence and advocacy, he left behind a lasting impact on the psychedelic movement.

  • October 4, 2021 — Seattle decriminalizes natural psychedelics. The city decriminalized the cultivation and sharing of psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, ibogaine, and non-peyote mescaline, joining the growing U.S. decrim wave.

I’m sure there are some stories we missed. In fact, I can guarantee it. But history has always been a mix of progress and pushback. Looking back at moments like these reminds us how far things have come — and how much more there is still to do.

🎨 Psychedelics & Creativity

A new study suggests psychedelics may not enhance creativity as much as many assume, with researchers focusing on DMT. While we can all point to several popular artists who credit DMT with inspiring their work, it’s typically LSD, psilocybin, and even microdosing that are more often linked to creative breakthroughs in music, art, and tech.

Other studies, including this one published in Frontiers in Psychology, have shown psychedelics can support creative thinking under the right conditions.

Each compound seems to interact with creativity in its own way — and the more research we do, the better we’ll understand those differences.

🎁 Psychedelic Utility Belt

  • 💖 How to use the “love drug” to heal — A guide to MDMA’s potential for repair and reconnection. Explore

  • 📜 Where the laws stand — A clear look at psychedelic legalization and decriminalization across the U.S. See guide

👋 Signoff

Progress in psychedelics rarely comes all at once. It’s small steps, steady research, and a willingness to keep learning. Every new study, policy change, or personal story adds to the bigger picture.

Wherever you are on your journey — whether it’s curiosity, healing, or discovery — remember that growth takes time, and every step matters. Stay curious. Stay compassionate. And keep moving forward.

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