Special Event Sponsored by the Semel Institute

Psilocybin as Medicine: The Molecule and The Mushroom

Paul Stamets, D.Sc. (Honaris causa)

November 1, 2024

Carnesale Commons, Palisades Ballroom

5:00PM Doors Open

Program 6:00PM - 7:30PM

Reservations and Ticket Purchase

Psilocybin as Medicine: The Molecule and The Mushroom with esteemed guest, Paul Stamets, is a special evening celebrating 50 years since the establishment of the Neuropsychiatric Institute and hospital at UCLA and a look into the future.

Sponsored by:

UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior

Fungi Perfecti, LLC

Project ReConnect from the UCLA Ecological Medicine and Psychedelic Studies Initiative

The Friends of the Semel Institute

Special guest, Paul Stamets, an industry leader in fungi: Habitat, medicinal use, and production will discuss the psilocybin movement through history into the modern epoch and give an overview of the most clinically significant studies, the newest research on psilocybin analogues, microdosing, and the implications for creating a paradigm shift in the ecology of consciousness.

Psilocybin mushrooms have been used for hundreds, likely thousands of years. With at least 220+ psilocybin species known to date, their widespread occurrence and long history of use by numerous cultures has set the stage for modern medicine to measure therapeutic benefits. Currently, more than 188 universities and institutions have been approved for psilocybin clinical studies ranging from treating depression to Alzheimer’s to addiction, psilocybin is now at the forefront of medical research. In 2019, the FDA designated psilocybin as a breakthrough therapy.Will psilocybin help you be a healthier, happier, and better Earth citizen? Will psilocybin be the tipping point in the next quantum leap in the evolution of humans? Let’s look at the evidence together for an informed discussion.

Paul Stamets, D.Sc. (Honaris causa) is a speaker, author, mycologist, medical researcher, and entrepreneur.  He lectures extensively to deepen the understanding and respect for the organisms that literally exist under every footstep taken on this path of life. His presentations cover a range of mushroom species and research showing how mushrooms can help the health of people and planet. His central premise is that habitats have immune systems, just like people, and mushrooms are cellular bridges between the two. Our close evolutionary relationship to fungi can be the basis for novel pairings in the microbiome that lead to greater sustainability and immune enhancement.

Stamets is the author of seven books, including Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save The World, Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, and Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World.  He has discovered and named numerous new species of psilocybin mushrooms, and is the founder and owner of Fungi Perfecti, LLC, makers of the Host Defense Mushrooms supplement line.  He is an invention ambassador for the American Association for the Advancement of Science and was inducted into The Explorer’s Club in 2020. He has received numerous awards, including the National Mycologist Award from the North American Mycological Association, the Gordon and Tina Wasson Award from the Mycological Society of America, The Disruptor Award from NextMed, and the SynBioBeta Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Paul has named numerous new species of psilocybin mushrooms. In 2023, a new psilocybin mushroom species was named after him to honor his lifelong work: Psilocybe stametsii. He funds research to save rare strains of mushrooms that dwell within the old growth forests. He believes the old growth forests contain a deep reservoir of species essential for pandemic defense. His research is considered breakthrough by thought leaders for creating a paradigm shift for helping ecosystems worldwide. In addition, his work has entered the mainstream of popular culture: In the new Star Trek: Discovery series on CBS, the science officer is portrayed by an astromycologist, Lt. Commander Paul Stamets whose concepts became a central theme of this science fiction. He served as the primary guide to the mushroom documentary Fantastic Fungi, which first appeared in theaters in fall 2019 and is currently on Netflix with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.