PTSD and depression have plagued our troops from the beginning of time. Often, it seems to me, that we treat them with anti-depressants. Then we treat the side-effects of those drugs with more drugs. This doesn’t make sense.

Now, Silo Wellness, an Oregon company, has developed a nasal spray that makes micro-dosing easier for people fighting PTSD and depression. 

The spray uses a substance called psilocybin which is found in some fungi species (mushrooms). Psilocybin mushrooms are heavily regulated or prohibited in many countries and their possession often carries severe legal penalties. This nasal spray may eventually become available but it is currently illegal in the United States.

So how does it work?

The nasal spray passes the gut, going directly to the bloodstream through the nasal mucus membranes, and is eventually metabolized in the liver. This prevents nauseousness, a commonly experienced side-effect of psilocybin. Additionally, this absorption pathway drastically cuts down on the time until the patient feels the drug’s effects.

Board Advisor and Silo Wellness investor Becky Rotterman, who is also a Missouri pharmacist, stated that “Many psilocybin patients, particularly women, complain of upset stomach or vomiting when taking high-doses of mushrooms.”

“We want to bring this wonderful natural medicine first to Oregon and then the flyover states – to those who would be afraid to eat a handful of fungi and who feel more comfortable seeing their medicine in a familiar delivery modality, such as a metered-dose nasal spray.”

Currently, the VA is treating persons with PTSD and depression with a microdose of medical mushrooms in pill form. 

We spoke to a recently-retired Special Forces Command sergeant major who is currently taking mushroom microdoses under the VA’s care. He explained how much they are helping him cope with life. He believes that with the proper controls in place, this treatment could be implemented for active-duty troops.

Taking the correct dosage is vital. Many patients end up “stacking.” Since the first dose takes some time to take effect, the patient consumes more, only to then find they have taken too much.

Microdosing alternatives with faster uptake speed are essential in preventing accidental high-dosage experiences.

Silo Wellness founder, Mike Arnold, said that he created the medicine following his first experience with psilocybin after a doctor had advised him to take it.

Psilocybin has been trialed for the treatment of several physical and mental conditions since the 1960s, two of which are PTSD and depression. 

The drug’s psychoactive side is thought to stimulate receptors in the brain and then potentially “rewire the brain” by increasing neuro connectivity, thus helping to heal trauma from physical or psychological events.

Psilocybin for depression has recently been given its second “Breakthrough Therapy” designation by the FDA.

Major Albayrak, an Intelligence Officer and an Expeditionary Ground Reconnaissance Officer wrote in the Marine Corps Gazette that, “[If you] step into any sensitive compartmented information facility in the Marine Corps, and you are guaranteed to find any number of stimulants and performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs): caffeine and tobacco in many forms, lab-manufactured and non-Food and Drug Administration-approved pre-workout supplements, etc.”

“This is a serious foray and discussion about considering the use of cognitive PEDs to increase productivity, creativity, problem-solving ability, and flow. If such an experiment were initiated and found to provide a cognitive edge, the DoD and [Marine Corps Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance] in concert with the data aggregation tool and other technological advantages available, would leverage an untapped resource to create an insurmountable gap over every other competitor,” she continued.

Maj. Albayrak argues that microdosing would improve performance enhancement in intelligence analysis.

Check out this episode of SOFREP Radio in which Navy SEAL Jeff Nichols talks about how he turned to psychedelics, such as psilocybin mushrooms and DMT, to which he attributes to his clarity today.