Can scientists build a better trip?

Ever wonder about the first person to try hallucinogenic mushrooms in the wild? I mean, surely they were stoked they didn't die, but... whooooaaaah, maaaaan...

For millennia, humans have experimented with the multitude of mind-altering substances we've encountered in nature.

And for just as long, we've been tinkering with those magic mushrooms, peculiar plants, and intoxicating toads in pursuit of a better trip.

Now, researchers and startups are increasingly bringing nature into the lab, tailoring naturally derived psychedelic drugs to create better therapeutic experiences, in some cases with shorter or less intense trips, per The Atlantic.

What a long strange trip it's been

Psychoactive substances have long been used by indigenous cultures for healing, but it wasn't until the 1950s that Western medicine saw the potential for psychedelic-assisted therapy to treat a variety of conditions, including depression, anxiety, addiction, and PTSD.

Much of that psychedelic research took a bad trip in the mid-1960s with research bans and later classification of psychedelics as Schedule 1 substances with no medical value.

But as research restrictions have been lifted in recent decades, we've entered what some call a psychedelic renaissance with hundreds of clinical trials.

As support for psychedelic research has grown, so has investment: the psychedelic drugs market was estimated at $4.13B in 2025 and is expected to grow to $14.9B by 2035.

Down the rabbit hole

While some startups in the field have struggled to gain interest from investors, some have managed to navigate a path forward.

• Sensorium Therapeutics is testing a succulent-derived drug for anxiety and recently raised a $25M Series A extension.
• Reunion Neuroscience recently raised $133M for a psychedelic compound similar to psilocybin to address postpartum depression with a shortened high.
• Mindstate Design Labs, which raised $11M, is using AI to develop psychedelics that are milder and more targeted for therapeutic uses.
• Gilgamesh Pharma, which is developing a cardiac-safe analog of ibogaine for substance use disorders and a drug related to ketamine for major depressive disorder (MDD), raised $60M.

Meanwhile, some biotech companies, like Transcend Therapeutics, are being acquired by major pharmaceutical companies, indicating a growing industry interest in psychedelics.

Further investment and research into psychedelic drugs for therapy shows promise for those who could benefit from them.

Just be glad you weren't the first person to try Lilliputian mushrooms.