Numinus Wellness Inc. The First In Canada To Extract Psilocybe Mushrooms For Research And Development, Continues Its Partnership With The Government Of Canada To Spearhead The Coming Psychedelic Treatment Industry
Numinus Wellness Inc. (NUMI) was the first company approved in Canada to extract Psilocybe mushrooms to further research their therapeutic implications this past December 2020. According to Numinus CEO, founder, and chairman Payton Nyquvest:
“Completing the first legal extraction of Psilocybe mushrooms in Canada is a critical next step to providing a natural product for safe, evidence-based psilocybin-assisted psychotherapies to those in need. Numinus continues to be a vanguard of positive change for the industry, and this announcement demonstrates our ability to deliver yet another first.”
Dr. Evan Wood, Numinus Inc. Chief Medical Officer, says, “While direct comparisons cannot be made, there is a clear recognition in the cannabis space that synthetic cannabinoids are far less attractive than naturally occurring cannabinoids… Numinus is of the view that, ultimately, nature knows best, and we’re excited to be at the forefront of exploring the fascinating world of working with Psilocybe mushrooms as part of a focused drug development program.”
The process of extracting mushrooms involves drying and grinding the mushrooms to a powder, then pressure-cooking them to break down cell walls, thereby making the active ingredient, psilocybin, more bioavailable. In this way, the drug can be suspended in a liquid or used in pills as a powder. Numinus’ previous milestone in psilocybin research was becoming the first public company in Canada to harvest Psilocybe mushrooms back in October of 2020.
In December of 2020, Numinus acquired Montréal-based Mindspace Psychology Services Inc., another major player in the world of psychedelic research. Dr. Devon Christie, Medical Director at Numinus believes that “adding Mindspace to the Numinus platform will provide strong synergies for both companies… The companies have similar values and complementary strengths, which make this a strong corporate and cultural fit. We are also proud to grow our presence nationally through this announcement.”
And on March 4th of this year, www.baystreet.com reports, Numinus Wellness Inc. received new amendments under Canada’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act “to allow the possession, production, assembly, sale, export, and delivery for a wide variety of psychedelics including – for the first time – Ketamine and Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).” Baystreet goes on to state that the amendment “also supports Numinus Bioscience’s role in these activities related to Mescaline, N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), N-Methyl-3,4, methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDMA), Psilocin and Psilocybin.”
According to www.numinus.ca, the company aims to provide “psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to heal and be well,” and is leading the charge for a time when “safe, legal access is going to become increasingly available for a range of conditions, including depression, PTSD & substance use disorders.” Experts such as Dr. Gabor Maté, a Vancouver-based physician with countless practical hours treating addictions, have been campaigning for the use of psychedelics since at least 2013. But with companies like Numinus and its 7,000 square foot research and testing lab, our understanding of the mind is ready to expand exponentially.
