Stamet’s Lion’s Mane Niacin Protocol In Detail
I examine Stamet’s patent application to get the clearest details yet of his method.
A few months ago, wrote about my own perspective on Stamet’s niacin, psilocybin, lion’s mane, stack (NPLS). The article left myself and readers hungry for more information. Lion’s Mane gave me back my brain after years of epilepsy, but Stamets was clearly talking about something more than that. He was talking about a nootropic game changer. He even used the words “Quantum Leap.”
I’d been looking around for more details on his theory and what evidence he had for his conclusions, for a while my own article was one of the better resources on the topic. Then I stumbled across this patent application. Written mostly in Stamet’s own words, it outlines his vision for transforming society by amplifying human and animal intelligence. No further guesswork is required.
Stamets summarizes the benefits of NPLS thusly:
The benefits of this invention to the nervous system is hard to overstate. Additional benefits are conferred not only to humans challenged with diseases or neurotoxins, but also in healthy humans, including but not limited to increased cognitive function in students, scientists, computer coders, hackers, Big Data specialists, mathematicians, astronomers, strategic planners (i.e. such as in the U.S. Defense Department), gamers, linguists, writers, futurists, Mensa members, athletes, soldiers, religious leaders, politicians, business leaders or anyone benefitting from increased memory, intelligence, imagination, cognition, clairvoyance, motor skills, spatial navigation, athleticism, ability to more quickly respond to and process stimuli, balance, neuroplasticity, state of mind, longevity and mental health. Various benefits are also expected in vertebrate animals including mammals, carnivores, omnivores, herbivores, pets including cats and dogs and companion animals, farm and produce animals, laboratory animals, zoo animals, reptiles, fish and birds. The compounds of the present invention may also be useful for bees, including those suffering from pesticides, viruses or at risk from Colony Collapse Disorder, and various other invertebrates.
The idea of feeding animals supplements almost sounds like an Alex Jones conspiracy. Forget about “Turning the frogs gay” this is going to “Turn the bees smart”. However, basic neurochemistry is similar across many species and much of the benefits of Psilocybin and Lion’s Mane for humans, have already been more clearly demonstrated in rats. (You can give rats dangerous doses and then kill them and dissect their brains!)
The thing that’s still missing is a really compelling case study. I’d love to hear about an intern that learned Chinese in 2 weeks after taking a powerful dose of this formula. So far the best case study I’m aware of is my own story of recovery from seizure induced brain trauma, and I’m hardly a reliable judge of my own intelligence since I’ve already admitted to having brain trauma.
There are anecdotal accounts of people in traditional cultures giving Psilocybin to hunting dog to enhance their tracking abilities, I suggest that as an experimental application of this formula. We can put the psylocybin dogs up agains the cloned dogs they use at Korean airports.
So that’s what the stuff does, what is the exact formula? This information is in the public domain, but don’t go trying to patent it because Stamet’s application is already on record.
Neurogenesis Formula 1: Psilocin or psilocybin 1 mg Erinacines or hericenones 50 mg Niacin per day 200 mg Extract of Hericium erinaceus, H. corralloides, H. abietis 199 mg mycelium and/or fruitbodies of medicinal mushrooms Extracts of plants with neurogenic properties* 100 mg… Depending on individual factors such as variations in metabolism, neurotransmitters and preventative treatment or condition, such a regimen of 500–1000 mg. of intake once to three times daily may produce measurable effects in one year, or the regimen may extend for up to a year or more before noticeable neurological benefits are evident. Since psilocybin converts to psilocin and is typically not detectable in the urine in 24 hours, the long term use of this nootropic formulation sustains psilocin as a serotonin agonist, while not activating dopamine receptors.
Notice that Stamets says it might take “up to a year” to get “measurable results”. This is a little disappointing, but don’t forget that he is talking about, dogs, people with brain damage, and swarms of Bees. Also, we’re talking about new growth of neural tissue, so it’s not going to happen any faster than weight gain or muscle growth. Any positive structural change to the brain is a miracle. If you only got 5% smarter every year for 5 years, you’d thank yourself for sticking with it. It’s worth noting that nobody has discovered a plausible method of increasing IQ in adults through training.
Interestingly, there’s more than one formulation. Stamets envisions formulations for various use cases, including healthy people and people who are fighting viral infections that harm nervous tissue:
In another embodiment, the composition comprises one or more of ethyl 7-chloro-2-oxo-4-phenyl-2H-chromen-3-carboxylate, vanillic acid, chrysin, quercetin hydrate, rutin hydrate, syringic acid, trans-cinnamic acid, trans-ferulic acid, salts thereof, esters thereof, or combinations thereof, and thereby has an antiviral effect against a pathogenic virus comprising one or more of herpes Varicella zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus, herpes simplex I and II viruses, human papillomaviruses (HPV), poliovirus, or viruses which contribute to neuropathies.
