Dave5

The granting of a licence to cultivate indigenous fungi containing psilocybin, the active compound found in psychedelic mushrooms, is the first of its kind in New Zealand and a major milestone in a Māori health science collaboration led by Rangiwaho Marae, based south of Gisborne. The licence was granted to Rua Bioscience, a biopharmaceutical business also based in Tairāwhiti. The company is involved as a research and development support partner for the project.

The granting of the licence is the next step in the collaboration including a network of rongoā Māori practitioners, ESR (Institute of Environmental Science and Research), University of Auckland, University of Waikato, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Mātai Medical Research Institute, an iwi health provider and other community stakeholders. The collaboration aims to unlock the therapeutic potential of psilocybin found in indigenous varieties of ‘magic mushrooms’, which has been used in traditional medicine in Aotearoa and around the world for thousands of years.

https://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/article/undoctored/first-licence-psilocybe-magic-mushroom-cultivation-nz