Lion's Mane in the Brain

Right off the bat, there’s no Mycopreneur Incubator today - I’m in Merida, capital of the state of Yucatan at the consulate today and tomorrow getting my two month old son’s passport straightened out. We’ll be back next week at the usual time and place.

Lion;s Mane mushrooms have made huge headway into the health and wellness world of western cultures over the last decade. Rockstar energy drinks even incorporate Lion;s Mane into their ‘Rockstar Focus’ beverage lion, and functional mushroom CPG brands are popping up everywhere from 711 to Trader Joe’s and a million other places. But seeing as how the cost of running a multi-phase clinical trial runs into the tens of millions of dollars, there is very little ‘scientific evidence’ in human clinical trials substantiating the many claims that Lion’s Mane is a cognitive performance enhancer and that it can potentially help in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Our friends at Bristol Fungarium in the UK have always been ahead of the curve on mushroom science and trends; this week they published images from research they’re funding in collaboration with Dr. Tim Craig of the University of the West of England that tracks the development of ‘neuronal precursor cells’ in vitro - essentially a test tube experiment using human neuronal precursor cells being monitored in the process of ‘neuronal differentiation’, which is the process of cells becoming mature, functional neurons - and the results show a clear enhancement of the process after just 10 days of the cells being exposed to Bristol Fungarium’s native UK Lion’s Mane mushroom extract tinctures. Check out the photo below.

You can read more about their research here

Moving from England to South Africa, check out this remarkable video that our friend Cullen Clark put together about his research into the lost traditions of medicinal mushroom use in Africa:

Now that is how you make a compelling call to action for your project. Join me in supporting Cullen’s ongoing and essential field work and research by contributing to the kickstart he just announced for the next phase of this extraordinary project.

This week I published an article on ‘Magic Mushroom Vapes’ - (please read the article before jumping in with “THey’R’e NOt maGIc MUUuushhrOOms BROOO” - fun story, this article came about after I wrote about ‘magic mushroom vapes’ in this newsletter a few issues ago. A few different people have hit me up since the article dropped yesterday to discuss the angles presented in the article for research and pieces they themselves are working on.

One individual mentioned they had one of the vapes tested and the main active ingredient was “cp47,497” , a potent synthetic cannabinoid. Yikes. Check out the article I wrote below and show Talking Drugs some love on social media @talking.drugs on IG and @talkingdrugs on X. Bonus points if you share the article on your socials ( :

From our sponsors at Real Mushrooms

Ok, so we all know functional mushrooms for humans are popping off in a big way right now - but what about functional mushrooms for pets? This is a huge developing market, and Real Mushrooms is at the vanguard of it as is usual for the brand that’s been in the mushroom game for 40 years.

Dr. Rob Silver just released his new book “There’s a Mushroom For That” which explores the ways that functional mushrooms can help support your pet’s health and longevity.

Rob is scheduled to return to the Mycopreneur Podcast soon - so if this type of research and product formulation interests you, definitely keep an ear out for that.

As usual, I could go on indefinitely with this newsletter because there’s so much happening in the mushroom space - but let’s put a pin in this for now, and I’ll leave you with the teaser that we’re angling towards launching an additional version of the weekly Mycopreneur Incubator that is by invite and application only and which supports high performers in the space with focused, nuanced programming and rotating hosts.

Since the launch of the incubator, we’ve had the founders and executives of some of the most reputable, prolific and profitable mushroom startups and companies on the planet join us - including times where Founders and CEO’s of 7, 8, and 9 figure companies are hanging out with us in a zoom room with only 8 or 9 people present, offering actionable intel about how they navigate the art and science of running a successful mushroom business.

The regularly scheduled incubators will continue to operate in a low-key fashion as they have been, but there is definitely room for a high level mastermind that focuses on high level strategies and tactics.

Stay tuned for more info and tap in by replying here if you have ideas for this or interest in applying / helping shape the next level of the Mycopreneur Incubator.

And finally, if you haven’t tried mushroom coffee yet - this is your sign. Here’s a link to Mycroboost mushroom coffee, a product that I drink daily and that I swear by. I’m even traveling with their mushroom coffee right now. And Mycroboost gummies. And each of their capsule lines. I’m Mycroboosted af right now tbh. Get on our level!

Thanks for checking out the Mycopreneur Newsletter and please forward this to a friend! Tell all the mushroom entrepreneurs you know that there’s a newsletter, podcast, and a community for them here.

Have a great Thursday and see you all next week -

Love, DW