As ranges of these active ingredients can vary, the inventor anticipates the ranges giving benefits will include:
Neurogenesis Formula 2 (based on a 70 kg, 154 lb person) Psilocin or psilocybin 0.1 mg to 0.6 mg Erinacines or hericenones 1 mg to 20 mg Niacin per day 1 to 50 mg
Neurogenesis Formula 3 Psilocin or psilocybin 0.6 mg to 0.9 mg Erinacines or hericenones 20 mg to 50 mg Niacin per day 50 mg to 100 mg
Neurogenesis Formula 4 Psilocin 0.9 mg to 10 mg Erinacines or hericenones 50 mg to 200 mg Niacin per day 100 mg to 200 mg Neurogenesis
Formula 5 Psilocin or psilocybin 0.1 mg to 10 mg Erinacines or hericenones 1 mg to 200 mg Niacin per day 1 mg to 200 mg
Neurogenesis Formula 6 Psilocin or psilocybin 1 mg to 10 mg Erinacines or hericenones 50 mg to 200 mg Niacin per day 101 mg to 200 mg
Neurogenesis Formula 7 Psilocybin mushroom @ 1% psilocin or psilocybin 0.1 g to 1 g Lion’s mane mushroom @ 1% erinacines or 50 mg to 200 mg hericenones Niacin per day 101 mg to 200 mg
Another embodiment is methods for manufacturing a dosing form for treating, ameliorating, mitigating, alleviating, reducing and curing a nerve damage from neurotoxic virus infection comprising: formulating a composition into a dosage form comprising sprays, capsules, tablets, elixirs, emulsions, lozenges, suspensions, syrups, pills, lotions, epidermal patches, suppositories, inhalers, or injectables. Any methods known to the art for formulating extracts or active principal ingredients into lotions, soaps, etc. may be utilized.
This portion of the patent is followed by a fascinating description of what kinds of things go into a pill along with the active ingredients. These include, thickening agents, desiccating agents, flavoring agents, and compounds to facilitate digestion. I suggest you read the application if you’re interested.
Next, there is a fascinating explanation of Stamet’s methods for using blue-light protocols to produce other psilocybin related nootropics in psilocybin mushroom mycelia. The final formulation of this invention will contain a suite of compounds in the Psilocybin family (corresponding phosphate esters, namely psilocybin and baeocystin analogs, analogs where one or more hydrogen atom is replaced by fluorine, chlorine or bromine, the salts of the tryptamine compounds, and sulfate salts) which will be optimized for neurogenesis rather than hallucinatory revelation. However, that is a matter for a separate article.
The most interesting part of the application is the summary list of claims for the efficacy of the technology. Here are the highlights:
1. A method for improving neurological health of an animal comprising: administering a therapeutically effective amount of a composition to an animal, wherein the composition comprises one or more of psilocybin, psilocin, baeocystin, norbaeocystin, salts thereof, or combinations thereof, one or more of erinacines, hericenones or combinations thereof, and niacin.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the animal is a human.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition additionally improves memory and cognition.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition additionally improves motor skills and coordination.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition additionally improves ability to solve complex computer coding challenges.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition additionally improves hearing.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition additionally improves vision.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition additionally improves sensory function.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition additionally improves learning.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition additionally promotes neurogenesis.
…
17. The method of claim 14, wherein the composition additionally comprises one or more of (Bacopa monnieri), Gotu kola (Centella asiatica), Gingko (Gingko biloba), Ginger (Zingiber officinale), Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum), Hu Zhang (Polygonum cuspidatum), Oregano (Origanum vulgare, Origanum onites), Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis, Rosmarinus eriocalyx, Rosmarinus species), Turmeric (Curcuma longa), Green Tea (Camellia sinensis), lavender (Lavandula spica and Lavandula species), skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora), oat straw (Avena sativa and Avena byzantine), Diviner’s Sage (Salvia divinorum), ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria species), Tabernanthe iboga, Voacanga africana, Tabernaemontana undulate, peyote (Lophophora williamsii), morning glory (Ipomoea tricolor, Argyreia nervosa), Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica or Cannabis ruderalis, or combinations thereof.
…
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the animal is a human.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein the composition additionally results in one or more of improved memory and cognition, improved motor skills and coordination, improved ability to solve complex computer coding challenges, improved hearing, improved vision, improved sensory function, improved learning or promotion of neurogenesis, or combinations thereof.
The above describes the predicted effects of the formula but not the degree of the effects, which is understandable for a patent application but not as exciting as what we got on the JRE.
My inferences about Stamet’s vision:
From the patent application it seems to me that Stamets sees his NLPS invention as fitting into the CBD marketing model. Basically, the stuff is going infused in every lotion, soap, energy drink, power bar, and lozenge he can sell. This reminds me of my joke that “LSD should be added to milk along with vitamin D.”, which I guess I should have patented but which is now part of the “prior art” thanks to this article.
Stamets will likely add the formulas he described to his suite of Host Defense products, including the hypothetical pill formulation you take 3 times a day. Hearing everything described in such clinical detail and imagining the enormous amount of money somebody who isn’t me would stand to make if this plan succeeded, definitely takes some of the magic out of the nootropic experiment. However, once I compensate for the realities of law and capitalism, I see this as very exciting news.
Stamet’s Host Defense products work really well. I credit Lion’s Mane with a huge boost in my health, and the rest of the product line is also impressive. For example, Host Defense’s “brain pills” or whatever they call them are so effective they are actually useful. They have instant stimulant benefits and increase mental clarity throughout my entire day. I even take them 2 hrs before power-lifting workouts to improve my focus, and really notice the difference.
3 pills a day is a big commitment. At that point it isn’t just a supplement, it’s a hobby. However, if Host Defense ever releases this product, I will definitely give it a 6 month trial run, and I’ll be expecting it to work.
